Director - Payroll

Director of Payroll

The Director of Payroll is responsible for leading Lowe's U.S. in-house payroll operations, ensuring payroll accuracy, timeliness, and a positive associate experience for over 300,000 associates through reliable pay delivery and responsive service. The Director is accountable for strategy, governance, and delivery of payroll operations, while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. The role will partner closely with stakeholders including Benefits, Tax, HR, Finance, and Legal, as well as with technology teams supporting Workday Payroll and UKG. The Director will drive operational excellence, implement process improvements, and lead payroll-related projects and initiatives. In addition, the Director will manage relationships with external vendors and service partners to support compliance, operational efficiency, and a seamless associate experience.

Sets and executes the payroll strategy for U.S. operations, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Leads and develops high-performing payroll teams, fostering accountability, service excellence, and alignment with organizational goals.

Provides governance, direction, and oversight of payroll operations, ensuring a reliable, compliant, and associate-focused payroll experience.

Ensures accurate, timely payroll processing for all U.S. associates in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations.

Oversees end-to-end payroll administration including wage payments, tax withholdings, deductions, benefits contributions, and garnishments.

Oversees complex payroll scenarios such as severance, irregular payments, and off-cycle adjustments, ensuring accuracy, and compliance.

Resolves escalated payroll issues quickly while implementing safeguards to prevent recurrence.

Develops and monitor payroll metrics and KPIs to ensure effectiveness, accuracy, and efficiency.

Ensures accurate accounting distribution and reconciliation of payroll results in partnership with Finance and Accounting.

Partners with technology teams to support payroll-related configuration, testing, releases, and integrations for pay related systems (e.g. Workday, UKG).

Ensures compliance with payroll laws, tax reporting, labor regulations, and SOX / operational controls.

Partners with Legal, Tax, and HR Compliance to evaluate and implement changes in response to new regulations or policy updates.

Drives strategic partnerships with vendors and third-party providers, aligning deliverables with organizational priorities and performance expectations.

Oversees audits, reconciliations, and reporting to ensure compliance and accountability.

Leads process improvement initiatives across compliance programs, leveraging vendor solutions and internal resources to streamline operations and reduce risk.

Continuously evaluates vendor performance, balancing cost, quality, and service to optimize business value and enhance the associate experience.

Partners with HR, Finance, Benefits, and Tax to ensure payroll operations integrate effectively with enterprise processes.

Provides payroll expertise and insights during enterprise projects, reorganizations, or system implementations.

Mentors and develop payroll leaders and staff, ensuring capability-building and succession planning.

Leads training initiatives to enhance payroll knowledge, compliance awareness, and technical expertise across the function.

Builds and maintain a culture of accountability, customer service, and continuous improvement within payroll teams.

Minimum Qualifications :

Bachelor's degree Human Resources, Finance, or a related field and 10+ years experience leading payroll operations in a large, complex, multi-state environment with 75,000+ employees.

10+ years experience ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local wage, tax, and labor laws.

10+ years experience managing payroll governance, controls, audits, and compliance with SOX or similar regulatory frameworks.

7+ years experience directly managing and developing payroll teams, including leadership of offshore or global team structures.

7+ yrs experience with enterprise payroll and timekeeping systems (Workday Payroll, UKG, or similar) including system testing, configuration, and integrations.

5-7 years experience leading payroll process improvement initiatives, automation, and technology-driven transformation.

5-7 years experience managing vendor and third-party provider relationships, including accountability for service delivery and performance.

About Lowe's :

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE : LOW) is a FORTUNE 100 home improvement company serving approximately 16 million customer transactions a week, with total fiscal year 2024 sales of more than $83 billion. Lowe's employs approximately 300,000 associates and operates over 1,700 home improvement stores, 530 branches and 130 distribution centers. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing, improving community spaces, helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts and providing disaster relief to communities in need. For more information, visit Lowes.com. Lowe's is an equal opportunity employer and administers all personnel practices without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, age, ancestry, national origin, mental or physical disability or medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law.