Senior Manager, Global Payroll

Overview

Senior Manager, Global Payroll role based in the continental United States (remote).

This position owns global payroll end-to-end for a workforce of more than 500 employees across full-time, EOR, and contractor populations across 30+ U.S. states and 11 countries outside the U.S. Payroll and HRIS run on Rippling, with EOR coverage via Rippling and through Deel in markets Rippling does not support.

No direct reports today. This role is responsible for running the payroll cycle and will build the function next—systems, controls, documentation, and an eventual payroll team.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll processing for all U.S. employees in Rippling across 30+ states, including:
  • Bi-weekly pay runs on separate schedules for hourly and salaried employees
  • Off-cycle runs
  • Bonuses, commissions, relocation, fringe benefits, deductions, garnishments, and final pay
• Own payroll delivery for international populations and global EOR populations by coordinating with Rippling, Deel, and local providers to ensure each jurisdiction pays accurately, on time, and compliantly
• Own payroll tax compliance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions, including registrations, withholding and unemployment accounts, filings, amendments, and agency notice resolution
• Ensure payroll readiness for expansion into new states and countries, standing up new jurisdictions within business lead times and advising on EOR versus direct entity where the math changes
• Own payroll’s side of equity, including:
  • Clean data and correct treatment of taxable equity events
  • Coordination with Finance and Legal
  • Ahead of liquidity events: build withholding, sourcing, and reporting processes before they’re needed
• Prepare and reconcile payroll journal entries and payroll-related balance sheet accounts; partner with Accounting on accruals and month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close
• Own year-end processing end-to-end, including W-2 production and corrections and equivalent international/EOR filings
• Serve as the primary payroll liaison for state and workers’ compensation audits by compiling wage records, tax filings, and supporting documentation to satisfy auditor requirements
• Design, document, and maintain payroll controls, approval workflows, segregation of duties, and desktop procedures; serve as the primary payroll contact for external auditors and the annual 401(k) audit
• Set the payroll calendar, cut-off deadlines, and data handoffs with People Operations, Talent Acquisition, and Finance so data integrity holds from offer through final pay
• Evaluate and implement payroll systems and automation as the organization scales, including potential addition of or migration to platforms such as ADP, and systematically reduce manual reconciliation
• Build the payroll function: define the target operating model, make the case for headcount when volume supports it, and hire, onboard, and develop the payroll team that follows
• Produce payroll metrics, variance analysis, and labor cost reporting for People and Finance leadership
• Own vendor relationships and act as the subject matter expert for business escalations

Required Qualifications

• Full-cycle payroll ownership: 8+ years of hands-on payroll experience with end-to-end ownership of U.S. multi-state payroll, including at least 2 years as the most senior payroll person in a company or leading a payroll team
• Rippling depth: direct experience administering payroll in Rippling, including EOR populations, at a level where you can configure and troubleshoot the platform rather than escalate to support
• U.S. multi-state tax command: working knowledge of nexus determination, reciprocity, SUI and SDI, supplemental withholding rates, local levies, and agency management across a footprint of comparable breadth
• International and EOR fluency: experience managing payroll through EOR and local provider models
• Equity payroll readiness: familiarity with equity payroll mechanics and stock plan administration data, including RSU settlement and option exercise withholding and sufficient understanding to partner with Finance on equity complexities
• Payroll accounting fundamentals: comfort with GL mapping, balance sheet reconciliation, accruals, and supporting month-end close alongside Accounting
• Builder instinct: experience scaling a payroll function (building calendars, controls, documentation, system selection, and audit readiness) as the business grows faster than its infrastructure
• Certification: CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) strongly preferred
• Judgment and influence: ability to advise leadership, escalate early, push back when upstream data is wrong, and hold partner teams to deadlines while preserving relationships

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with Deel or another secondary EOR platform
• Experience implementing or migrating a payroll platform such as ADP or Workday
• Experience taking a company from pre-IPO through a liquidity event, including equity payroll at settlement
• Exposure to SOX, IPO readiness, or building financial controls from scratch
• Experience with payroll and equity tax treatment for mobile employee populations
• Experience supporting a venture-backed technology company scaling past 500 people and into new countries
• Proficiency with Excel, using formulas and v-lookups to manage data outputs from multiple sources

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation

$138,800 - $173,500 USD

For U.S. based candidates, the starting base salary range varies based on location, experience, skills, and qualifications (geographic pay structure based on cost-of-labor markets):

• Tier 1 (e.g., SF Bay Area, NYC, Seattle): $159,620 – $199,525
• Tier 2 (most U.S. metro areas): $1138,800 – $173,500
• Tier 3 (other cities): $131,860 - $164,825

Final compensation will be determined by experience, scope, and level, and may vary from the posted range.

Base salary and equity are offered. Subsidized benefits are also available (details available upon request).

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision (subsidized cost)
• Health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), and dependent care FSAs (DCFSA)
• Retirement plan options, including 401(k) and Roth 401(k)
• Unlimited paid time off (PTO)
• 14 paid company holidays per year

Location

Remote-based in the continental United States.