Senior Payroll Specialist

Overview

A leading global AI cloud infrastructure company is seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist to manage end-to-end US payroll operations. This role focuses on harmonizing, simplifying, and continuously improving payroll execution and accounting across multiple US entities, states, pay groups, vendors, and systems. The position reports to the Head of Global Payroll Operations and is remote, ideally based on the US East Coast.

Responsibilities

• Manage multi-state US payroll execution across entities, pay groups, and vendors, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local requirements
• Ensure US employment tax compliance, including federal, state, and local withholding, FICA/FUTA/SUI, new-state registrations, quarterly and annual filings (Forms 941/940, W-2/W-2c), amendments, and timely resolution of agency notices
• Administer regulated pay items accurately, such as garnishments, child-support orders, 401(k) and benefits deductions, equity income taxation (RSU/option), imputed income, and taxable fringe benefits
• Lead root-cause analysis for recurring payroll, accounting, or service failures and implement durable solutions
• Drive process harmonization and simplification to reduce manual steps, handoffs, rework, and off-cycle payroll runs
• Lead payroll execution during transitions including new state or entity launches, vendor changes, system changes, and mergers & acquisitions, ensuring continuity and control
• Define and monitor preventative controls, including SOX-aligned payroll controls; improve audit readiness and evidence quality
• Serve as escalation point for complex or sensitive payroll issues and provide authoritative guidance to senior stakeholders
• Collaborate with HR Operations, Finance, Legal/Compliance, benefits providers, and payroll vendors to deliver scalable payroll operating models

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of US payroll experience with multi-state and multi-entity scope in complex environments
• Deep knowledge of US federal, state, and local payroll compliance, including wage and hour laws (FLSA), employment taxes, garnishments, and year-end reporting
• Strong payroll controllership skills, including designing controls, enforcing segregation of duties and approvals, and ensuring audit-ready documentation
• Proven ability to improve payroll processes through standardization, automation, and reduction of manual effort
• Solid payroll accounting knowledge and experience collaborating with Finance during close and audits
• Demonstrated leadership in managing payroll transitions such as vendor, system, new state, or entity implementations with structured planning and issue resolution
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and comfort acting as an escalation owner and payroll authority

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) from PayrollOrg
• Hands-on experience with major US payroll platforms and their HRIS/General Ledger integrations
• Experience operating payroll controls in a SOX-compliant, US-listed company environment
• Experience with payroll operating models and vendor governance including SLAs, KPIs, and remediation
• Project management certification or comparable cross-functional leadership experience

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary range: $111,000 - $139,000 USD
• Competitive compensation and benefits package
• Career growth and learning opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements and ownership of responsibilities
• Collaborative and innovative work environment
• Opportunity to contribute to impactful AI projects
• International team environment

Location

• Remote US-based position, ideally located on the East Coast

Additional Information

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States and will be required to provide proof of employment eligibility as a condition of hire. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request during the application process.