At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.
Position Summary
Eli Lilly and Company is seeking a Senior Director, Payroll, Time Tracking & Absence (PATT) to lead one of the most operationally critical functions within our global HR Technology & Operations organization based in Indianapolis.
This role owns end-to-end payroll for the USand is the process owner for global time management and absence. Additionally, the role will be a key influencer of crafting payroll strategies globally.
Lilly PATT primarily operates within Workday as our core HCM platform.
This is a leadership role that will work at the intersection of people, technology, and financial integrity — partnering closely with Finance, Legal, Global Mobility, and our broader HR leadership team to transform, streamline and automate PATT capabilities.
The Senior Director will implement an AI-forward payroll capability, drive Workday PATT product excellence, govern third-party vendor relationships and ensure full SOX compliance for all payroll cycles.
The ideal candidate brings Workday PATT expertise, a track record of redefining business operations at scale, and the leadership presence to continuously elevate team performance.
Key Responsibilities
Global Payroll Operations
- Own end-to-end payroll operations for Lilly US ensuring payroll is processed accurately, compliantly, and on time.
- Be responsible for equity-related payroll events including the management of KPMG (our mobile taxation processor), award processing, and special, limited scope payments.
- Lead payroll readiness and execution for new country and acquired company launches. Lead entity changes including regulatory setup, vendor selection, and integration into Lilly's global payroll framework.
- Serve as the senior customer concern point for sophisticated cross-border, multi-jurisdictional, and executive-level payroll matters.
- Maintain and continuously improve payroll governance, controls, and audit readiness — including full SOX compliance payroll accounting practices.
HR Technology & AI Transformation
- Lead the strategic product roadmap for Workday Payroll, Time Tracking, and Absence — including feature adoption, configuration governance, release planning, and improvements.
- Lead the marketplace in the use of HR technology, agentic AI, and the digital employee experience to boldly streamline operations while maintaining or improving accuracy.
- Own and simplify the PATT technology portfolio — reducing vendor complexity, retiring legacy tools, and enabling protocols across regions.
- Partner to optimise integrations between Workday and downstream payroll, finance, benefits, equity administration, and reporting systems.
Vendor & Third-Party Governance
- Develop and drive strategic vendor relationships example PWC — set clear SLAs, conduct performance reviews, and hold partners accountable to quality standards.
- Consult on outsourced payroll service agreements, ensuring cost-effectiveness and service excellence for all Lilly markets.
- Partner with Procurement and Legal on contract renewals, critical issue frameworks, and vendor risk management.
Compliance, Risk & Financial Integrity
- Ensure compliance with employment tax regulations, labour laws, and data privacy requirements in the US — maintaining active awareness of regulatory changes.
- Lead payroll's contribution to year-end financial close and external reporting, including MD&A readiness, 401(k) audit support, and payroll-driven disclosures.
- Be responsible for payroll for stock compensation that incorporates multi-jurisdictional tax requirements.
- Maintain robust internal controls and coordinate with Internal Audit and external auditors on SOX testing and payroll-related control assessments.
Team Leadership & Capability Development
- Lead, develop, and inspire a team of PATT professionals in the US — cultivating a culture of ownership, continuous improvement, and psychological safety.
- Model the leadership philosophy of HRTO — removing barriers, granting permission, and enabling the team to perform at their highest level.
Stakeholder Partnership & Executive Engagement
- Partner closely with Finance, Legal, Compensation, Benefits, Global Mobility, and HR Business Partners to ensure payroll supports Lilly's broader people and business agenda.
- Represent PATT in enterprise-level programmes including M&A activity, system implementations, and compensation policy changes.
- Prepare and present executive-level reporting on payroll operations, compliance posture, risk indicators, and pivotal initiatives to HRTO and CFO-area leadership.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or a related field.
- 10+ years experience in global payroll operations, including shown ability to transform and scale.
- Demonstrated Workday Payroll expertise, with strong solid understanding of Time Tracking and Absence modules.
- Proficiency in SOX compliance, GAAP payroll accounting, and multi-jurisdictional employment tax and labour law.
- Track record of leading payroll transformation initiatives — including system implementations, process automation, and AI-enabled improvements.
- Experience in a large global public company (Fortune 500 equivalent), ideally in life sciences, technology, or a similarly regulated industry.
- Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to
F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree (MBA, MSHR) preferred.
- Workday certification preferred.
- Shown experience leading large-scale payroll vendor relationships (e.g., ADP, third-party country payroll providers).
- Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
- Exceptional customer engagement skills — able to operate with credibility across Finance, Legal, HR, and executive leadership.
- Experience with equity and stock-based compensation payroll across multiple tax jurisdictions.
- Prior experience with Workday Orchestrate, RPA tools, or AI-driven payroll automation.
- Familiarity with KPMG, EQ (Equatex), ADP Workforce Now, and Experian as payroll ecosystem partners.
- Experience leading payroll through M&A integrations, entity expansions, or significant organisational transformation.
Other Information:
Indy based role - relocation supported.
Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.
Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.
Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).
Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is
$154,500 - $226,600
Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.
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