Associate Vice President, Payroll

The Ohio State University, Main Campus

Key leader for Payroll Services at The Ohio State University responsible for strategic leadership and operational oversight. Ensuring accurate, compliant payroll operations serving approximately 42,000 employees across multiple locations.

Posted 6/12/2026full-timeColumbus • Ohio • 🇺🇸 United StatesJuniorMid-LevelWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

The Associate Vice President, Payroll serves as a key leader within the Office of Business and Finance.
Provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for one of the nation’s most complex payroll environments, serving employees across The Ohio State University and Wexner Medical Center.
Responsible for setting the vision, strategy, and direction for Payroll Services, ensuring the delivery of accurate, timely, and compliant payroll operations while advancing innovation, process improvement, and service excellence.
Plays a critical role in aligning payroll strategy with the university’s broader financial, human capital, and technology priorities.
Leads and develops a multi-functional Payroll organization, overseeing payroll operations, payroll tax administration, time and absence management, accounting, and systems teams.
Provides leadership for the planning, organization, and execution of all biweekly and monthly payroll processes across all campuses, serving approximately 42,000 employees, while driving excellence in service delivery, operational efficiency, process quality, and team performance.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree and twelve (12) or more years of progressive experience supporting large, complex organizations with highly regulated, operationally diverse, and multi-faceted workforce environments.
Demonstrated experience leading large, multi-layered teams, including development of leaders and high-performing organizations.
Deep expertise in payroll operations, tax compliance, and regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
Proven ability to operate effectively in a complex, decentralized environment and influence across functions.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with a focus on continuous improvement.
Recognized as a collaborative leader who builds partnerships across a complex enterprise environment, influencing stakeholders and driving change across areas outside of direct authority to improve operational efficiency, accuracy, compliance, and employee experience.
Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Strong technical aptitude with the ability to quickly learn new systems, technologies, and business.
Extensive knowledge of enterprise payroll, HRIS, and workforce management systems, including hands-on experience working within complex payroll and timekeeping environments, with a strong understanding of payroll system functionality, configuration, workflows, business processes, interfaces, and data management.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental and vision coverage, with Ohio State paying a significant portion of the cost.
Paid time off, including sick and vacation time and 11 holidays.
State retirement plan or an alternative retirement plan, both with generous employer contributions.

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Hard Skills & Tools

payroll operationstax complianceregulatory requirementsanalytical skillsproblem-solving skillsdecision-making skillscontinuous improvementpayroll system functionalitydata managementworkforce management systems

Soft Skills

leadershipcollaborationstakeholder engagementinfluencing skillscommunication skillsteam performanceoperational efficiencyservice excellencevision settingstrategic leadership