Director, Payroll

About Zum

Zum is a rapidly expanding Series E startup backed by industry leaders Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, Spark Capital, and GIC, with a bold mission to transform the stagnant school transportation industry. Operating in over 15 states across the United States—with flagship hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle—we are actively extending our reach to the East Coast and Midwest regions. As a technology-driven company, we deploy cutting-edge solutions to manage and operate school district transportation systems while also launching our own charter platform and developing proprietary SaaS offerings. Additionally, we are spearheading a nationwide initiative to electrify school transportation fleets, simultaneously supporting local utilities by feeding much-needed energy back into the grid. We have been recognized as CNBC 50 disruptor, Financial Times 500 fastest growing companies, Fast Company World Changing Ideas.

Who You Are

Reporting to the VP, Corporate Controller, and working in collaboration with the Managers of Human Resources, Site General Managers, and the Company’s Compliance team, this position manages a Payroll Department of 20+ through planning, developing, interpreting, and implementing all activities of the Payroll Department through subordinate staff in a highly demanding and fast-paced environment.

This role is based at the Company’s headquarters in Redwood Shores, CA and requires you to be onsite 3x / week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday). We will only consider candidates already based in the Bay Area.

What You\'ll Do

Oversee the in-house multi-location compensation processing. The payroll will comprise 2,000+ employees in multiple states, 9+ unions, and an internally-developed timekeeping system

Collaborate with finance and operational leaders, IT and HR partners to identify and prioritize areas for improvement, validate business cases for change, and ensure sound decision-making and coordinated communications

Proactively drive change management activities to ensure wide adoption and acceptance of changes, including engaging key leaders and facilitating impact assessments, training, and other communications

Implement, maintain, and review weekly and off-cycle multi-location, multi-state payrolls to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll transactions including wages, benefits, garnishments, taxes, union benefits, and other deductions

Manage compliance with federal, state and local tax law, and quarterly and annual payroll reporting, etc., Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting, etc.

Interpret, educate and apply a variety of laws and regulations governing payroll administration. Provide written and oral explanations to employees, management, union officials and employees as necessary

Identify ways to optimize the payroll function, collaborate closely with cross-functional teams and other stakeholders, to facilitate the smooth operation of the payroll system

Develop, implement, and maintain internal control policies, procedures, and compliance with respect to the payroll process, including, but not limited to, pay policies, payroll calendars, payroll checklists, process documentation and other items as necessary

Ensure standardized payroll policies and procedures are documented, maintained and followed, and service level agreements (e.g., response and resolution times for issues) are met or exceeded by the team

Communicate and enforce organization-wide payroll policies and processes regarding earnings, deductions, timekeeping, and government and union compliance reporting.

Serve as subject matter expert in strategic planning concerning new or projected areas of technology or operational direction

Provide support to external auditors in the performance of their work by answering questions involving the Company’s policies and procedures, and producing schedules / documentation that will assist the auditors in the timely completion of their work

Develop and maintain effective, productive, cooperative working relationships with employees, supervisory personnel, management, and others

Educate & train the payroll team continuously

What You Bring To Zūm

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, Accounting, or in a related field

A minimum of ten (10) years of in-house payroll processing and reporting requirements for federal, state and other authorities, including Unions, in organizations of 3,000+ employees

A minimum three (3) years of recent related supervisory and / or managerial level work overseeing a team of 20+

Experience with timekeeping implementation in a unionized environment

Knowledge of federal, state and local laws; voluntary pre-and post-tax deductions; involuntary deductions; employee taxes, tax reporting, record retention and payroll accounting and audits

Effective verbal and written communication skills, problem solving and decision making skills

Attention to detail, organized and thorough, with a desire for continuous improvement

Work independently and effectively under pressure to meet deadlines

Understand, interpret, and apply complex rules, regulations, and legal provisions governing compensation and benefits

Ability to lead complex projects which require influence and implementation across business groups and functions

The targeted base salary range for this role is listed in the compensation section below. Actual salary may be above or below this range based on factors such as location, skills, and relevant experience. In addition, this position may include additional compensation in the form of bonus, equity, or commissions. If you are a full-time salaried or hourly worker, we offer the following benefits : Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Holidays, Wellness, Vacation, and more. The targeted pay range for this role in US CA is : $207,000-$238,000k

Zum Services, Inc. and all its subsidiaries provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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