Grainger · 2 hours ago
Director, Payroll
Lake Forest, IL
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$149K/yr - $248K/yr
10+ years expGrainger is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America and Japan. The Director, Payroll leads end-to-end payroll strategy and operations for U.S. and Canada, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant delivery while advancing the payroll technology roadmap and strengthening controls.
HospitalityIndustrialManufacturingOffice SuppliesSupply Chain Management
Responsibilities
Set the payroll vision and multi-year strategy, aligning processes, technology, and vendors to business goals, with clear KPIs and dashboards to monitor accuracy, timeliness, experience, and control health
Define and drive the payroll technology roadmap with HRIS (including SAP SuccessFactors ECP & PCC), ensuring scalable design, stable integrations, and robust reporting and analytics
Oversee end-to-end U.S. and Canada payroll operations, including processing, accounting, benefits interfaces, off cycle runs, and all special events. (Year-end, bonus/equity, etc.)
Ensure regulatory compliance across federal, state/provincial, and local jurisdictions, proactively assessing and implementing legislative changes
Lead vendor management and service-level performance, ensuring accuracy, compliance and continuous improvement across all partners
Build and lead a high-performing, leader-of-leaders organization, driving accountability, coaching, collaboration, and succession planning
Own payroll policy, controls, and audit readiness (SOX/SOC1), ensuring compliant design and effective operation across all internal and outsourced processes
Serve as executive escalation point and SME for complex payroll issues, ensuring rapid resolution and preventive corrective action
Oversee payroll tax governance, including KPIs, controls, exception-trend review, and opportunities for remediation, automation, and cross-border tax alignment (U.S./Canada, expat/inpat)
Embed continuous improvement and standardization, simplifying processes, advancing automation and AI use cases, and ensuring consistent SOPs, process maps, RACIs across Payroll Operations and Payroll Tax while partnering cross-functionally on enterprise initiatives and enhancing team member experience
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's Degree and 10+ years progressive payroll leadership experience with multi-country scope (U.S. and Canada), including direct ownership of payroll tax and vendor management required
Demonstrated experience leading payroll in SAP SuccessFactors/Employee Central Payroll (ECP) and Payroll Control Center (PCC) (or equivalent enterprise platforms) and collaborating closely with HRIS on integrations/roadmaps
Proven track record managing SOX/SOC1 controls, audits, and compliance programs
Strong people-leadership capabilities (leader of leaders), change leadership, and cross-functional influence
Preferred
Six Sigma Certification and/or continuous improvement background preferred
Experience with expatriate/inpatriate payroll and global taxation considerations
Benefits
Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans with coverage starting on day one of employment and 6 free sessions each year with a licensed therapist to support your emotional wellbeing.
18 paid time off (PTO) days annually for full-time employees (accrual prorated based on employment start date) and 6 company holidays per year.
6% company contribution to a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan each pay period, no employee contribution required.
Employee discounts, tuition reimbursement, student loan refinancing and free access to financial counseling, education, and tools.
Maternity support programs, nursing benefits, and up to 14 weeks paid leave for birth parents and up to 4 weeks paid leave for non-birth parents.
Company
Grainger
As a leading business-to-business organization, more than 4.5 million customers worldwide rely on Grainger for products in categories such as safety, material handling and metalworking, along with services like inventory management and technical support.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Grainger has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (38)
2024 (26)
2023 (15)
2022 (28)
2021 (14)
2020 (20)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
unknown1978-01-13IPO
Leadership Team
D. G. Macpherson
Chief Executive Officer
Nancy Berardinelli-Krantz
Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer
Recent News
2026-01-20
Benzinga.com
2025-12-30
2025-11-08
Company data provided by crunchbase