Payroll Workday Lead

Join the future of news We’re on a mission to deliver riveting storytelling for all of America. At The Washington Post, you’ll help reinvent news. Our work is driven by a deep investigative spirit and enhanced by innovation to bring audiences closer to the stories that matter most. About Our Team The Washington Post is powered by the passion and talent of our people. It takes all of us to reinvent news. Beyond our award-winning Newsroom and Opinions teams, we work across many departments, including Brand & Events, Communications, Customer Care, Engineering & Product, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing & Advertising, Print Operations, and Sales. Why This Role Matters The Washington Post is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Payroll Lead to lead and modernize U.S. payroll operations. This is not a “business as usual” payroll role — it’s an opportunity to reimagine how payroll functions within Workday by amplifying automation, redesigning processes, and leveraging AI-driven insights to make payroll faster, cleaner, and more strategic. You will partner closely with HRIS, Finance, and Benefits to simplify integrations, streamline handoffs, and reduce manual corrections. Your focus will be on continuous improvement — fully utilizing Workday’s capabilities and embedding data-driven decision-making across payroll operations. This position reports to the Director of Payroll. What Motivates You Leading transformation and modernization efforts that create measurable business impact. Applying technology and automation to solve complex payroll challenges. Collaborating across HR, Finance, and Benefits to improve processes that serve every employee. Ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness in a function that touches every part of the organization. Building scalable systems and processes that simplify work and enable growth. How You Will Support the Mission Oversee all payroll processes to ensure timely and accurate payments for all U.S. employees within Workday. Lead quarterly and annual payroll tax activities, including reconciliation, amendments, and W-2 processing, using Workday and ADP. Manage garnishment processing, union and pension payments, and ensure compliance with all associated requirements. Administer Workday Timekeeping transactions and updates, ensuring accuracy and seamless integration with payroll. Own Workday Payroll configurations, integrations, and testing; continuously identify automation opportunities that reduce manual work. Implement process improvements that shorten payroll cycles, improve audit readiness, and minimize reconciliation effort. Utilize Workday’s AI and machine learning tools (such as anomaly detection and smart audits) to proactively prevent errors and increase accuracy. Collaborate with HRIS, Benefits, and Finance to create standardized, scalable processes that ensure accuracy and compliance. Develop reports and dashboards that provide insight into payroll metrics, trends, and compliance status. Partner with Finance to ensure accurate journal entries, general ledger postings, and reconciliations. Support year-end processing, including W-2 reconciliation, audits, and reporting. Serve as the Workday Payroll subject matter expert for system releases, internal audits, and stakeholder inquiries. Contribute to a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement across the payroll function. Skills and Experience You Bring 10+ years of progressive payroll experience, including 5+ years leading payroll operations. 5+ years of Workday Payroll experience, including configuration, reporting, integrations, and timekeeping. Demonstrated success modernizing payroll through automation, AI tools, and process redesign. Strong understanding of payroll compliance across federal, state, and local regulations. Proven ability to analyze complex data and translate insights into process improvements. Excellent communication and customer service skills; trusted collaborator across HR, Bene ... (truncated, view full listing at source)