Senior Accountant - Payroll

Overview

This role is for a Senior Accountant specializing in payroll accounting within a global organization. The position involves managing end-to-end payroll accounting processes, ensuring accuracy and compliance across multiple countries, and supporting financial close cycles and audits. The role reports to the Senior Accounting Manager – GL and has a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Global Payroll Manager.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, record, and review global payroll journal entries, including accruals for PTO, bonuses, commissions, equity impacts, and statutory employer costs, ensuring GAAP compliance.
• Perform monthly balance sheet reconciliations for payroll, benefits, taxes, and bonus liabilities; identify and resolve discrepancies.
• Prepare monthly financial statement flux analysis and variance commentary for payroll-related accounts, communicating changes to Finance and senior leadership.
• Maintain the global payroll accounting close checklist, coordinating with Payroll Operations, Finance, HR, and regional partners.
• Ensure timely and accurate booking of entries for temporary labor, contractors, and agency workers.
• Serve as a key resource for global financial audits (internal, external, statutory), managing payroll accounting schedules, documentation, and walkthroughs.
• Support SOX readiness and pre-IPO compliance efforts.
• Assist with payroll tax reconciliations, quarterly and annual filings, W-2 and global statutory year-end reporting.
• Validate tax setups, withholding rules, and general ledger account mappings.
• Collaborate with international payroll providers to ensure complete and timely reporting feeds.
• Standardize accounting processes across multiple countries including the US, India, Australia, UK, Spain, and future expansion locations.
• Partner with HR, FP&A, Total Rewards, Accounts Payable, and Legal on compensation changes, benefits updates, and regulatory impacts.
• Act as a subject-matter expert for payroll accounting questions across the organization.
• Develop and maintain formal process documentation, reconciliation schedules, and internal controls.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate payroll-to-GL integrations and reporting workflows.
• Support special projects such as system implementations, integrations, acquisitions, and country expansions.
• Perform other duties as necessary.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance required; CPA or active CPA candidacy highly preferred.
• 3–5+ years of progressive accounting experience, with at least 2 years focused on payroll or compensation accounting in a multi-entity or global environment.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP, especially related to accruals, compensation expense recognition, and payroll liabilities.
• Experience with ERP systems such as NetSuite, SAP, or Oracle.
• Hands-on experience with payroll platforms and third-party providers (e.g., ADP, Deel).
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, XLOOKUP, and reconciliation modeling.
• Proven experience supporting financial audits and SOX compliance, including documentation, testing, and audit deliverables.
• Familiarity with multi-jurisdiction payroll tax compliance (federal, state, international).
• Exposure to international statutory reporting (UK, Australia, India, Spain) is a plus.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to manage competing priorities during high-volume close periods.
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative team player comfortable in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Compensation & Benefits

• Target salary range: $84,000 - $114,000.
• Full base pay range: $77,775 - $129,625.
• Eligibility for participation in a discretionary bonus plan based on company performance and policies.

Location

• This role supports global operations with payroll accounting responsibilities across multiple countries including the US, India, Australia, UK, and Spain.

Candidates with experience close to the requirements are encouraged to apply. Diversity of experience and passion are valued. This position accepts applications on an ongoing basis.