Associate Director - US Payroll

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. 

The Associate Director - US Payroll leads US payroll operations to ensure the accurate, timely, and compliant payment of employees and the proper recording of payroll-related financial transactions. This role oversees payroll processing, payroll tax compliance, payroll accounting and reconciliations, payroll controls, and the administration of complex compensation arrangements, including bonuses, equity awards, and deferred compensation.

The director leads and develops the US payroll team while partnering with Human Resources, HR Technology, Finance, Accounting, Tax, Legal, and external service providers to maintain effective payroll processes, systems, and controls. The role is responsible for identifying operational risks, resolving complex payroll issues, supporting internal and external audits, and driving continuous improvement in payroll accuracy, efficiency, compliance, and employee service.

• Oversee US payroll processing, including gross-to-net calculations, earnings, overtime and premiums, deductions, garnishments, and federal, state, and local tax withholding.
• Ensure payroll payments, tax deposits, government reports, and required filings are completed accurately and on time.
• Oversee validation of payroll changes resulting from hires, terminations, promotions, leaves, compensation changes, annual compensation cycles, bonuses, executive pay, and equity-related payments.
• Oversee positive time entry and approval processes for non-exempt employees, ensuring appropriate controls and accurate time data.
• Maintain and continuously improve US payroll, timekeeping, absence-related payroll, and year-end procedures.
• Oversee payroll administration related to leaves, workers’ compensation, garnishments, tax levies, and child support orders, including required withholding, payments, reporting, and agency communications.
• Resolve complex payroll issues and coordinate timely resolution with employees, HR, Finance, vendors, and other relevant partners.

• Review payroll general ledger activity and account reconciliations, including payroll-related stock and equity accounts, to support accurate financial reporting and compliance with GAAP.
• Maintain effective payroll controls, documentation, and audit support, including SOX-related requirements and internal and external audit requests.
• Coordinate payroll tax audits and support audit responses, issue remediation, and follow-up actions.
• Partner with Accounting and Finance to investigate discrepancies, resolve reconciliation items, and strengthen the integrity of payroll-related financial records.

• Oversee payroll-related administration and taxation of global equity awards and payouts in coordination with stock-plan, Tax, Legal, Finance, and external service providers.
• Oversee payroll processing and applicable tax treatment for corporate bonus programs, deferred compensation, excess savings plans, executive compensation, and other US employee compensation arrangements.
• Coordinate payroll withholding, reporting, and accounting requirements associated with shareholder dividends and share repurchases, partnering with the teams responsible for the underlying transactions.
• Research and resolve complex federal, state, local, and FICA withholding questions, escalating matters to Tax or Legal when appropriate.
  

International Assignments

• Oversee the US payroll aspects of inbound and outbound employee assignments, including short- and long-term assignments, permanent international transfers, and localization.
• Coordinate with Global Mobility, Tax, HR, and external providers to support appropriate payroll treatment, reporting, and employee transitions.

Systems, Integrations, and Vendor Management

• Partner with HR Technology, Workday, Accounting, and other operational teams on payroll, time, and absence system changes, including biannual Workday releases.
• Coordinate payroll-related upstream and downstream integrations, requirements, testing, issue resolution, and change controls with internal and external partners.
• Manage vendor relationships, service levels, reporting, and contract-related analysis for payroll and related service providers, including KPMG, EQ, ADP, and Experian, as applicable.
• Partner with HR Services to improve employee support, reduce recurring payroll questions, and identify opportunities for self-service and process improvement.
• Evaluate opportunities to use technology, automation, analytics, and AI responsibly to improve payroll controls, efficiency, and service.

• Lead, coach, and develop the US payroll team; establish clear responsibilities, development goals, and appropriate cross-training and coverage.
• Build and foster effective partnerships with HR, HR Technology, Finance, Accounting, Tax, Legal, Global Mobility, auditors, vendors, and business stakeholders.
• Participate in annual compensation planning and wage and benefits forecasting processes.
• Identify operational risks, recommend process improvements, and communicate material payroll issues, trends, and resource needs to leadership.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in US payroll operations, including payroll tax withholding, payroll compliance, reconciliations, and resolution of complex payroll issues.
• Experience leading, supervising, coaching, or developing employees or payroll teams.
• Working knowledge of payroll accounting, financial controls, and audit requirements; experience supporting SOX controls is strongly preferred or required based on the organization’s control environment.
• Experience with payroll systems and HR technology; preference given to Workday knowledge
• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with multi-state payroll and complex compensation programs, including bonuses, executive compensation, deferred compensation, and equity awards.
• Experience with international assignee payroll or coordination across multiple countries and time zones.
• Experience managing payroll vendors, service-level expectations, system integrations, and payroll process improvements.
• Payroll, accounting, finance, or HR certification, such as CPP, FPC, CPA, PHR, or SHRM-CP.
• Experience using reporting, automation, analytics, or AI-enabled tools to improve payroll processes and controls.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.

Human Resources and HR Services; HR Technology and Workday support; Finance and Accounting; Tax and Legal; Global Mobility; internal and external auditors; payroll and equity service providers; and relevant business leaders.

Performance expectations should be agreed with leadership and calibrated to payroll scale and complexity. Potential measures include:

• On-time payroll completion and tax deposits/filings.
• Payroll accuracy and volume/severity of post-payroll corrections.
• Timely completion of payroll reconciliations and resolution of aged reconciling items.
• Audit findings, control exceptions, and timely completion of corrective actions.
• Employee inquiry resolution time and recurring issue reduction.
• Delivery of approved system changes, testing, and process-improvement initiatives.
• Team development, cross-training, and continuity of critical payroll activities.

Role Scope and Decision-Making

The director is expected to own or oversee the payroll activities described above, within established company policies, approval limits, and segregation-of-duties controls. Specific approval authority, direct-report structure, payroll population, pay frequencies, geographic scope, and responsibility for specialist functions should be confirmed by the hiring organization and documented separately where appropriate.

Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States. Lilly does not anticipate providing sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or TN status) for this employment position.

Lilly is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

Travel percentage: 0-10%

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

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