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Director, Payroll Transformation

Position Details

Position Information

Position Title Director, Payroll Transformation
Department/Unit Financial Services
Location Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Posting Number S059-24
Employee Group DPMG
Position Type Term
Duration of Contract (if applicable) Five years
Employment Type Full Time
Full-time Equivalency (FTE) 1.0
Salary Commensurate with qualifications and experience
Classification
Provisional Statement
This is a provisional classification. Formal regular review classification procedures may be initiated at any time by the incumbent or supervisor after the incumbent has worked a minimum of six months in the role.
About Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university and a driver of the region’s intellectual, social and economic development. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of our almost 21,000 students coming from outside of the province. Our 6,000 faculty and staff foster a vibrant, purpose-driven community, that celebrated 200 years of academic excellence in 2018.
Job Summary
Dalhousie Financial Services strives to provide the highest quality financial services and information to ensure the effective stewardship of university assets to the benefit of students and scholarly activities. Financial Services is a core service unit of the University, providing services in areas of financial accounting, budgeting, procurement and risk management, cash management, financial systems and policies, and the University’s endowment, pension and short-term investment programs and payroll services. Reporting to AVP Finance & CFO, the Director, Payroll Transformation will steer the transformation of payroll services and will provide expertise and operational oversight for the delivery of payroll services for the university community. They will lead and inspire a team of payroll professionals to effectively manage the accurate and timely processing of payroll services.
Key Responsibilities
  • Works collaboratively with Human resources and IT to drive the payroll transformation project, and recommend and implement appropriate systems, practices, and procedures to streamline and automate processes.
  • As a subject matter expert, provides advice to the university community on all payroll-related issues.
  • Provides strategic advice to the collective bargaining process on payroll implications of negotiated proposals.
  • Directs the day-to-day operations of payroll services to ensure accurate and timely processing of bi-weekly, monthly, and off-cycle payments for all academic and support staff and faculty.
  • Ensures the accuracy of all changes to statutory deductions, benefit plan premiums, and terms of collective agreement settlements. Works collaboratively with HR and IT resources for the creation, development, and oversight of the testing of new rules or processes required for all changes.
  • Oversees compliance with complex government regulations, including taxation compliance, pension plan regulations, collective agreements, and University policies.
  • Leads a team of eight payroll staff. Monitors activities to ensure that payroll transactions are reviewed, validated, and properly authorized.
Note
The successful applicant will be eligible for hybrid work (combination of in-person work on campus and remote work) as agreed by all parties based on operational requirements and university guidelines.
Required Qualifications
  • University degree in business or accounting with considerable management experience in complex payroll environments (or an equivalent combination of education and experience).
  • Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) or Payroll Leadership Professional (PLP).
  • Experience in leading business process transformation including change management.
  • Proven managerial and leadership and coaching skills.
  • Strong analytical, communication (verbal and writing) skills.
  • Extensive knowledge of Canadian and Nova Scotia employment legislation, Canadian income tax regulations, Record of Employment (ROE) legislation, WCB, and other relevant legislation.
  • Experience with Ellucian Banner and/or other comparable systems.
Assets
  • Experience in a unionized payroll environment.
  • Experience working with automation and other technologies that enable process efficiency

Job Competencies
The successful candidate is expected to demonstrate proficiency in Dalhousie’s core and leadership competencies (https://www.dal.ca/dept/leaders.html), in particular:

- Respect & Inclusion
- Adaptability
- Thinking and Acting Strategically
- Relationship Building
- Resource & Process Management
Additional Information
Dalhousie University supports a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Our total compensation package includes a defined benefit pension plan, health and dental plans, a health spending account, an employee and family assistance program and a tuition assistance program.
Application Consideration
Applications from current university employees and external candidates are assessed concurrently. Current university employees will be given special consideration.

We sincerely appreciate all applications and note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted directly by the hiring department or Human Resources.
Diversity Statement
Dalhousie University commits to achieving inclusive excellence through continually championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The university encourages applications from Indigenous persons (especially Mi’kmaq), persons of Black/African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), and members of other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, persons identifying as members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. For more information, please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity.
Posting Detail Information

Number of Vacancies 1
Open Date 02/21/2024
Close Date
Open Until Filled Yes
Special Instructions to Applicant
Quick Link for Direct Access to Posting

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed to Apply

Required Documents
  1. Résumé / Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Optional Documents
  1. Cover Letter