Posting Details

Posting Information

Vacancy TypeSAAO Tier IIIs Internal Transfer OnlyNoWorking TitleDirector of PayrollSalary RangeAnticipated Hiring Range$105,000 - $120,000Position Number00008499Work ScheduleMonday - Friday, 8am - 5pm; additional hours as required.Full Time Equivalent (FTE)1.0Department496001 - University ControllerDepartmentUniversity ControllerJob City & StateRaleigh, NCPrimary Function of Organizational Unit

The University Controller’s Office is a department under the Division of Finance. The office has business units covering the following areas; Cash Management, Banking and Merchant services; General Accounting, Financial Reporting and Taxation; Accounts Payable; Business Systems; Payroll and Debt Management.

The University Controller’s Office works to advance NC State as a leader in fiscal accountability and responsibility through a collaborative partnership with our campus community, strong partnerships with our peer groups, improvements in the University’s financial systems and internal controls, and efficient and effective business operations. The office continues it attention towards collaborative efforts and in providing fiscal leadership, oversight, accounting, reporting, training and outreach services that exemplify the highest standards of quality, performance and service. Having professional staff and managers with imagination, knowledge and people skills are paramount in the successful implementation of these goals.

The University Controller’s Office is responsible for fiscal accountability, accuracy and reporting of a $1.6 billion enterprise, including timely and accurate payment of monthly and biweekly wages to over 18,000 staff, faculty, student workers and temporary employees, over 90,000 vendor payments annually and management of a $600 million external debt portfolio.

University Payroll is responsible for: 1) timely and accurate payment of wages to approximately 9,800 monthly and 9,500 biweekly staff, faculty, undergraduate and graduate student workers, postdocs, foreign national, and temporary employees with an annual payroll of $810 million; 2) proper deduction, monthly plan reconciliation and vendor payment of three mandatory, 38 voluntary and 35 statutory (garnishment) deduction plans, including the employer’s matching contributions for retirement and health insurance; and 3) compliance for, payment to, and proper reporting of wages and tax withholdings to the federal government, approximately 40 states, and one foreign tax agency.

Essential Job Duties

The Director of Payroll designs, directs, and delivers complex services related to payroll administration for NC State University, a major public research university. The Director also serves as a primary content expert and strategic adviser in policy matters involving payroll administration and payroll tax. The Director provides guidance and consulting services to hiring managers, department heads, and institutional leaders as appropriate; researches and prepares recommendations for senior management decision-making; and ensures the ongoing development, maintenance, and improvement of work processes and action steps required to administer payroll activities efficiently and accurately, including designing workflow documentation and assuring effective relationships with internal stakeholders across the institution.

The Director oversees the work of nine professional and support staff in the University Payroll Office, providing expertise and vision, establishing goals and objectives, and ensuring effective and valued customer service. The Director also serves on the Controller’s senior leadership team and as a senior liaison to various campus and UNC System ad hoc and standing committees.

In summary, the Director leads payroll administration as well as tax and vendor payments and account reconciliation, oversees the administrative functions of the department, and provides overall leadership to the department.

The Director of Payroll supervises and coordinates the payroll aspects of taxation and payment of non-resident alien employees, as well as non-employees paid through the PeopleSoft Financials System and Student Information System. The Director and payroll staff maintain content expertise regarding visa types and tax treaties with other countries. Transactions include payments to graduate assistants, visiting professors, trainees, etc. The Director also facilitates coordination of taxation and payment of employees living/working in other states and countries.

The Director compiles and reports KPI (key performance indicator) payroll metrics for campus and university system dashboards as well as the UNC system, and plans and facilitates business resiliency/disaster recovery strategies with various OIT units based on payroll’s designation as a top business-continuity priority.

The Director reports directly to the University Controller and ensures the timely and accurate payment of, and accounting processes associated with, the salaries, wages, and paid benefits of more than 26,000 individuals each year. The position oversees approximately 146 monthly payroll remittances in excess of $180 million to federal, state, and local tax agencies, the State retirement system, and garnishment and commercial vendors such as benefits providers. The Director ensures that Payroll staff members meet deadlines by aligning resources to meet demand, particularly during critical times of the year

The Director also: 1) guides staff in the administration of two types of pay cycles (biweekly and monthly) as well as off-cycle payments 2) develops and coordinates calendar year-end and fiscal year-end processes to ensure the timely and successful completion of tasks such as W-2s, 1042Ss, and fiscal year end financial/accounting close-out 3) confers with university hiring officials and employees to assist with unusual pay situations; resolves complex or sensitive problems that staff cannot resolve 4) coordinates the investigation and resolution of payment discrepancies, such as over payments from late actions and may arrange payment plans with current or terminated employees and initiates collection efforts as required 5) serves as a functional subject matter expert for the PeopleSoft enterprise system; tests multiple tax updates and bundles/patches/ upgrades/fixes provided annually by Oracle/Peoplesoft before they are moved into production 6) directs the annual production of W2s and 1042s 7) reviews tax documents to ensure University compliance with federal, state, and local tax laws and 8) responds to inquiries from outside tax accountants concerning employee W2s and related tax issues.

