Director Early Careers and Campus Strategy

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.

Position Overview 

Reporting to the Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, the Director of Early Careers and Campus Strategy, serves as the enterprise leader responsible for designing, scaling, and governing Paylocity’s global early-career talent strategy. This role partners closely with executive leadership across business units to architect a multi-year pipeline strategy that supports future workforce needs, advances diversity and inclusion goals, and strengthens Paylocity’s employer brand across university, early-career, and emerging-talent markets. 

The Director will build and steer a high-performing team, cultivate strategic partnerships with academic and industry organizations, and influence cross-functional leaders to ensure early-career hiring, development, and retention are fully integrated into Paylocity’s long-term talent roadmap. 

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.  

• Own and evolve Paylocity’s global early-career and campus recruitment strategy, ensuring alignment with long-term workforce planning, business priorities, and DEI commitments. 
• Partner with the Senior Director on creating strategies related to early career hiring trends, future skills need, and talent pipeline opportunities; advise leaders, and business unit executives on strategy recommendations. 
• Develop multi-year hiring, conversion, and retention plans supported by data, market intelligence, and internal capability analysis. 
• Lead the design and governance of global campus hiring programs, ensuring brand consistency, compliance, and cultural relevance across regions. 
• Establish the methodology, performance frameworks, and governance mechanisms that drive consistency, scalability, and measurable outcomes across all early-career programs. 
• Champion continuous improvement of the full lifecycle from brand awareness through early-career development and succession pathways. 
• Partner with senior business leaders, Workforce Planning, HR Business Partners, and Learning & Development to forecast talent needs and build integrated development pathways for interns, co-ops, and new graduates. 
• Function as the executive liaison with universities, academic leaders, research centers, and student organizations to position Paylocity as a premier early-career employer. 
• Build strong alignment with Marketing, Communications, and DEI leaders to drive innovative employer brand campaigns tailored to student and early-career audiences globally. 
• Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team responsible for campus recruitment, program delivery, and brand activation; oversee both direct and dotted-line campus ambassadors. 
• Establish performance metrics, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms that guide decision-making at the executive level. 
• Introduce and implement innovative technologies, sourcing channels, and engagement strategies that differentiate Paylocity’s presence in the early-career marketplace. 
• Drive innovative early-career engagement strategies, including experiential programs (hackathons, innovation challenges, ambassador programs), virtual and in-person events, and digital engagement campaigns. 
• Identify and cultivate emerging strategic partnerships including diversity-focused organizations, academic associations, and talent communities to expand access to diverse high-potential talent. 
• Stay ahead of market trends, competitive intelligence, and best practices to influence enterprise talent strategy and strengthen Paylocity’s competitive position. 
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that integrate campus hiring with onboarding, early-career learning journeys, internal mobility, and long-term succession planning. 
• Partners with L&D and business leaders to continuously refine early-career training, rotational programs, and leadership development pathways. 
• Ensure a data-backed understanding of conversion rates, early-career retention, and long-term talent outcomes to refine workforce strategies. 

Education and Experience   

• Bachelor’s degree required. 
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Talent Acquisition, with at least 5 years leading enterprise-wide campus or early-career programs. 
• 5+ years of experience influencing or partnering with senior executives (VP+), preferably in a high-growth or matrixed organization. 
• Proven experience leading and developing teams, including direct leadership and dotted-line or cross-functional teams. 
• Demonstrated success in driving large-scale, global, or multi-region talent initiatives. 
• Strong analytical orientation with the ability to translate data into compelling narratives that drive executive decisions. 
• Excellent executive communication, relationship-building, and organizational leadership skills. 
• Comprehensive knowledge of Talent Acquisition and HR best practices, including compliance across diverse markets. 
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite and ATS platforms; comfort evaluating and implementing emerging technologies. 
• Ability to travel approximately 30% or more as needed. 
• Being bi-lingual in Spanish is a strong nice to have. 

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 LeaveBenefits@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.

This role can be performed from any office in the US. The pay range for this position is $137,800 - $190,000/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.