Director of Payroll

About the role

At R1, we're transforming how healthcare works by combining nearly two decades of revenue cycle expertise with advanced technology, including analytics, AI, intelligent automation and workflow orchestration. We pair that technology with the irreplaceable expertise of our people to help hospitals, health systems and medical groups improve financial performance, simplify administrative complexity and create better experiences for patients and providers.

All Together Better defines our culture and the way we work. We're a diverse, global team united by a shared mission to make healthcare work better for all. Across technology, operations and support functions, our people bring deep expertise, empathy and ingenuity to the work we do. Here, collaboration fuels progress, adaptability sparks innovation and every voice can help shape what's next for R1 and the future of healthcare.

We are seeking a strategic and transformational Director of Payroll to lead enterprise payroll operations for a large, complex workforce. This role is responsible for payroll strategy, governance, compliance, technology, vendor management, and operational excellence while ensuring an exceptional employee experience.

As a trusted advisor to senior leadership, you will partner across HR, Finance, Tax, Legal, and HR Technology to drive modernization, mitigate risk, strengthen controls, and deliver a scalable payroll function that supports long-term business growth.

Here's what you will experience working as a Director of Payroll

• Establish and execute the enterprise payroll strategy, operating model, governance framework, and multi-year transformation roadmap supporting organizational growth and workforce objectives.
• Serve as the executive leader accountable for accurate, compliant, resilient, and scalable payroll delivery across a large, complex, multi-state workforce.
• Provide strategic oversight of payroll governance, regulatory compliance, tax operations, SOX controls, audits, enterprise risk management, and financial stewardship.
• Lead the modernization of payroll capabilities through technology innovation, automation, data governance, process standardization, and optimization of the Workday ecosystem.
• Build and develop a high-performing payroll organization, leading through managers and senior professionals while strengthening leadership capability and succession readiness.
• Direct strategic vendor partnerships and governance programs to optimize service delivery, compliance outcomes, operational performance, and business value.
• Advise executive stakeholders on payroll-related risks, workforce impacts, compliance matters, transformation priorities, and investment decisions.
• Lead payroll strategy and integration efforts for enterprise initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions, organizational restructuring, geographic expansion, shared services evolution, and business transformation.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification preferred.

Required Skills

• Bachelor's - Equivalent experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 12+ years of progressive payroll leadership experience, including significant accountability for complex, high-volume, multi-state payroll operations within a large enterprise environment.
• 5+ years of experience leading managers, senior managers, and high-performing teams, with a demonstrated ability to build organizational capability, develop future leaders, and drive results through leaders.
• Strong experience with Workday Payroll and Timekeeping
• Proven experience developing and executing enterprise payroll strategies, operating models, governance frameworks, and transformation roadmaps.
• Deep expertise in payroll regulations, tax compliance, wage-and-hour laws, SOX controls, audits, and enterprise risk management.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale payroll transformation, system implementations, automation initiatives, or shared services evolution.
• Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, organizational restructuring, workforce transformation, or geographic expansion.
• Executive-level communication, influence, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to advise senior leaders on complex business, compliance, and workforce matters.
• Proven ability to lead through ambiguity, drive organizational change, and balance strategic priorities with operational excellence.

For this US-based position, the base pay range is $122,366.00 - $178,767.22 per year. Individual pay is determined by role, level, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

This job is eligible to participate in our annual bonus plan at a target of 20.00%

The healthcare system is always evolving - and it's up to us to use our shared expertise to find new solutions that can keep up. On our growing team you'll find the opportunity to constantly learn, collaborate across groups and explore new paths for your career.

Our associates are given the chance to contribute, think boldly and create meaningful work that makes a difference in the communities we serve around the world. We go beyond expectations in everything we do. Not only does that drive customer success and improve patient care, but that same enthusiasm is applied to giving back to the community and taking care of our team - including offering a competitive benefits package.