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About the Role

The Citywide Payroll Director provides strategic leadership, executive management, and operational oversight of the City and County of San Francisco's centralized payroll administration and processing functions. This role ensures accurate, timely, secure, and compliant processing and disbursement of employee compensation for approximately 35,000 employees, managing the disbursement of $6 billion annually.

Responsibilities

Provide executive leadership, strategic direction, and overall management of the Citywide Payroll Division.
Plan, organize, direct, and evaluate divisional operations, staffing, resource allocation, performance objectives, and service delivery standards.
Develop and implement strategic initiatives to strengthen payroll accuracy, operational efficiency, system reliability, and organizational effectiveness.
Lead, develop, and supervise management and professional staff.
Direct and oversee the accurate and timely execution of citywide payroll processing, including regular and supplemental payrolls, retroactive adjustments, special payments, and year-end activities.
Ensure the accuracy and timely completion of PeopleSoft payroll calculations, final output reports, system interface files, and coordination of employee compensation disbursements.
Oversee validation and reconciliation of payroll earnings, deductions, benefits-related transactions, leave balances, and complex compensation provisions.
Establish citywide payroll processing standards, quality controls, and operational procedures.
Coordinate with departments to ensure accurate payroll inputs and timely resolution of processing discrepancies.
Provide executive oversight of the City's PeopleSoft payroll system, related applications, interfaces, reporting tools, and data integrity.
Direct the interpretation and implementation of labor MOUs, compensation provisions, regulatory requirements, and policy changes into payroll system rules and configurations.
Establish governance and quality assurance procedures for system changes.
Collaborate with technology teams and City departments to advance system enhancements, automation, modernization, data security, and analytical reporting capabilities.
Direct the accurate and consistent implementation of payroll-related provisions in collective bargaining agreements and labor MOUs.
Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state laws, payroll tax regulations, the City Charter, Civil Service Commission Rules, local ordinances, and City personnel policies.
Partner with DHR, Employee Relations, the City Attorney's Office, and departmental leadership to interpret complex compensation provisions and assess payroll impacts.
Establish compliance monitoring procedures, maintain current payroll policies, coordinate regulatory reviews, and address legal, financial, and operational risks.
Direct payroll tax administration, including accurate withholding, reconciliation, reporting, timely remittance, and required year-end employee tax documentation.
Oversee the accurate recording and reconciliation of payroll expenditures, liabilities, deductions, and employer contributions.
Establish financial controls and reconciliation procedures to identify discrepancies, prevent improper payments, and ensure compliance.
Collaborate with the Controller's accounting and financial reporting functions to resolve complex payroll financial issues.
Establish and maintain comprehensive internal controls governing payroll authorization, processing, reconciliation, reporting, and disbursement.
Direct risk-based monitoring and quality assurance activities to identify payroll errors, unauthorized transactions, control weaknesses, and systemic operational risks.
Coordinate payroll-related internal and external audits, regulatory reviews, corrective action plans, and implementation of audit recommendations.
Monitor payroll risk indicators, ensure appropriate segregation of duties and documentation, and report significant control deficiencies.
Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive payroll business continuity and disaster recovery plan.
Establish contingency procedures, alternate processing methods, emergency authorization protocols, backup staffing arrangements, and recovery priorities.
Coordinate with City technology, cybersecurity, emergency management, and financial operations teams to assess vulnerabilities and periodically test payroll recovery capabilities.
Provide executive leadership during payroll emergencies, directing incident response, stakeholder communications, service restoration, and post-incident improvements.
Serve as the Controller's Office principal executive advisor on citywide payroll administration, operational policies, regulatory developments, and strategic initiatives.
Collaborate with the Mayor's Office, DHR, City Attorney's Office, Treasurer and Tax Collector, and departmental executives to address complex payroll matters.
Develop and recommend citywide payroll policies, administrative standards, and operational improvements.
Lead interdepartmental initiatives, resolve sensitive payroll issues, and present policy recommendations, operational assessments, and financial implications to senior City leadership.
Develop, administer, and monitor the Citywide Payroll Division's operating budget, staffing plans, technology investments, and resource requirements.
Prepare budget proposals, fiscal analyses, and resource recommendations.
Evaluate financial and operational impacts of new payroll mandates, labor agreements, technology changes, and evolving service demands.
Oversee applicable contracts and vendor performance, identify cost-saving opportunities, and ensure responsible stewardship of public resources.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators measuring payroll accuracy, processing timeliness, compliance, system reliability, operational efficiency, and customer service.
Analyze payroll trends, processing exceptions, and operational data to identify systemic issues, mitigate risks, and improve service delivery.
Lead business process improvements, automation initiatives, workflow standardization, and technology enhancements.
Promote organizational learning through staff development, procedural guidance, knowledge sharing, and regular executive reporting on performance and strategic initiatives.

Requirements

Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, preferably with major coursework in business administration, accounting, finance or a closely related field.
Six (6) years of recent progressively responsible experience managing & administering the activities of a large complex automated payroll system or related payroll / human resource function, all of which must include supervising subordinate payroll staff.
Applicants may substitute the required education with additional qualifying experience on a year to year basis. One year (2000 hours) of additional qualifying experience will be considered equivalent to 30 semester units/45 quarter units.

Skills

Enterprise operation expertise
Leadership experience
Operational efficiency
Cross-functional collaboration
Technology transformation
Stakeholder engagement
Presenting to City leadership and the public
Excellent verbal and written communication
City/county government operations (payroll, budgets, resource management, HR processes, labor bargaining union rules)
Managing PeopleSoft Payroll System
Federal, State and local regulations pertaining to payroll
Human resources, benefits administration, and payroll principles, processes and practices
Payroll management experience in a public or nonprofit organization
Emergency Preparedness, Response and/or Recovery experience in the area of digital payroll processing systems or payroll operations
Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification designation

Location

City and County of San Francisco

Work Type

Permanent Exempt
Full-time

Experience Level

6 years of recent progressively responsible experience managing & administering the activities of a large complex automated payroll system or related payroll / human resource function, all of which must include supervising subordinate payroll staff.

Education Level

Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, preferably with major coursework in business administration, accounting, finance or a closely related field.
Substitution: Applicants may substitute the required education with additional qualifying experience on a year to year basis.

Salary/Compensations

$200,538 - $255,538 (Range A)

Benefits

Employee Benefits Overview

About the Company

The Controller is the chief financial officer and auditor for the City and County of San Francisco (City).
The Office of the Controller’s mission is to ensure the City’s financial integrity and promote efficient, effective and accountable government.
Its vision is to be a model for good government and to make the City a better place.
Our team includes financial, technology, analytical and other professionals.
We value the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and lived experiences of our teams and clients in everything we do.
We work in a collaborative and inclusive environment, promote equal opportunity, and invest in the professional development and wellbeing of our team members.
You can expect to work alongside colleagues who are committed to serving the public with integrity and want to see positive impacts from their work.
We are looking for smart, motivated individuals who want to make a difference and use government to play a role in solving our City’s problems, including addressing long-standing and harmful disparities in our communities.
For a career with purpose and professional growth, join us in the Controller’s Office.

Equal Opportunity

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply.
Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.