Director, Payroll at The Shade Store – Port Chester, New York

Director, Payroll

Title: Director, Payroll

Location: Port Chester, NY (Hybrid; 3 days a week on-site)

Compensation: $145,000 170,000

ABOUT THE SHADE STORE

At The Shade Store, we have handcrafted the finest Shades, Blinds and Drapery for 75 years. We believe designing beautiful custom window treatments should be an effortless experience, so we offer outstanding services to help our customers every step of the way, from inspiration to installation. We are always looking for friendly, passionate individuals to join our team and deliver the finest custom window treatment experience. Our team is expanding, and there has never been a more exciting time to be a part of it.

THE POSITION: Director, Payroll

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Shade Store is seeking a Director, Payroll to lead payroll operations across our multi-state corporate, retail, and manufacturing organization. This leader will act as the organizations subject matter expert in wage and hour compliance and remediation, while managing and scaling the payroll function and team.

Reporting to the Vice President, People Operations & Total Rewards, the Director, Payroll is responsible for ensuring payroll accuracy, timeliness, regulatory compliance, internal controls, and audit readiness. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who brings deep knowledge of multi-state payroll laws, has direct experience working in the Paycom system, and enjoys guiding process improvements and delivering efficiencies.

This role is ideally performed from either our Port Chester, NY or Pompano Beach, FL office locations on a hybrid schedule (3x week in-office). We will consider remote candidates who are highly qualified.

Core Responsibilities

Payroll Operations Ownership & Leadership

Own end-to-end payroll processing for exempt, non-exempt, corporate, hourly manufacturing and retail, field and sales populations, with an emphasis on compliance, accuracy, and efficiency

Design, implement, and scale payroll processes that support high-volume employee populations across multiple states and earning profiles (regular, commission, and incentive compensation)

Oversee payroll feeds impacting benefits, 401(k), and leave programs

Maintain payroll audit trails and documentation standards

Promote accuracy, accountability, and ownership culture

Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, providing insights on payroll trends, compliance risks, and labor cost optimization

Maintain close cross-functional partnership with Finance to align payroll with business needs (i.e., accounting and FP&A)

Lead, mentor, and develop payroll team members to support company-wide growth

Multi-State Compliance & Risk Management

Serve as internal expert on wage and hour laws, with deep experience in New York, Florida, and California

Proactively identify compliance risks and implement corrective actions

Lead remediation efforts for payroll errors, wage disputes, retroactive adjustments, and state audits

Partner with People Operations, People Business Partners and Legal on wage-related investigations

Ensure timely remittance and reconciliation of payroll taxes, workers compensation, and employee deductions

Paycom System Leadership

Serve as advanced user and configuration leader within Paycom

Oversee payroll-related system workflows, approvals, and permissions

Partner with HRIS and People Operations to enforce segregation of duties

Lead process improvements to streamline payroll workflows, reduce manual intervention, and support scale

Ensure system configuration supports audit defensibility

Internal Payroll Controls & Governance

Review and approve payroll prior to release

Partner with Finance to ensure accurate GL mappings and manage payroll accruals

Implement and maintain variance review and reconciliation processes

Conduct regular payroll audits to validate data accuracy, compliance, and internal controls.

Establish and maintain strong internal controls, audit readiness, and documented payroll procedures.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

8+ years of progressive payroll experience, including leadership at the manager or director level

Direct experience with Paycom payroll system

Extensive experience with multi-state payroll compliance and wage and hour regulations, including New York, Florida, California, and remote workforce

Experience supporting large hourly retail and/or manufacturing workforces

Proven ability to lead process improvement, increase efficiency of existing operations, and implement best practices

Experience leading, motivating, and coaching early-career payroll professionals

Exceptional attention to detail and problem-solving abilities

Ability to independently identify, research, summarize, and present complex payroll issues

Strong written and verbal communication skills for interacting with employees, management, and external stakeholders

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), Global Payroll Management Certificate, or equivalent highly preferred

Bilingual Spanish a plus, but not required

WHY WORK AT THE SHADE STORE

We set out to create a company culture that is enjoyable and rewarding, where team members can have meaningful impact. Below are some of the perks and benefits of working at TSS:

Competitive salary

Medical Benefits

401k with Company Match

Up to $100k Life Insurance & Short-Term Disability (Employer Paid)

Legal and Pet Insurance Plans

Employee Assistance Program

Product Discount

THE SHADE STORE offer is contingent upon:

Proof of legal authorization to work in the United States for The Shade Store, which will be confirmed by E-Verify within three business days of your hire date

The Shade Store provides 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.