Director Engineering

Paylocity is an award-winning provider of cloud-based HR and payroll software solutions, offering the most complete platform for the modern workforce. The company has become one of the fastest-growing HCM software providers worldwide by offering an intuitive, easy-to-use product suite that helps businesses automate and streamline HR and payroll processes, attract and retain talent, and build a strong workplace culture. 

While traditional HR and payroll providers automate basic HR processes such as payroll and benefits administration, Paylocity goes further by developing tools that HR and businesses need to compete for talent and deliver against the expectations of the modern workforce.

We give our employees what they need to succeed, including great benefits and perks! We offer medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and a 401(k) match, as well as perks that support you, your family, and your finances. And if it’s career development you desire, we provide that, too! At Paylocity, people matter most and have always been at the heart of our business.

Help Paylocity enhance communication and enable employees to connect, collaborate, and create from anywhere with a position in Product & Technology!

Want to develop the strategies and principles needed to deliver compelling software? Join our team and help us enhance our all-in-one software platform, elevate our one-of-a-kind technology, and improve the employee experience. 

Take your career to the next level at one of G2's Top 100 Software Companies. Explore our Product & Technology positions to see where you fit!

Position Overview

This role requires a technical leader with a strategic mindset, dedicated to delivering scalable, high-quality solutions that meet the needs of our internal application teams and customers across core services powering our Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions. This role will be responsible for leading multiple engineering teams, driving best practices in software development, and ensuring efficient execution of the technology roadmap, while working closely with product management, design, and business stakeholders in corporate development and procurement to support innovation, scalability, and customer impact.

Who you are

An engineer at heart with passion for leadership, people development, strategy and delivering outcomes.   You work through influence, rely on data to support your decision-making process, and are committed to a growth mindset.  

• You deliver high-quality, on-time software that delights customers and drives measurable outcomes.
• You have a passion for building cutting-edge technology and scalable platforms.
• You possess a growth mindset, learning agility, and the ability to turn ambiguity into clear, actionable strategies.
• You lead with accountability and inspire it in your teams.
• You proactively share ideas and thrive in collaborative environments.
• You are a people-first leader who attracts, develops, and retains high-performing engineering talent.
• You drive meaningful change and foster continuous improvement in both people and process.
• You communicate effectively across all levels of the organization—from executives to individual contributors.
• You bring openness, intensity, and passion to your work, aligning seamlessly with a leadership culture built on respect, trust, and impact.

Primary Responsibilities

The below represents the primary duties of the position, others may be assigned as needed. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

• Develop and drive the engineering roadmap, ensuring alignment with business objectives, product vision, and emerging technology trends.
• Drive execution by implementing structured project management methodologies, optimizing work breakdowns, scheduling, and risk mitigation strategies to ensure on-time, high-quality delivery.
• Oversee the development of scalable, secure, and reliable SaaS solutions, ensuring compliance with security and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with cross-functional teams, including Product, Design, and Data, to align priorities, milestones, and strategic initiatives.
• Collaborate with Business Development to support M&A research, technology due diligence, and integration strategies.
• Organize and manage engineering teams to maximize efficiency, ensuring resource allocation aligns with budget and business goals.
• Assist in the execution of organizational planning and regionalization strategies to support the scalability of engineering operations. Ensure alignment of regional teams with business priorities and contribute to achieving corporate goals, promoting operational efficiency and consistency across regions.
• Partner on go-to-market activities, working with Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, Finance, and other teams to ensure successful product launches and adoption.
• Manage, mentor, and develop high performing engineering teams, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Lead the execution of complex software projects, ensuring quality, scalability, and timely delivery.
• Oversee architecture and scaling of secure, compliant SaaS systems, with a focus on performance, reliability, and extensibility.
• Pressure test designs and foster alignment across stakeholders to drive architectural innovation and platform resilience.
• Influence decision-making and strategy across the broader Product & Technology organization.
• Communicate effectively across both technical and non-technical audiences, including executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Stay informed on industry trends, evaluating new technologies and methodologies to enhance development efficiency and product capabilities.
• Drive a customer-first mindset, focusing on solutions that enhance user experience and create measurable value.
• Ensure adherence to Paylocity security standards, compliance frameworks, and regulatory requirements.
• Continuously improve engineering processes, observability, and system reliability, ensuring 24x7 availability of mission-critical applications.
• Establish and track engineering health and delivery metrics, including throughput, quality, incident response, and team well-being.
• Foster an environment of inclusion, innovation, accountability, and high performance.

Education and Experience

• BS degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience in the SaaS software space using both public and private cloud infrastructure.  Experience in the Human Capital Management space preferred but not required depending on domain experience.
• 5+ years of experience leading multiple engineering teams, ideally in a high-growth or enterprise-scale environment.
• Proven ability to master domain expertise to drive innovation, improve quality, and deliver impactful solutions in collaboration with Product and Design teams.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and grow large high performing teams to meet business objectives and quality standards, focused on talent development by creating and enabling an inclusive environment and identifying, coaching, and cultivating high potential.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and grow large high performing teams to meet business objectives and quality standards, focused on talent development by creating and enabling an inclusive environment and identifying, coaching, and cultivating high potential.
• Mastery in applying & coaching technology patterns, frameworks, principles, best practices, and skills across the organization, with a bias for customer & business value.
• Possess a blend of business acumen to have a big-picture vision as well as the drive and attention to detail that transforms strategy into action.
• A proven track record of defining business goals and then delivering on those goals to drive profitable growth.
• Strong decision-making, prioritization, and collaboration skills.  A leader that doesn’t use words like “they”, but words such as “we” and “us”.
• Mastery in applying & coaching technology patterns, frameworks, principles, best practices, and skills across the organization, with a bias for customer & business value.
• Demonstrated ability in integration, delivery, 24x7 operations, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Hands-on knowledge of agile engineering practices and prevalent accelerating technologies, including mobile, big data, cloud, machine learning, and open sourcing.
• Detail-oriented, organized, self-sufficient, and able to find creative solutions at all levels of the business, product, platform, and organization.
• Excellent executive and stakeholder communication skills, with a track record of presenting to and collaborating with executive leadership and key business stakeholders.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in the Human Capital Management (HCM) space preferred but not required depending on domain experience.
• Background in building and operating consumer-scale platforms supporting 10M+ users, including web and mobile applications preferred but not required
• Prior leadership experience in highly regulated or enterprise-grade SaaS environments preferred but not required

Physical requirements

• Ability to sit for extended periods: The role requires sitting at a desk or workstation for long periods, typically 7-8 hours a day.
• Use of computer and phone systems: The employee must be able to operate a computer, use phone systems, and type. This includes using multiple software programs and inquiries simultaneously.

Paylocity is an equal-opportunity employer. Paylocity is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals. We recruit, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. At Paylocity, we believe diversity makes us better. 

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, culture, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique. We actively cultivate these differences through our employee resource groups (ERGs), employee experiences, perspectives, talents, and approaches to drive innovation in the software and services we provide our customers.

We comply with federal and state disability laws and make reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. To request reasonable accommodation in the job application or interview process, please contact accessibility@paylocity.com. This email address is exclusively designated for such requests, aligning with federal and state disability laws. Please do not send resumes to this email address, as they will be removed.

The base pay range for this position is $170,700 - $254,900/yr; however, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. This position is eligible for an annual bonus and restricted stock unit grant based on individual performance in addition to a full range of benefits outlined here. This information is provided per the relevant state and local pay transparency laws for the location in which this position will be performed. Base pay information is based on market location. Applicants should apply via www.paylocity.com/careers.