Senior Payroll Leader (Workday) - Multi-Entity, Compliance

acehardware; Oak Brook (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive opportunities

Generous 401(k) plan

Comprehensive health coverage

Vacation and holidays

Company car, phone and fuel card

Ace Cares Week

Tuition assistance program

Employee discounts

Job summary

Ace Hardware Corporation in Oak Brook, IL is seeking a Payroll Manager to lead end-to-end in-house payroll operations in Workday across weekly, biweekly and semi-monthly cycles for multiple legal entities.

The role focuses on governance, compliance, tax filings, system integrations, and building a high-performing team of 9, with strategic oversight of plan administration and audit readiness.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive payroll leadership experience.
• 5+ years at manager/director level in high-volume, multi-state and multi-entity environments.
• In-house Workday payroll governance, change management and testing experience.
• Deep knowledge of payroll operations, financial controls, payroll taxation and regulatory compliance.
• Strong analytical, communication and judgment skills to translate requirements into solutions.
• Proven success leading teams and driving process improvements via technology and automation.
• Commitment to audit readiness, internal controls and data privacy.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end in-house payroll operations in Workday across weekly, biweekly and semi-monthly cycles and multiple legal entities.
• Set payroll governance, processing and systems strategy in alignment with enterprise financial, compliance and technology objectives.
• Monitor and implement federal, state and local payroll, tax, wage-and-hour and calculation requirements.
• Own payroll tax filings, reconciliations and agency issue resolution across federal, state and local jurisdictions.
• Direct integrations among Workday payroll, retirement platforms and financial systems; identify automation, AI and process improvements that enhance accuracy, efficiency and the employee experience.
• Lead the effort from a payroll perspective to integrate new business and new acquisitions.
• Develop a high-performing team of 9 through clear priorities, coaching, performance management and succession planning.
• Support the Ace sponsored benefit plans from a payroll perspective including, participant deferral calculations, coordination of communications, compliance, audits, inquiries and coordination with plan partners.

Skills

Payroll leadership

Workday payroll

Multi-state payroll

Leadership

Analytics

Communication

Audit readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting/finance/HR/business

Tools

Workday

Job description

Ace Hardware Corporation in Oak Brook, IL is seeking a Payroll Manager to lead end-to-end in-house payroll operations in Workday across weekly, biweekly and semi-monthly cycles for multiple legal entities.

The role focuses on governance, compliance, tax filings, system integrations, and building a high-performing team of 9, with strategic oversight of plan administration and audit readiness.