Director, Payroll

Work Location Type: Hybrid  

Req Number  327695

About Grainger

W.W. Grainger, Inc., is a leading broad line distributor with operations primarily in North America and Japan. At Grainger, We Keep the World Working® by serving more than 4.5 million customers worldwide with products and solutions delivered through innovative technology and deep customer relationships. Known for its commitment to service and award-winning culture, the Company had 2024 revenue of $17.2 billion across its two business models. In the High-Touch Solutions segment, Grainger offers approximately 2 million maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products and services, including technical support and inventory management. In the Endless Assortment segment, Zoro.com offers customers access to more than 14 million products, and MonotaRO.com offers more than 24 million products. For more information, visit www.grainger.com.  

Compensation

The anticipated base pay compensation range for this position is $148,900.00  to $248,200.00.

Rewards and Benefits

With benefits starting on day one, our programs provide choice and flexibility to meet team members' individual needs, including:

• 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.

For additional information and details regarding Grainger’s benefits, please click on the link below:

https://experience100.ehr.com/grainger/Home/Tools-Resources/Key-Resources/New-Hire

The pay range provided above is not a guarantee of compensation.  The range reflects the potential base pay for this role at the time of this posting based on the job grade for this position. Individual base pay compensation will depend, in part, on factors such as geographic work location and relevant experience and skills.   

The anticipated compensation range described above is subject to change and the compensation ultimately paid may be higher or lower than the range described above. 

Grainger reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion at any time, consistent with applicable law.

POSITION DETAILS:

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, strengthening controls, and elevating team member experience. The role oversees in-country payroll tax governance, manages third-party providers, advises on international payroll considerations, and is accountable for continuous improvement, SOX/SOC1 control integrity, audit readiness, and data-driven performance management across the payroll ecosystem.

YOU WILL:

• 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.

YOU HAVE:

• 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
• Six Sigma Certification and/or continuous improvement background preferred
• Experience with expatriate/inpatriate payroll and global taxation considerations

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, or local law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible work environment that includes both providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as throughout the course of one’s employment, should you need a reasonable accommodation during the application and selection process, including, but not limited to use of our website, any part of the application, interview or hiring process, please advise us so that we can provide appropriate assistance.