Senior People Ops Manager - Payroll & Systems

Overview

This role owns the people operations infrastructure that ensures employees and FROs are supported with accurate, timely payroll; functioning benefits and leave; scalable HR systems; and compliant people policies across jurisdictions.

The position reports to the Head of People and works closely with People Ops Manager – Employee Experience (recruiting, onboarding, internal communications) and an Sr. HRBP (primary point of contact for FRO employees). You will also partner with the Launch team to coordinate the operational dependencies required to stand up new FROs and wind down time-bound organizations responsibly.

Payroll is handled through US and UK providers (TriNet for the US PEO and Rippling for UK payroll). Providers complete tax calculations and filings; accountability for accuracy, reconciliation, and issue resolution remains with this role.

Initial scope is approximately 60% hands-on execution and 40% policy development, infrastructure building, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Own US and UK payroll end-to-end

  • Manage payroll processing including timesheets, payroll changes, initial review, and accuracy.
  • Build and maintain controls for input validation, independent pre-run review, pre- and post-run reconciliation, change approvals, and audit trails.
  • Document processes so payroll can be run safely by others.
  • Work with providers to address gaps and resolve payroll issues.

• Ensure benefits, retirement, and leave operations run smoothly

  • Own benefits administration, COBRA, and open enrollment.
  • Manage US 401(k) and UK pension administration, including contributions, records, and provider coordination.
  • Manage leave administration in the HRIS and coordinate workers’ compensation.
  • Partner with the Sr. HRBP on employee accommodations and employee-specific HR issues.

• Build and govern people systems (HRIS and integrations)

  • Own HRIS architecture, configuration, integrations, data integrity, governance, and reporting.
  • Define source-of-truth rules, field ownership, and auditing practices.
  • Troubleshoot escalated issues, manage vendor relationships, and monitor platform performance.
  • Recommend whether to build, buy, change, or simplify systems, with costs and risks clearly outlined.

• Maintain compliant policies and a people compliance calendar

  • Partner with the Head of People to write and maintain compliant policies across US federal and state jurisdictions, the UK, and EOR-covered countries.
  • Maintain a jurisdictional compliance matrix with version control and scheduled review dates.
  • Own the people compliance calendar, including filings, renewals, notices, audits, and policy reviews with defined owners and lead times.
  • Know when outside counsel should be involved (while the Head of People retains final statutory policy approval for company-wide or multi-team strategic implications).

• Coordinate immigration and compensation process support

  • Facilitate FRO introductions to immigration counsel, coordinate vendors, track timelines, and provide HRIS documentation (not manage substantive immigration cases).
  • Support reporting for compensation reviews; compensation strategy is owned by the Head of People.

• Support new FRO launches as a functioning employer

  • Stand up people infrastructure for each new FRO, including entity/EOR setup, payroll and benefits activation, policies, and an operational workspace.
  • Coordinate the people workstream within the broader plan owned by the Program Launch Manager.
  • Manage dependencies (including TriNet and Rippling onboarding timelines) and flag risks early.

• Support responsible FRO wind-down operations

  • Own the operational side of wind-downs, including individual terminations, jurisdiction-specific final pay, benefits termination, platform and entity closure mechanics, and records retention.
  • Partner with the Sr. HRBP on transition planning and employee communications.
  • Partner with the Head of People on severance and matters involving counsel.

Six-Month Goals

• Take full ownership of US and UK payroll, plus pension/401(k) administration, with documentation detailed enough for another person to run these processes safely.
• Audit and update source-of-truth salary data.
• Create a process for managing timecards and hourly payroll in Rippling, even though hourly employees are not currently part of the UK workforce.
• Build a 12-month roadmap with OKRs and success criteria (agreed with the Head of People) covering SOPs, controls, and infrastructure improvements; complete 2–3 of the highest-priority initiatives.
• Design and implement a payroll controls framework and people compliance calendar with clear ownership, review processes, and accountability.
• Complete a policy gap assessment by jurisdiction and close the highest-risk gaps.
• Support at least one new FRO launch and one FRO wind-down from start to finish on the people operations side, assuming project timelines permit.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in HR ops, payroll administration, or a closely related field (or 8+ years with a directly relevant master’s degree).
• 5+ years of direct, accountable ownership of payroll administration across multiple jurisdictions, including California.
• Experience standing up or substantially building people operations processes for a new entity, location, or country.
• Hands-on experience administering benefits, including coordinating at least one open enrollment cycle.
• Experience owning an HRIS, including configuration, integrations, data integrity, data governance, and reporting.
• Experience developing complete, compliant policy suites across multiple states or countries, including knowing when to engage legal counsel.
• Strong documentation and process-building skills, including examples of playbooks, controls, or operational systems you’ve created.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled tools for documentation, reporting, and workflow automation.

Preferred Qualifications

• UK payroll experience, including PAYE, RTI, and pension administration.
• Experience working in a PEO environment, ideally with TriNet, and with Rippling or a comparable international payroll platform.
• Experience with international employer of record (EOR) arrangements.
• Experience in a nonprofit, startup, research organization, or other fast-moving, mission-driven environment.
• Experience supporting multiple legal entities.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $165,000 - $175,000 a year
• Up to 6% 401(k) match.
• Top-tier medical, dental, and vision insurance (majority of options fully covered for you and your dependents).
• Company-paid life insurance, AD&D, long- and short-term disability insurance, plus voluntary supplemental insurance options.
• 19 holidays, including a full week off at the end of the year.
• 3 weeks PTO with tenure increases, with separate allotments for sick and parental leave.
• Fertility benefits and childcare reimbursement.
• Education and professional development benefits.
• Wellness allowance for fitness and wellness activities.
• Quarterly offsite team retreats and additional opportunities to meet in person.

The role also includes an added 5–10% premium for those working from especially high cost of labor locations (e.g., NYC, San Francisco) or from the NYC office.

Location

Not specified in the provided description.