Payroll Director

Title: Payroll Director
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Division: Enerfab Power & Industrial
Direct Report: Controller

Company Summary:
Enerfab has over 120 years of experience, offering fabrication and construction capabilities to a wide variety of customers for the chemical, food & beverage, oil & gas, heavy industrial and power industries. Founded in 1901, our company began making sealants and lacquers — including a patented formula for brewer’s pitch — for beer tanks and vessels. Over the last century, our expanded capabilities, project experience, safety record, and commitment to quality have made Enerfab one of the industry leaders in shop fabrication, field erection and construction and maintenance services.

The Payroll Director is a senior payroll professional responsible for providing strategic leadership, deep technical expertise, and steady operational oversight of the Company’s multi-state payroll function. This role is ideal for a seasoned payroll expert later in their career who brings maturity, sound judgment, and a strong compliance mindset, and who is motivated by mentoring the next generation of payroll leadership.
The Payroll Director will lead a highly experienced payroll team, including a self-sufficient Union Payroll Manager with extensive union expertise and an Assistant Payroll Manager who is on a development path to future leadership. The Director will set direction, ensure compliance excellence, and serve as the department’s project leader—driving modernization initiatives such as enhanced digital timekeeping and overseeing the transition and ongoing management of outsourced payroll tax services.

Payroll Environment at Enerfab:
Enerfab operates in a fast-paced, highly collaborative payroll environment supporting a family of five companies that provide both shop fabrication and field construction services. The workforce is predominantly union, with a meaningful non-union population, and spans a large multi-state geographic footprint. All payroll processing is performed in-house using SAP, requiring a high level of technical proficiency and strong internal controls. Payroll must flex seamlessly between fabrication shop operations and dynamic field construction work, requiring close coordination with operations, IT, HR, and finance. The complexity of union agreements, varied pay practices, and multiple jurisdictions makes accuracy, compliance, and teamwork critical, while the culture

Key Responsibilities:

Payroll Leadership & Oversight

• Provide overall leadership and direction for the payroll function, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing across 30+ states.
• Bring a calm, steady, and solutions-oriented leadership style that sets the tone for the department.
• Serve as the department’s senior payroll authority and escalation point for complex payroll matters.
• Partner closely with the Controller and Finance leadership on payroll strategy, risk management, and continuous improvement.

Compliance & Risk Management (Core Focus)

• Own all payroll compliance activities, including federal, state, and local payroll tax requirements.
• Maintain accountability for year-end payroll tax reporting and filings (e.g., W-2s, W-3s, state equivalents).
• Oversee outsourced payroll tax providers, ensuring service quality, accuracy, and compliance.
• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively assess impacts to payroll processes and controls.
• Ensure strong internal controls, documentation, and audit readiness across all payroll activities.

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Lead, coach, and mentor the Assistant Payroll Manager with the explicit goal of developing future leadership capability.
• Effectively manage and collaborate with a highly experienced Union Payroll Manager who serves as the organization’s union payroll expert.
• Foster a collaborative environment where expertise is respected and knowledge is shared.
• Provide guidance, structure, and prioritization without micromanaging a capable team.

Project Management & Process Improvement

• Serve as the primary project leader for payroll-related initiatives, including the evaluation and potential implementation of more digital and modern timekeeping solutions.
• Apply disciplined project management practices to drive initiatives from concept through execution.
• Identify inefficiencies, risks, or manual processes and design practical, scalable improvements.
• Develop creative solutions while maintaining compliance and operational integrity.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with HR, IT, Finance, and external vendors to ensure seamless payroll operations.
• Support HR initiatives related to compensation, benefits, and timekeeping from a payroll perspective.
• Communicate clearly with stakeholders, translating complex payroll topics into understandable guidance.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Extensive payroll experience (typically 12+ years), with deep technical knowledge of multi-state payroll and payroll tax compliance.
• Demonstrated expertise in payroll compliance, controls, and year-end reporting.
• Proven ability to lead teams and develop individuals with varying levels of experience and autonomy.
• Strong project management skills, with a track record of successfully executing process improvements or system changes.
• High degree of professionalism, sound judgment, and emotional intelligence.

Preferred

• Prior experience in a Payroll Director, Senior Payroll Manager, or similar leadership role.
• Experience supporting complex organizations with multiple states and employee populations.
• Prior experience overseeing or working with outsourced payroll
• Familiarity with union payroll environments (not required; strong internal expertise already exists).
• Experience with payroll system implementations or timekeeping modernization initiatives.

Key Competencies & Attributes

• Compliance-First Mindset: Naturally prioritizes accuracy, controls, and regulatory adherence.
• Mature Leadership Style: Calm under pressure, balanced sense of urgency, and steady decision-making.
• Mentor & Developer: Invested in developing future payroll leaders.
• Project-Oriented: Organized, disciplined, and execution-focused.
• Strategic Thinker: Able to see beyond day-to-day processing and improve the function holistically.
• Clear Communicator: Comfortable engaging with leadership, vendors, and cross-functional partners.

Why This Role Matters
This role is critical to ensuring payroll compliance, stability, and modernization while preparing the next generation of payroll leadership. The Payroll Director will shape the future of the function—not by rebuilding it from scratch, but by strengthening what already works and guiding thoughtful, well-executed change.