Senior Manager, Payroll

Dimensional Fund Advisors; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Educational initiatives

Celebrations of history and growth

Job summary

Dimensional Fund Advisors seeks a Senior Manager, Payroll to lead the firm’s payroll function for the US and international jurisdictions. You will drive operational excellence, governance, and vendor management across global payroll operations.

The role requires strategic and hands-on leadership, strong executive communication, and expertise in major payroll platforms, with exposure to diverse regulatory environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive payroll experience including global payroll
• Leadership experience managing payroll teams or complex functions
• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations, compliance, and controls
• Experience with payroll platforms such as Workday, OSV, Deel, Oracle or similar
• CPP certification is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end payroll operations across multiple countries and regions.
• Oversee payroll calendars, processing cycles, reconciliations, approvals, and funding.
• Develop and maintain payroll governance framework and controls.
• Partner with Tax, Accounting and HR for accurate reporting and reconciliations.
• Drive automation, standardization, and process improvements in payroll systems.

Skills

Global payroll leadership

Executive communication

Payroll governance

Process optimization

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or related field

CPP certification preferred

Tools

Workday Payroll

OneSource Virtual (OSV)

Deel

Oracle

Job description

Job Description: The Senior Manager, Payroll will drive payroll operational excellence by leading the firm’s payroll function to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery for Dimensional employees across U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions. This role is responsible for operational excellence, payroll governance, team leadership, vendor management, process optimization and internal controls. Developing and maintaining collaborative partnerships with Human Resources, Accounting, Tax, Legal, and external payroll providers are key factors. The ideal candidate must be able to lead on both the operational and strategic levels, possess global payroll expertise, and demonstrate strong executive communication skills.

Responsibilities

Leadership and Operations

Leads end-to-end payroll operations across multiple countries and regions (US, Canada, EMEA (UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands), Asia-Pac (Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore), ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing for both monthly and semi-monthly payroll cycles.

Oversees payroll calendars, processing cycles, reconciliations, approvals, and funding activities. Ensures operational continuity and payroll delivery excellence across all payroll cycles. Serves as the senior escalation point for complex payroll issues and executive-level concerns. Partners with regional teams and external providers to ensure consistent execution globally.

Payroll Governance, Compliance & Controls

Develops and maintains a strong payroll governance framework, including policies, procedures, controls, and documentation standards. Ensures compliance with federal, state, local, and international payroll regulations and tax requirements. Supports payroll audits, tax reporting activities, and responses to payroll-related inquiries as the subject-matter expert. Assists with payroll reconciliations, year-end payroll activities, and required payroll reporting submissions. Monitors payroll risk areas and proactively implements mitigation strategies. Partners with Tax, Accounting, and Human Resources to ensure payroll-related reconciliations, incentives, and reporting are accurate and timely.

Vendor Management & Global Provider Oversight

Manages relationships with global payroll providers and third-party vendors as the primary liaison. Establishes vendor governance processes, including Service Level Agreement monitoring, issue escalation management, and scorecards. Evaluates provider performance and identifies opportunities for operational improvement and service optimization. Participates in payroll-related projects, testing activities, and operational initiatives impacting payroll processes.

Payroll Technology & Process Improvement

Partners with HR Information Systems, Finance Systems, and Technology teams to optimize payroll systems, integrations, and workflows. Identifies opportunities for automation, standardization, and process efficiencies. Leads payroll transformation and continuous improvement initiatives. Improves payroll reporting, metrics, and operational visibility through Key Performance Indicator development and dashboard reporting. Reduces manual dependencies and improves payroll scalability and efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive payroll experience, including experience leading a global payroll operations function.
• Leadership experience managing payroll teams and/or complex payroll functions.
• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations, payroll accounting, and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated experience improving payroll processes, controls, and operational efficiency.
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with Workday Payroll, OneSource Virtual ("OSV"), Deel, Oracle, or similar payroll platforms.
• Strong background in payroll governance, KPI reporting, and vendor management.
• Certified Payroll Professional ("CPP") preferred.

Dimensional offers a variety of programs to help take care of you, your family, and your career, including comprehensive benefits, educational initiatives, and special celebrations of our history, culture, and growth.

It is the policy of the Company to provide equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. The Company recruits, hires, trains, promotes, compensates, and administers all personnel actions without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, religious practice, creed, sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), caregiver status, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender identity, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, ancestry, medical condition, marital status, familial status, domestic partnership status, military or veteran status or service, unemployment status, citizenship status or alienage, sexual orientation, status as a victim of domestic violence, status as a victim of stalking, status as a victim of sex offenses, genetic information, political activities or recreational activities, arrest or conviction record, salary history, natural hairstyle or any other status protected by applicable law except as otherwise required or permitted by law or regulation applicable to the Company or its affiliates.

At Dimensional, we want to change the way the world thinks about investing. As a leading global investment firm, we offer systematic, value-added investment solutions based on robust science and thoughtful implementation. Our global team includes more than 1,600 passionate people with diverse experiences, education, strengths, and talents. With a learning mindset rooted in academia and powered by the great ideas in finance, we pursue what we believe are the strongest investment solutions, while providing a world-class client experience. Every employee plays a role in delivering these experiences, and we know we can achieve the most when we work as a team to endeavor to help improve investors’ lives.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Most roles fit our office-first hybrid approach: We are together on our campuses Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and have the choice to work in the office or remotely, depending on what is best for that work day, on Mondays and Fridays. This approach maximizes in-person collaboration and interaction while simultaneously providing flexibility and applies to most roles globally with a few exceptions that require more or less time in the office.