• The Head of Payroll is a strategic and passionate leader responsible for driving and elevating payroll operations to service over 3,500 colleagues across North America
• This role will be required to develop and lead a high-performing team focused on delivering accurate, compliant, and timely payroll and related topics across the US and Canada
• Strategic Leadership and Governance
• Further develop and execute a long-term payroll strategy for North America, ensuring scalability, efficiency, and alignment with organizational objectives
• Drive transformation initiatives to streamline processes, improve internal controls, and ensure best-in-class service delivery
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on payroll-related risks, performance, and compliance posture
• Drive harmonization and automation of payroll processes across key areas, including 401(k) reconciliation, Workday earning code definition incl. mapping to GL, and other critical workflows
• Lead and manage payroll-related projects, including system upgrades, integrations/migrations, vendor transitions, and process improvement initiatives
• Partner with HR, Finance and HR Digital Solutions teams to align payroll operations with broader organizational strategies and to optimize end-to-end processes
• Payroll Operational Excellence
• Oversee the accurate processing of multi-state U.S. and Canadian payroll, special payments, garnishments, tax withholdings, and benefit deductions
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, provincial, and local payroll tax laws and regulations, including multi-state payroll tax registrations and updates
• Ensure absolute accuracy, timeliness, and compliance in payroll operations
• Maintain a hands-on approach and operational depth to ensure continuity and quality across all touchpoints
• Oversee payroll-related implications for expats and mobile employees
• Monitor regulatory changes and ensure proactive compliance
• Manage relationships with external payroll vendors, ensuring performance against SLAs, cost efficiency, and compliance standards
• Establish and monitor payroll KPIs, providing regular reporting and insight to Finance and HR leadership
• Ensure payroll processes follow robust internal controls and support all internal and external audits, including payroll reconciliations, workers compensation and documentation of key procedures
• Understand complex and integrated system/technology landscape (e.g., Workday) downstream systems, integrations and reporting
• Manage year-end payroll activities, including tax reporting (e.g., W-2, T4) and reconciliation processes
• Team Leadership and Development
• Develop, coach, and inspire a team of payroll professionals to deliver with excellence, integrity, and purpose
• Cultivate a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Identify and build future leadership within the team; foster cross-functional learning and upskilling
• Establish clear performance metrics, SLAs, and KPIs for the payroll team to ensure high-quality service delivery
• Partnership and Collaboration
• Build strong, trusting relationships with Finance, HR (including HR Digital Solutions), Legal and onsite leadership
• Represent payroll in M&A due diligence, onboarding, and integration efforts
• Collaborate with HR Digital Solutions teams to maintain and optimize Workday Time & Payroll systems
• Act as the internal and external face of payroll, ensuring transparency and proactive communication
• Compliance and Risk Management
• Implement and maintain robust governance framework and controls to ensure compliance with organizational policies, payroll tax laws, and regulatory requirements
• Develop and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions for payroll processes
• Conduct regular internal audits of payroll transactions, garnishments, tax withholdings, and absence processing to ensure accuracy and compliance
• Collaborate with external vendors (e.g., ADP, OSV) and state agencies to resolve tax-related issues and maintain employer compliance
• Process Improvement and Technology
• Act as the Functional Lead in Workday Payroll improvement projects, ensuring optimal utilization of the platform and integration with other HRIS systems
• Evaluate and recommend third-party vendors to support payroll operations, year-end readiness, and special projects
• Identify opportunities for process automation and digitalization and implement best practices to enhance efficiency and accuracy
• Develop analytics and reporting tools to monitor payroll performance and support decision-making
• Coordinate with the Global Mobility team to manage payroll for inbound and outbound expatriates, ensuring compliance with relocation gross-ups, taxation, and year-end reporting

Partner with outsourced vendors (e.g., KPMG) to address expatriate tax matters and ensure accurate reporting on W-2s and other tax forms

• 5+ years in a leadership role managing decentralized teams of 5 or more direct reports
• Experience transforming payroll and benefits functions to maximize automation, scalability, and cost-effectiveness
• Extensive multi-state and local payroll tax knowledge, including registration and compliance
• Demonstrated success in transforming and centralizing payroll operations across multiple regions/sites
• Payroll Expertise: Deep knowledge of payroll laws, systems, tax regulations, and compliance requirements across the U.S. and Canada
• Financial Acumen: Ability to interpret payroll data, support audits, and partner closely with Finance to ensure proper accounting and reporting
• Leadership & Influence: A developer of people who can inspire, guide, and empower teams while holding high standards
• Change Management: Skilled at leading through ambiguity, managing transitions, and gaining buy-in across diverse stakeholder groups
• Resilience Under Pressure: Demonstrated ability to remain focused, accurate, and composed in high-stakes environments
• Critical Thinking: Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on root cause analysis and corrective action
• Communication: Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across functions and levels
• High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy and compliance

Continuous improvement & end-to-end process mindset: A strong ability to analyze and optimize end-to-end processes to enhance operational efficiency, drive ongoing improvement and organizational success

More than transactional, this position requires a strategic, people leader who thrives in complexity, champions process standardization through Workday, and prioritizes both employee experience, financial integrity and is unafraid to contribute as a hands-on operator

• The ideal candidate brings deep payroll expertise, strong regulatory and financial acumen, project management capabilities and a commitment to service, excellence, and resilience
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive payroll experience, including U.S. and Canadian payroll, in a multi-entity, multi-state, matrixed, global organization

MS Office/Applications: Proficient use of a computer, Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote), and other related applications or software

• Global Mobility & Expatriate Payroll
• Vision
• Dental
• 401k Matching
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Vacation and sick pay
• The annual pay range for this position is $190,000 - $200,000
• The pay offered for this role may be influenced by factors such as job location, scope of role, qualifications, education, experience, & complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent
• This position is also eligible for a performance bonus or sales commissions

ZEISS also offers robust benefits, including medical plans, retirement savings plan and paid time off