Associate Director of Payroll Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides in-depth information on the job description of an associate director of payroll, to boost your understanding of what they do.

It highlights the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities that commonly define the associate director of payroll work description.

Please, read on:

What Does an Associate Director of Payroll Do?

An associate director of payroll is responsible for managing and overseeing all operations and activities relating to payroll and staff, for multiple payrolls and vendors.

The associate director of payroll job description is to ensure that all payrolls within his/her designation are accurately and timely processed, and that they comply with applicable regulations and laws.

He/she also has the role to maintain internal controls, coordinate tax filing, welfare, pension, payroll account analysis, as well as labor reporting.

In some organizations, the associate director who is responsible for payroll functions reports to the Deputy Controller, Accounting Operations, and is in charge of the daily activities involving payroll for the company and its subsidiaries in an assigned region.

They carry out supervision of multiple payroll processors using recently introduced payroll systems, including Workday, and tax filing system, ADP.

Other duties they are expected to perform include planning, developing, and executing policies and internal auditing processes to ensure that payrolls are processed accurately and on time, as well as to ensure reporting is done accurately.

He/she will also supervise the preparation of welfare reports and labor pension, and ensure they are submitted.

The associate director in charge of payroll, working with a team, will also be responsible for preparing and analyzing account balances, including balance sheet and profit and loss accounts, on monthly bases in the general ledger.

He/she should demonstrate strong understanding of variance analysis.

To succeed in this position requires some previous experience effectively managing a payroll department overseeing multiple payrolls and vendors.

It requires the professional to be confident and passionate about the job, and to have strong managerial skills, and be able to solve problems, as well as to have the capacity to work effectively and efficiently in a fast changing environment where deadlines are expected to be met.

Associate Director of Payroll Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Below is an example of the associate director of payroll’s job description, showing a list of key duties, tasks, and responsibilities professionals working in this role are mostly expected to carry out.

• Ensure that payrolls are processed in a timely manner, that they run successfully adhering to established regulatory requirements and laws, including tax and labor laws. This is achieved by setting up and maintaining appropriate policies, standard office operating procedures, and applying international, federal, state, and local payroll tax regulatory requirements
• Set up key performance standards for payroll processing and carry out effective management of operations to ensure those standards are met
• Work cordially with colleagues of the department of human resources
• Coordinate the day-to-date activities of payroll in the assigned region, providing the team adequate training, guidance, and expertise
• Set measurable goals for the payroll office and staff to achieve, and ensure quality service is delivered
• Identify areas of payroll processing for improvement and generate ways of addressing and settling issues
• Interpret established policies to employees and managers and educate them on how to apply the policies
• Keep staff informed of changes to payroll policies, regulations, and procedures, and their effect and implementation
• Provide effective leadership, supervision, and guidance to payroll team members to enable them succeed on their job
• Plan, supervise, coordinate, and evaluate the work of subordinates and make recommendation for hiring, firing, or disciplining erring staff
• Provide training to staff members and counsel them on performance improvement, team effectiveness, cross-training, training and development, and on other areas to enable them achieve success
• Supervise the tax and accounting reconciliation processes and execute tax updates
• Supervise and coordinate year end processes involving closing out the calendar year; and new year start up processes
• Ensure timely handling and settlement of customers’ issues
• Assist payroll staff members in answering customers’ inquiries and questions, and researching, troubleshooting, and resolving cases relating to customers.

Do note that in making a resume for the post of associate director of payroll, related information can be extracted from the above job description sample.

Associate Director of Payroll Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for Career Success

• Possess strong familiarity with various concepts, procedures, and practices of payroll
• Ensure current knowledge and exposure to changes in deduction administration, tax law, and industry regulations
• Possess not less than six years experience in payroll to enable sound judgment in planning and execution of tasks to achieving desired goals
• Strong knowledge of integrated payroll systems, especially Workday, in addition to ability to perform troubleshooting and configuring of business processes as problems occur
• In-depth knowledge of accounting principles, such as chart accounts and general ledger and their application
• Familiarity with current federal, state, and local tax laws and regulations and ability to ensure compliance
• Exceptional skills in working with advanced Excel and other MS Office applications, performing complex payroll analysis, and in providing effective employee supervision
• Extensive experience in payroll audit management
• Strong and effective skills in communicating instructions clearly to subordinates, as well as willingness to work in a team environment.