Payroll Director

About Sonida Senior Living

Sonida Senior Living is one of the nation's leading operators of independent living, assisted living and memory care communities for senior adults. The Company operates 96 communities that are home to nearly 12,000 residents across 20 states providing comfortable, safe, affordable communities where residents can form friendships, enjoy new experiences and receive personalized care from dedicated team members who treat them family.

Job Description:

The Payroll Director is responsible for strategic leadership, oversight, and execution of payroll operations across a multi-state senior living organization. This role ensures accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing for hourly and salaried employees in regulated healthcare environments, including assisted living, independent living, and memory care communities.

The Payroll Director partners closely with HR, Operations, Finance, and IT to support workforce stability, regulatory compliance, and employee trust while continuously improving payroll processes, controls, and systems.

Payroll Operations & Compliance

• Oversee end-to-end payroll processing for all communities and corporate employees, including hourly, salaried, bonus, and incentive pay.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, including multi-state taxation, overtime rules, and healthcare-specific pay practices.
• Maintain compliance with FLSA, state labor laws, garnishments, tax filings, audits, and reporting requirements.
• Serve as subject matter expert for payroll compliance issues impacting senior living operations (e.g., shift differentials, agency labor, PTO payouts, on-call pay).

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the payroll team, establishing clear accountability, performance expectations, and service standards.
• Build scalable payroll processes that support growth, acquisitions, and organizational change.
• Foster strong collaboration between payroll, HR business partners, community leaders, and finance teams.

Systems Controls & Process Improvement

• Own payroll systems and integrations (e.g., HRIS, timekeeping, scheduling, and benefits platforms).
• Partner with IT and vendors to optimize system functionality, automation, and data integrity.
• Establish and maintain internal controls to mitigate payroll risk and ensure audit readiness.
• Lead payroll process improvements to enhance accuracy, timeliness, employee experience, and cost efficiency.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with HR on employee lifecycle processes including onboarding, job changes, terminations, and leave administration.
• Partner with Operations to support accurate timekeeping, staffing models, and labor cost management.
• Work closely with Finance on reconciliations, accruals, general ledger entries, and financial reporting.
• Support payroll-related activities during acquisitions, integrations, and divestitures.

Employee Experience & Issue Resolution

• Ensure timely resolution of payroll inquiries, corrections, and escalations.
• Promote transparency and education around pay practices and payroll processes.
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality and professionalism in all payroll matters.

Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or related field preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive payroll experience, including leadership responsibility.
• Multi-state payroll experience in a regulated environment; healthcare or senior living strongly preferred.
• Deep knowledge of payroll laws, wage and hour compliance, and payroll tax regulations.
• Experience with payroll and timekeeping systems (e.g., UKG, ADP, Workday, Paycom, or similar).
• Proven ability to manage complex payroll operations with a high degree of accuracy and integrity.

Preferred

• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) designation.
• Experience supporting large hourly workforces with 24/7 operations.
• Acquisition or high-growth environment experience.