The Director resolves highly complex compensation, tax, and benefits problems and serves as the primary payroll contact for the State of NC and other external auditors as well as internal auditors providing requested information and meeting to explain business processes and produce complex reports as needed. The Director is also the Payroll Data Steward and develops strategy, documentation, and schedules for testing and Oracle/PeopleSoft delivered version upgrades prior to migration to production.

Additional responsibilities include: 1) monitoring and interpreting federal and state laws for updates and changes; 2) conferring and corresponding with university heads/administrators, consultants, and internal and external auditors; and 3) communicating information to university employees via mass email, focused list-serve subscribers, meetings, and the payroll website.

Other Work/Responsibilities

The Director will be assigned special projects as needed.

Minimum Education/Experience

Master’s degree in relevant field with 6-8 years of prior professional and supervisory experience in payroll within a large, complex organization, and with evidence of increasing levels of management responsibility over time. An equivalent combination of experience may be considered.

Departmental Required Skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of the broad range of federal and state employment laws and regulations that impact HR activities, including but not limited to federal IRC (Internal Revenue Code) regulations.
• Comprehensive understanding of payroll issues that are unique to a complex research university such as pay management from multiple funding sources and/or multiple employing entities, payments to foreign nationals and individuals in other states and abroad, complex time and effort tracking and reporting, and payroll system accommodations for individuals with unique paid and non-paid relationships with the University.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in proactive customer service with excellent oral and written communication skills, as well as editing skills.
• Must have strong statistical, analytical, and computational skills, with a detail orientation.
• Ability to adapt to new situations, people, ideas, structures, procedures, etc. to accommodate an evolving work environment.
• Unquestioned integrity and excellent professional judgment. Discretion with highly confidential information.
• Ability to develop and maintain professional and collegial relationships with peers, customers, administrators, etc.
• Creative thinker and flexible in order to meet customer needs.
• Good steward of the University’s welfare and resources.
• Experience and functional expertise with a complex enterprise IT system.

Preferred Experience, Skills, Training/Education

• Degree in business administration or accounting preferred.
• Experience with PeopleSoft HR system.
• Professional credentials such as the Certified Payroll Professional (CPP).
• Experience in higher education.
• Supervisory experience.

Required License or Certification

N/A

Special Instructions

Please attach a resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references.

Job Open Date07/12/2019Anticipated Closing DateIs this position partially or fully funded on ARRA stimulus monies?NoProposed Hire Date09/02/2019AA/EOE

NC State University is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as an individual with a disability, or status as a protected veteran.

If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at (919) 515-2135 or workatncstate@ncsu.edu. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process, please call 919-515-3148.

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. If highest degree is from an institution outside of the U.S., final candidates are required to have their degree equivalency verified at www.wes.org or equivalent service. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.

NC State University participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

Supplemental Question

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. How did you learn of this opportunity?
   • NCSU Website
   • NCSU Executive Search Services
   • Monster.com
   • CareerBuilder.com
   • InsideHigherEd.com
   • HigherEdJobs.com
   • Other Online Job Board
   • Carolina Job Finder / Employment Guide
   • Job / Career Fair
   • The Chronicle of Higher Education
   • Professional Journal
   • Print Advertisement (Newspaper / Periodical)
   • Professional Organization
   • Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)
   • Direct Contact from NCSU HR Representative / Recruiter
   • NCSU Employee Referral
   • Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Other)
   • Other
2. If you learned about this vacancy from "other source" or "other website", please provide the source.

   (Open Ended Question)

3. * Which payroll processing systems have you worked with? Please list them in chronological order with the most recent first.

   (Open Ended Question)

4. * Which payroll tax documents have you either prepared or signed as the responsible party on behalf of your employer?

   (Open Ended Question)

5. * What types of non-salaried compensation have you worked with for reporting and taxation?

   (Open Ended Question)

6. * Do you have experience with nonresident alien tax compliance and management? If so, please describe what categories if income and payment you have processed and taxed. If no experience, answer "N/A".

   (Open Ended Question)

7. * Do you have experience processing Forms 1042-S and/or filing the federal tax report, Form 1042, Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source Income of Foreign Persons?
   • Yes
   • No
8. * What is the largest employee population that you have paid at one time in your payroll history? Which company did you work for when processing this payroll?

   (Open Ended Question)

9. * How many states do you currently pay employees in?

   (Open Ended Question)

10. * Please describe your experience with supervising employees and/or a program to include length of time.

    (Open Ended Question)

Application Materials RequiredRequired Documents

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter
3. Contact Information for References

Optional Documents