Senior Director Global Payroll Operations Full Time

Summary

The Senior Director Global Payroll Operations at Acuity Brands, Inc. oversees payroll and benefits globally. A leader in industrial technology, Acuity Brands innovates through its Lighting and Intelligent Spaces segments, focusing on sustainability and tech-driven solutions for energy efficiency and smart systems.

Responsibilities

• Oversee domestic and international payroll full cycle processing for US and International subsidiaries Including data collection, gross to net calculations, reconciliations, etc.) globally and provide strategic guidance by defining function’s scope.
• Recruit and develop the best-in-class talent that will be subject matter experts and points of contact for all internal and external payroll inquiries.
• Develop and execute a strategic plan to scale and optimize the global payroll administration that can support new and existing payrolls in various regions.
• Actively engage and collaborate with cross-functional teams and leadership to ensure business objectives and priorities are met and executed effectively.
• Design and implement workflows and internal controls within systems to ensure all payroll, benefit administration, and time tracking transactions are processed accurately, timely and in compliance with International, federal, state, local, and country-specific laws and regulations.
• Monitor the latest payroll and wage laws and regulations to ensure tax and benefits compliance is maintained within systems.
• Ensure quarterly and annual filings and reporting requirements are executed with accuracy and are filed timely for all jurisdictions.
• Participate in the design and implementation of internal controls and documentation per International/Federal/State compliance requirements.
• Support finance and accounting department in all payroll-related financial closing activities for the month/quarter/year-end and external audits.
• Lead or assist on special tasks and projects as needed (e.g., M&A payroll integration, entity set up, system implementations, etc.).
• Collaborate with HR leaders, HR Operations, Accounting, Finance, Audit and other departments to ensure alignment and integration of payroll shared services with broader organizational goals.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders to support the payroll shared services function.
• Lead, coach, and develop the payroll shared services team to ensure high performance and continuous professional growth.
• Foster a positive and collaborative team environment that encourages innovation and excellence.
• Overseeing the planning, execution, and successful deployment of new or upgraded global payroll systems across multiple countries, ensuring compliance with local regulations, data accuracy, and seamless integration with existing HR and financial systems, while collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive efficient payroll processes on a global scale.
• Oversee the end-to-end payroll process for all international locations, ensuring timely and accurate payroll processing.
• Ensure the security, privacy, and compliance of payroll platforms in accordance with global regulations including GDPR and other country regulations.
• Consistently meet internal SLA’s and KPI’s to improve performance metrics to provide a clear measure of service quality, identifies areas for improvement, ensures accountability.
• Focus on building a culture of continuous improvement ensuring efficient and consistent employee experience and delivering operation excellence.
• Oversee timekeeping administration and policy maintenance, including inquiries, updates, and improvements.
• Oversee benefit (enrollments and changes) and leave of absence administration; policy maintenance, including inquiries, updates, and improvements.
• Manage complex payroll and benefit-related queries / complaints.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in global payroll and benefits administration.
• Certified Payroll Professional.
• Experience transforming a payroll function to maximize automation, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Strong understanding of global payroll, time tracking, and benefits laws and regulations.
• Strong project management experience including the ability to manage project plans, dependencies, critical path activities, and milestones.
• Highly analytical, aptitude for quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Communicate effectively with teammates and various levels of management as well as external partners.
• Demonstrates professionalism and maturity in handling confidential information.
• Proven experience in developing and managing payroll shared services in a large, complex organization.
• Strong knowledge of payroll processes, policies, and best practices.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and project management skills.
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience with HR technologies and process improvements.
• Experience with SAP Employee Central Payroll.
• Payroll certification.
• Bilingual in Spanish or French preferred.
• Travel Requirements: Up to 25% domestically and internationally.

Benefits

• We value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer.
• All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regards to race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnicity or national origin, disability, pregnancy, religion, covered veteran status, protected genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
• Accommodation for Applicants with Disabilities: As an equal opportunity employer, Acuity Brands is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in its application process for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans.
• Remote Opportunities: Remote.