Senior Director, Payroll Operations & Strategy

Save the Children; Fairfield (CT); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 133,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedules

Generous PTO

Health care benefits

Family leave benefits

Retirement savings plan

Wellness days

Employee Assistance Program

Learning & Growth opportunities

Job summary

Save the Children seeks a Senior Director of Payroll to lead payroll strategy and operations for U.S. entities, including expatriates, with a hands-on, player/coach approach.

Reporting to the Head of HR Operations, you’ll supervise the payroll team, manage vendors, ensure regulatory compliance, and partner across HR, Finance, IT, and Benefits to optimize processes. This role requires strong leadership, multi-state payroll expertise, and a focus on accuracy and data security, while driving

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree or equivalent; at least 7 years payroll experience with 3 years in supervision.
• Experience with multi-state payroll and state paid leave programs/regulations.
• Deep knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations.
• Experience managing payroll vendors and third-party providers.
• Experience with time & attendance and payroll software (UKG and Tenrox a plus).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day payroll operations for three entities.
• Administer payroll for international expatriates and third country nationals abroad.
• Ensure pay is transmitted to banks, including international wire payments.
• Collaborate with Benefits on deductions, reconciliations, and leave impacts.
• Lead payroll audits and support financial statements and audits.
• Manage vendor relationships and platform evaluations.
• Train and coach payroll staff; manage payroll help desk.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and year-end W-2 processing.

Skills

MS Office

Excel

English proficiency

Payroll management

Vendor management

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

UKG

Tenrox

Job description

Save the Children seeks a Senior Director of Payroll to lead payroll strategy and operations for U.S. entities, including expatriates, with a hands-on, player/coach approach.

Reporting to the Head of HR Operations, you’ll supervise the payroll team, manage vendors, ensure regulatory compliance, and partner across HR, Finance, IT, and Benefits to optimize processes. This role requires strong leadership, multi-state payroll expertise, and a focus on accuracy and data security, while driving