Director of Payroll Services

At The New School, we redefine the boundaries of education, creativity, and innovation. Founded in 1919 and located in the heart of New York City, we are home to approximately  9,000 students from over 100 countries, offering more than 135 degree and diploma programs across our renowned colleges, including Parsons School of Design, The New School for Social Research, Eugene Lang college of Liberal Arts, Parsons Paris, and the College of Performing Arts. Our progressive, interdisciplinary approach has earned us recognition as one of the most forward-thinking institutions in the world.

The Human Resources’ office promotes activities which enhance the quality of work life and heighten the sense of community. The office provides guidance, administers a myriad of services to employees with continual efficiency and effectiveness, and handles employee problems with care and professionalism.  Our open-door policy welcomes all employees encouraging them to fully utilize the office’s services. Employees' matters are treated with respect, care, and confidentiality. Professionalism, capable management, collaboration, and progressive engagement are the cornerstones of office operations. 

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for HR Operations, the Director of Payroll Services leads a team of experienced payroll professionals and directs the payroll function for faculty, administrative staff, and student workers. In addition to ensuring that the university meets its financial commitment to employees by providing accurate and timely salary and wage payments, this position collaborates with Information Technology/Workday Solutions Group and other Human Resources functional areas to implement strategic projects aimed to enhance the employee experience.

The successful candidate will be dedicated to providing accessible and transparent payroll processes for employees, supporting a culture of care, and fostering an equitable and inclusive workplace culture.  The Director of Payroll Services needs to be a collaborative partner that demonstrates both personal and professional integrity. They are transformative, collaborative, flexible and creative but can also be a hands-on problem solver with a track record of designing and delivering customer-focused services modeled on best practices. 

CORE CAPABILITIES AND PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Payroll Operations & Systems Strategy

• Direct end-to-end weekly and biweekly payroll processing across faculty, staff, and student workers, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and total compliance within the Workday Payroll ecosystem. 

• Serve as the primary technical and functional Workday Payroll subject matter expert (SME), & managing backend configurations. 

• Manages processing in the university’s Workday Payroll system, and plans and manages the implementation of Workday system changes and updates.

• Oversee strategic vendor relationships with ADP for tax filing, wage garnishments, and regulatory processing, ensuring seamless integration between Workday and ADP systems. 

• Updates earning and deduction codes as needed, and coordinates with the university’s Finance office to update GL posting rules.

• Architect and maintain inbound/outbound integration files between Workday Payroll, benefit providers, financial platforms, and third-party vendors to safeguard end-to-end data integrity. 

• Manages payment requests for garnishments.

• Lead end-to-end Payroll testing strategies, including tenant updates, regression testing, semi-annual Workday feature releases, and custom integration validation. 

• Initiates and controls W-2 processing and reconciling.

Compliance and Regulatory Oversight

• Develops and maintains processes to ensure best practices, internal controls, and compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and the University’s policies and procedures.

• Oversees Non-Resident Alien processing for faculty, staff, and student workers to ensure appropriate W-2/1042-S reporting and tax withholding.

• Remains current with United States and New York City and State payroll-related regulations and tax laws.

Issue Resolution and Data Integrity

• Proactively identifies, researches, analyzes, and resolves payroll-related issues and discrepancies.

• Collaborates with University departments to ensure system and data integrity in the university’s Workday system and all related systems.

Leadership and Staff Development

• Lead, mentor, and empower the payroll team, cultivating a collaborative, continuous-learning environment that promotes professional growth, high performance, and operational excellence 

• Drive large-scale strategic payroll projects, managing cross-functional initiatives from initial scoping and business process re-engineering through implementation and post-go-live optimization. 

• Streamline end-to-end year-end processing, directing W-2, 1042-S, and multi-state/local tax reconciliation processes with high precision and error-free execution.

​Audit and Financial Collaboration

• Works collaboratively with the university’s Finance office in leading preparation of payroll information for the university’s annual audit and other audits as needed.

Time and Attendance Management

• Maintains non-union and union time off and time tracking processes, including system process improvements.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Qualifications:

• Seven years of payroll management experience in a mid-sized or large organization

• Strong Excel and other Microsoft Office application skills

• Workday Payroll 

• Demonstrated effective communication and reporting skills

• Bachelor’s Degree required

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with Sprintax Calculus software

• Five or more years of experience with Workday payroll processing

• Experience managing Payroll in a university environment

• Experience working with ADP for payroll and tax processing

• Certified Payroll Professional certification

WORK MODE

This position is primarily in-person and is based on campus to support effective in-person collaboration and engagement. #LI-Onsite

Hybrid work arrangements may be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the nature of the role and operational needs. Any such arrangement must be discussed and approved in advance by the appropriate division lead or their designee.

SALARY RANGE: $120,000 - $130,000 per annum

This is an extraordinary opportunity to work closely with a visionary leader and contribute meaningfully to a forward-thinking institution that’s reshaping the future of higher education. You’ll be at the nexus of strategy, operations, and innovation in a role that grows with your impact.

The New School is committed to supporting the well-being and success of our faculty and staff. We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their eligible dependents. Highlights include:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

• Retirement plan administered by TIAA

• Qualified Transportation Expense Plan

• Paid vacation and sick leave, with accruals starting on your first day

• Paid holidays and floating holidays

• Workmode & Telework Policy (if applicable)

• Career advancement and professional development opportunities

• Access to university programs, lectures, and events featuring world-renowned speakers and organizations

• Tuition waiver benefit for eligible employees and dependents

• Employee discounts with local vendors and service providers

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, creed, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, marital or domestic partnership status, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity or expression, age, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. The New School recognizes and values the benefits of a diverse workforce.