Senior Director of Payroll and HRIS Operations
Apply NowCompany: Ascend Charter Schools
Location: New York, NY 10025
Description:
Why extraordinary professionals teach at Ascend
Ascend is the largest Brooklyn-based public charter school serving over 5,000 K-12 students in 17 schools. We exist to serve every student - to help them embody their inherent excellence by providing rich, joyful learning experiences that unlock a life of boundless choice.
Access to education is a social justice issue. As educators, we center justice and live out our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEIA) by ensuring that our students have the skills, tools, and confidence they need to thrive today and in the future. We are proud to have a workforce that mirrors the diversity seen in our students. Working at Ascend provides a community focused on developing an environment of support and belonging. Educators collaborate closely and encourage each other to achieve great outcomes.
Our schools honor, nurture, and challenge the whole child. Ascend fosters critical thinking skills and a love of learning through an inquiry-based learning approach, Responsive Classroom model, and anti-racist education. We are deeply committed to advancing educational equity for all of our students. Students at Ascend benefit from a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures natural curiosity about the world and guides them to think critically and independently.
For more information on Ascend Public Charter Schools' model, approach, and core values, please visit our website.
Qualifications
Responsibilities
The Senior Director of Payroll and HRIS Operations is responsible for overseeing payroll administration, HRIS technology systems, and process improvements to enhance organizational efficiency. This role will lead collaborations across Finance, HR, and Talent teams to ensure seamless payroll operations, compliance, and optimization of the HRIS for data-driven decision-making. Reporting to the Senior Managing Director of People Operations, this leader will ensure adherence to regulatory requirements while driving strategic enhancements to payroll and HRIS functions.
Payroll Operations & Compliance
HRIS Management & Process Improvement
Retirement Plan Administration
Staff and reporting relationships
Reporting to the Senior Managing Director of People Operations,
Compensation
Initial salary offers for this position range from $125,000-$140,000. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.
Diversity at Ascend
Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities-opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.
Ascend is the largest Brooklyn-based public charter school serving over 5,000 K-12 students in 17 schools. We exist to serve every student - to help them embody their inherent excellence by providing rich, joyful learning experiences that unlock a life of boundless choice.
Access to education is a social justice issue. As educators, we center justice and live out our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEIA) by ensuring that our students have the skills, tools, and confidence they need to thrive today and in the future. We are proud to have a workforce that mirrors the diversity seen in our students. Working at Ascend provides a community focused on developing an environment of support and belonging. Educators collaborate closely and encourage each other to achieve great outcomes.
Our schools honor, nurture, and challenge the whole child. Ascend fosters critical thinking skills and a love of learning through an inquiry-based learning approach, Responsive Classroom model, and anti-racist education. We are deeply committed to advancing educational equity for all of our students. Students at Ascend benefit from a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures natural curiosity about the world and guides them to think critically and independently.
For more information on Ascend Public Charter Schools' model, approach, and core values, please visit our website.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, or related field required; Master's degree preferred.
- Minimum of 7-10 years of relevant experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
- Strong knowledge of payroll processing, tax regulations, and compliance requirements.
- Experience leading HRIS implementations, optimizations, and system integrations.
- Proficiency in HRIS platforms, payroll systems, and business intelligence tools.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional collaborations between Finance, HR, and Talent teams.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
- Commitment to work on-site from our Brooklyn office at least three times per week.
Responsibilities
The Senior Director of Payroll and HRIS Operations is responsible for overseeing payroll administration, HRIS technology systems, and process improvements to enhance organizational efficiency. This role will lead collaborations across Finance, HR, and Talent teams to ensure seamless payroll operations, compliance, and optimization of the HRIS for data-driven decision-making. Reporting to the Senior Managing Director of People Operations, this leader will ensure adherence to regulatory requirements while driving strategic enhancements to payroll and HRIS functions.
Payroll Operations & Compliance
- Directs the activities of the Payroll Team; supervising and managing 3 FTEs
- Oversees the Payroll Team to ensure accurate, timely payroll processing and timekeeping, compliance with tax filings, and adherence to regulatory requirements.
- Reviews and approves payroll and HRIS system enhancements to maintain operational excellence.
- Ensures payroll and HRIS procedures align with federal, state, and local regulations, company policies, and industry best practices.
- Advises employees on payroll matters, resolves discrepancies, and attends staff meetings to address payroll-related inquiries.
HRIS Management & Process Improvement
- Leads process improvements within payroll and HRIS systems, to meet organizational needs:
- Leads the evaluation and selection of new technology solutions to improve payroll and HRIS functionalities.
- Drives strategic initiatives to transition payroll and HRIS processes from outdated/manual workflows to fully automated solutions.
- Collaborates with Finance, HR, and Talent teams to develop and maintain business processes and data submissions such as the Staffing/Vacancy Tracker, SIRS Staff Snapshot, and other audit/compliance data requirements.
Retirement Plan Administration
- Oversees the design, management, and administration of the organization's retirement plan, ensuring compliance with plan rules and federal regulations.
- Manages relationships with external partners, including plan recordkeepers, brokers/financial advisors, third-party administrators (TPA), auditors, and ERISA counsel.
- Ensures timely and accurate plan contributions and oversees participant census data to support audits, discrimination testing, and IRS filings.
Staff and reporting relationships
Reporting to the Senior Managing Director of People Operations,
Compensation
Initial salary offers for this position range from $125,000-$140,000. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.
Diversity at Ascend
Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities-opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.