Overview
Join a Team That Changes Lives
For more than 170 years, Elwyn has been leading the way in supporting children, teens, and adults with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and behavioral health challenges. As a mission-driven nonprofit, we’re here to create real change – helping people lead meaningful, fulfilling lives.
Now, we’re looking for passionate team members to join us. Here, your work will change lives – including your own. You’ll make an impact every day, find purpose in what you do, and grow in a career that truly matters.
At Elwyn, we take care of you while you care for others. We offer:
- Generous Paid Time Off
- Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision Benefit Packages
- Earned Wage Access/On-Demand Pay
- Paid On-the-Job Training
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Career Advancement Opportunities and Growth
- Flexible Schedules
- Retirement Savings Plan
Join us and be a part of something bigger. Apply today.
Job Description
Elwyn seeks a Director Payroll to be a key leader within the HR Operations team with primary responsibility for payroll accuracy, operating structure, and enterprise risk within the payroll domain. This role provides the strategic direction, governance, and execution of all payroll operations across a large, complex, multi-state enterprise. The Director Payroll oversees the full end-to-end payroll lifecycle, utilizing UKG Pro as the system of record, to ensure payroll accuracy, compliance, internal controls, integrations, and continuous improvement. This role leads a fully remote, geographically distributed payroll team and partners cross-functionally with HR Systems, Finance, IT, Benefits, Risk Management, and Legal to ensure accurate upstream data flow, approvals, and downstream payroll processing. The Director Payroll serves as the organization's highest-level payroll subject matter expert. ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Responsible for the efficient, accurate, and compliant operation of all payroll processes managed by Payroll Operations, including oversight of payroll systems, payroll processing, team performance, internal controls, and continuous improvement of payroll policies and practices in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
- Provides strategic and operational leadership for enterprise payroll operations.
- Establishes payroll governance, internal controls, standardized workflows, and audit-ready practices.
- Owns enterprise payroll risk management and ensures compliance with wage and hour laws, payroll tax regulations, garnishments, and union agreements.
- Shapes payroll policy, operating models, and structural decisions in partnership with HR and Finance leadership.
- Owns the payroll components of UKG Pro and partners with the HR Systems team to ensure all configuration, security, audits, upgrades, integrations, and releases support payroll compliance and departmental operational needs.
- Serves as the payroll lead for all payroll-related system implementations, enhancements, testing, training, and change communications.
- Oversees payroll reporting, audits, and data integrity within UKG Pro and downstream finance systems.
- Directs accurate and timely processing of all payroll cycles across multiple pay schedules and jurisdictions.
- Maintains tax profiles across all work locations, including multi-state remote environments.
- Oversees year-end payroll processing, reconciliation, and W-2 preparation.
- Provides oversight of payroll tax filings and reconciliations in coordination with vendors and internal finance partners.
- Leads and develops a high-performing payroll team.
- Manages and supports a fully remote payroll team.
- Establishes service standards, SLAs, escalation protocols, and quality assurance controls.
- Drives continuous improvement and modernization of payroll operations, including electronic pay, employee self-service, automated timekeeping, off-cycle payroll processing, and complex payroll adjustments.
- Serves as the primary payroll authority for internal audits, external audits, regulatory reviews, and workers’ compensation audits.
- Partners with Accounting to ensure accurate payroll-to-general-ledger integration and reconciliation of payroll-related variances.
- Provides oversight of payroll vendor relationships and serves as the final escalation authority for complex payroll issues.
- Produces payroll reporting, including overtime, labor spend, accruals, and ad hoc reporting.
- Oversees required regulatory reporting and notifications, including tax filings, 403(b) census reporting, and quarterly and annual adjustments.
- Maintains ongoing payroll compliance knowledge through continuing professional education.
- Directs payroll vendor with completion and reconciliation of federal, state, and local payroll tax filings
- Attend at least eight (8) hours of continuing education per quarter in a field related to the position: Payroll, Tax, Garnishments, etc.
- Performs other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field required, or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible payroll leadership experience.
Qualifications
- Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) highly preferred or equivalent senior-level HR or Accounting certification.
- Minimum of ten (10+) years of progressive payroll experience, including at least five (5) years in a people leadership role with direct oversight of a fully remote team.
- Demonstrated experience managing end-to-end payroll operations in a large, complex enterprise environment.
- California payroll experience required.
- UKG Pro experience required.
- Advanced excel skills required, including pivot tables, complex formulas, and large-volume data analysis.
- Demonstrated experience using payroll reporting tools, especially UKG Pro BI Reporting.
- Extensive multi-state payroll, tax, garnishment, and regulatory compliance experience.
- Union payroll experience strongly preferred.
- Healthcare and human services industry experience preferred.
- Proven experience leading payroll modernization and systems transformation initiatives.
- Demonstrated strong attention to detail, sound judgement, and the ability to independently solve complex problems and make decisions with minimal supervision.
- Proven ability to anticipate business needs, identify risks or problem areas, and proactively implement effective solutions.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment with strong time management and organizational skills.
- Expert knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll regulations and the ability to apply them across complex, multi-state environments.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across trams with excellent interpersonal, presentation, and written and verbal communication skills.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Elwyn is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Elwyn does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, pregnancy status, medical condition, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, sexual orientation or identity, age, national origin, citizenship, handicap status, marital or family status, mental or physical disability, perceived disability, military or veteran status, political activities or affiliations, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law, ordinance, or regulation.
If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at ADArequest@elwyn.org and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.
Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal