Jobs and Careers
ZŪ
Director, Payroll
ZūmBay Area, CA, United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 23 Oct 2025
💰 $238,000/yr($207,000/yr – $238,000/yr)
About the role
About Zum:
Zum is a rapidly expanding Series E startup backed by industry leaders Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, Spark Capital, and GIC, with a bold mission to transform the stagnant school transportation industry. Operating in over 15 states across the United States—with flagship hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle—we are actively extending our reach to the East Coast and Midwest regions. As a technology-driven company, we deploy cutting-edge solutions to manage and operate school district transportation systems while also launching our own charter platform and developing proprietary SaaS offerings. Additionally, we are spearheading a nationwide initiative to electrify school transportation fleets, simultaneously supporting local utilities by feeding much-needed energy back into the grid. We have been recognized as CNBC 50 disruptor, Financial Times 500 fastest growing companies, Fast Company World Changing Ideas.
Who You Are:
Reporting to the VP, Corporate Controller, and working in collaboration with the Managers of Human Resources, Site General Managers, and the Company’s Compliance team, this position manages a Payroll Department of 20+ through planning, developing, interpreting, and implementing all activities of the Payroll Department through subordinate staff in a highly demanding and fast-paced environment.
This role is based at the Company’s headquarters in Redwood Shores, CA and requires you to be onsite 3x/week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday). We will only consider candidates already based in the Bay Area.
What You'll Do:
• Oversee the in-house multi-location compensation processing. The payroll will comprise 2,000+ employees in multiple states, 9+ unions, and an internally-developed timekeeping system• Collaborate with finance and operational leaders, IT and HR partners to identify and prioritize areas for improvement, validate business cases for change, and ensure sound decision-making and coordinated communications• Proactively drive change management activities to ensure wide adoption and acceptance of changes, including engaging key leaders and facilitating impact assessments, training, and other communications• Implement, maintain, and review weekly and off-cycle multi-location, multi-state payrolls to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll transactions including wages, benefits, garnishments, taxes, union benefits, and other deductions.• Manage compliance with federal, state and local tax law, and quarterly and annual payroll reporting, etc., Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting, etc.• Interpret, educate and apply a variety of laws and regulations governing payroll administration. Provide written and oral explanations to employees, management, union officials and employees as necessary• Identify ways to optimize the payroll function, collaborate closely with cross-functional teams and other stakeholders, to facilitate the smooth operation of the payroll system • Develop, implement, and maintain internal control policies, procedures, and compliance with respect to the payroll process, including, but not limited to, pay policies, payroll calendars, payroll checklists, process documentation and other items as necessary• Ensure standardized payroll policies and procedures are documented, maintained and followed, and service level agreements (e.g., response and resolution times for issues) are met or exceeded by the team• Communicate and enforce organization-wide payroll policies and processes regarding earnings, deductions, timekeeping, and government and union compliance reporting. • Serve as subject matter expert in strategic planning concerning new or projected areas of technology or operational direction• Provide support to external auditors in the performance of their work by answering questions involving the Company’s policies and procedures, and producing schedules/documentation that will assist the auditors in the timely completion of their work• Develop and maintain effective, productive, cooperative working relationships with employees, supervisory personnel, management, and others • Educate & train the payroll team continuously
What You Bring To Zūm:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, Accounting, or in a related field• A minimum of ten (10) years of in-house payroll processing and reporting requirements for federal, state and other authorities, including Unions, in organizations of 3,000+ employees• A minimum three (3) years of recent related supervisory and/or managerial level work overseeing a team of 20+• Experience with timekeeping implementation in a unionized environment•
Zum is a rapidly expanding Series E startup backed by industry leaders Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, Spark Capital, and GIC, with a bold mission to transform the stagnant school transportation industry. Operating in over 15 states across the United States—with flagship hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle—we are actively extending our reach to the East Coast and Midwest regions. As a technology-driven company, we deploy cutting-edge solutions to manage and operate school district transportation systems while also launching our own charter platform and developing proprietary SaaS offerings. Additionally, we are spearheading a nationwide initiative to electrify school transportation fleets, simultaneously supporting local utilities by feeding much-needed energy back into the grid. We have been recognized as CNBC 50 disruptor, Financial Times 500 fastest growing companies, Fast Company World Changing Ideas.
Who You Are:
Reporting to the VP, Corporate Controller, and working in collaboration with the Managers of Human Resources, Site General Managers, and the Company’s Compliance team, this position manages a Payroll Department of 20+ through planning, developing, interpreting, and implementing all activities of the Payroll Department through subordinate staff in a highly demanding and fast-paced environment.
This role is based at the Company’s headquarters in Redwood Shores, CA and requires you to be onsite 3x/week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday). We will only consider candidates already based in the Bay Area.
What You'll Do:
• Oversee the in-house multi-location compensation processing. The payroll will comprise 2,000+ employees in multiple states, 9+ unions, and an internally-developed timekeeping system• Collaborate with finance and operational leaders, IT and HR partners to identify and prioritize areas for improvement, validate business cases for change, and ensure sound decision-making and coordinated communications• Proactively drive change management activities to ensure wide adoption and acceptance of changes, including engaging key leaders and facilitating impact assessments, training, and other communications• Implement, maintain, and review weekly and off-cycle multi-location, multi-state payrolls to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll transactions including wages, benefits, garnishments, taxes, union benefits, and other deductions.• Manage compliance with federal, state and local tax law, and quarterly and annual payroll reporting, etc., Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting, etc.• Interpret, educate and apply a variety of laws and regulations governing payroll administration. Provide written and oral explanations to employees, management, union officials and employees as necessary• Identify ways to optimize the payroll function, collaborate closely with cross-functional teams and other stakeholders, to facilitate the smooth operation of the payroll system • Develop, implement, and maintain internal control policies, procedures, and compliance with respect to the payroll process, including, but not limited to, pay policies, payroll calendars, payroll checklists, process documentation and other items as necessary• Ensure standardized payroll policies and procedures are documented, maintained and followed, and service level agreements (e.g., response and resolution times for issues) are met or exceeded by the team• Communicate and enforce organization-wide payroll policies and processes regarding earnings, deductions, timekeeping, and government and union compliance reporting. • Serve as subject matter expert in strategic planning concerning new or projected areas of technology or operational direction• Provide support to external auditors in the performance of their work by answering questions involving the Company’s policies and procedures, and producing schedules/documentation that will assist the auditors in the timely completion of their work• Develop and maintain effective, productive, cooperative working relationships with employees, supervisory personnel, management, and others • Educate & train the payroll team continuously
What You Bring To Zūm:
• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, Accounting, or in a related field• A minimum of ten (10) years of in-house payroll processing and reporting requirements for federal, state and other authorities, including Unions, in organizations of 3,000+ employees• A minimum three (3) years of recent related supervisory and/or managerial level work overseeing a team of 20+• Experience with timekeeping implementation in a unionized environment•
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