Sr Director, Payroll

The Sr. Director, Payroll is responsible for providing global oversight and strategic direction for the entire Payroll and Payroll Tax and Compliance function, utilizing Workday Payroll and other solutions to facilitate Cox overall business goals across the Cox family of businesses.
The Sr. Director, Payroll leads the enterprise Payroll and Payroll Tax and Compliance teams by setting and executing strategic objectives in line with enterprise goals and works with key payroll stakeholders. Serves as the senior-level liaison between the payroll group, People Solutions, legal counsel, payroll stakeholders and outside service providers and provides guidance to senior leaders across the enterprise. The Sr. Director, Payroll will also play a key role in the payroll transformation as we look to standardize, streamline, and automate global payroll processes.
This position reports to the SVP, Enterprise HR Technology & People Analytics and will play a principal role in providing leadership and guidance concerning payroll and payroll tax strategies with a global lens for the Cox family of businesses.
This position involves a high level of visibility and interaction with senior leadership (VP+) and a variety of other departments and business functions.
Position Responsibilities:
Leadership and Strategy:

• Oversee and direct all aspects of payroll operations, payroll tax compliance, and payroll system management.
• Develop payroll strategy aligned with the company's goals and objectives, ensuring process efficiency and scalability.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a payroll team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (HR, Finance, Legal, IBT) to align payroll processes with organizational needs.
• Partner with external vendors (payroll service providers) to ensure best-in-class payroll operations and compliance.
• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) on payroll processes, payroll taxes, and regulatory changes affecting payroll.

Payroll Management:

• Ensure timely and accurate payroll processing for all employees, including hourly, salaried, and commission-based workers across multiple states or countries.
• Ensure the organization's payroll policies and procedures are compliant with federal, state, and local laws.
• Monitor payroll trends and industry standards to recommend and implement improvements or enhancements to payroll processes.
• Oversee the integration and coordination of payroll with HR Technology and financial systems, ensuring data integrity and accurate reporting.
• Manage complex payroll scenarios such as expatriate payrolls, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) payroll transitions, and payroll system implementations or upgrades.

Payroll Tax and Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with all payroll tax requirements, including withholding, filing, and remittance of payroll taxes (federal, state, and local).
• Monitor changes in tax legislation, ensuring the organization remains compliant and adapting systems as needed.
• Manage all tax-related audits, working closely with external auditors and internal teams.
• Oversee the preparation and filing of all quarterly and annual payroll tax reports (e.g., W-2, 1099, 941, 940, state unemployment taxes).
• Ensure payroll compliance with wage and hour laws (FLSA), overtime rules, garnishments, and other legal requirements.
• Maintain accurate and detailed records for audits and compliance reviews.

Process Optimization and Technology:

• Lead payroll technology initiatives, including the implementation and upgrades of payroll systems and software.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, identifying inefficiencies, reducing errors, and optimizing the endto-end payroll process.
• Oversee the automation of payroll processes where applicable to reduce manual intervention and increase accuracy.
• Ensure robust data security practices are followed in payroll processing, especially in regard to personally identifiable information (PII).

Reporting and Analysis:

• Prepare payroll-related reports for senior leadership, including variance analysis, cost forecasts, and regulatory updates.
• Provide regular updates on payroll performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Lead efforts to provide analytical insights on payroll costs, compliance issues, and trends impacting the business.

Stakeholder Management:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for escalated payroll inquiries from employees and management.
• Partner with HR and finance leadership to develop compensation structures and policies that align with payroll best practices.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth payroll operations and compliance.

Qualifications:
Minimum

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, or other business-related degree.
• 12+ years of payroll and payroll tax experience or equivalent combination of education and experience (MS + 10 years of experience OR Ph.D. with 7+ years of experience OR 16+ years of relevant experience with no degree).
• Experience with leading a payroll and payroll tax team in an integrated Workday environment that includes a working knowledge of Workday reporting and data dashboards.
• Advanced knowledge of Tax and Labor rules and regulations.
• Executive relationship management expertise capability to influence at all levels of the organization.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to liaise with cross-functional teams and external partners.

Preferred

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP).
• MBA or Master's Degree is a plus.
• Global payroll management in a shared service and/or matrixed environment is a strong plus.
• Advanced knowledge of organization's tax policies, procedures current technologies, practices, and ability to influence the strategic direction.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage an operational function with customer service orientation.
• Demonstrate progressive experience with leading and developing high performing teams.
• Strategic mindset with a willingness to be hands on as required.
• Trustworthy; maintains confidentiality.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.

USD 156,200.00 - 260,400.00
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary of $156,200.00 - $260,400.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, parental leave, and COVID-19 vaccination leave.
About Cox
Cox empowers employees to build a better future and has been doing so for over 120 years. With exciting investments and innovations across transportation, communications, cleantech and healthcare, our family of businesses - which includes Cox Automotive and Cox Communications - is forging a better future for us all. Ready to make your mark? Join us today!
Benefits of working at Cox may include health care insurance (medical, dental, vision), retirement planning (401(k)), and paid days off (sick leave, parental leave, flexible vacation/wellness days, and/or PTO). For more details on what benefits you may be offered, visit our benefits page .
Cox is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer - All qualified applicants/employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to that individual's age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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