Global Payroll Senior Manager

Job Title: Senior Manager, Global Payroll

Reports to (Direct Title): VP of Accounting – Controller

Department: Finance

Location: US-Remote or US-Hybrid

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Global Payroll is responsible for managing and strengthening the company’s global payroll function for a PE-backed, multi-entity cybersecurity and application security SaaS company. This hands-on leader role oversees payroll execution, controls, vendor coordination, compliance support, audit readiness, process documentation, and practical improvement efforts while partnering across Finance, HR, Legal, Tax, Treasury, FP&A, Enterprise Applications, and external service providers.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

• Manage recurring global payroll operations to ensure employees are paid accurately, timely, and in compliance with applicable company policies and local requirements.

• Oversee payroll inputs, validations, approvals, funding coordination, reconciliations, close support, and post-payroll reporting.

• Support payroll processing for wages, bonuses, commissions, benefits deductions, leaves, terminations, retroactive adjustments, equity-related payroll items, and other compensation changes.

• Maintain payroll controls, documentation, approval evidence, reconciliations, and audit-ready support in partnership with Accounting, HR, Tax, Legal, and external providers.

• Coordinate timely resolution of payroll issues, employee escalations, provider errors, audit requests, and compliance questions.

• Manage day-to-day relationships with global payroll providers, EOR partners, payroll tax providers, benefits administrators, and related third-party service providers.

• Maintain practical vendor routines, including open issue tracking, recurring check-ins, escalation paths, service expectations, and performance follow-up.

• Partner with HR, Accounting, Treasury, Tax, Legal, Procurement, and Enterprise Applications to support payroll execution, funding, reporting, compliance, and employee lifecycle events.

• Recommend practical improvements to provider performance, service quality, process consistency, cost effectiveness, and issue resolution.

• Help improve payroll data flows, integrations, reporting, and controls across payroll, HRIS, ERP, benefits, equity, tax, and treasury processes.

• Identify and support opportunities to standardize processes, reduce manual effort, improve reporting, and strengthen payroll accuracy and governance.

• Maintain useful payroll metrics and reporting, including cycle timeliness, open issues, error trends, off-cycle payments, reconciliation status, and control completion.

• Support payroll-related system changes, provider transitions, integration enhancements, entity expansion, and M&A or transformation activities as needed.

• Lead and develop payroll team members by setting clear expectations, operating rhythms, and accountability for accurate and timely execution.

• Build team depth through cross-training, backup coverage, documentation discipline, and shared operating knowledge.

• Maintain payroll calendars, standard operating procedures, process narratives, approval matrices, and recurring close or compliance checklists.

• Other tasks and activities as assigned.

Required Education/Experience & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field.

• 8+ years of progressive payroll experience, including meaningful responsibility for multi-state U.S. payroll and international payroll operations.

• At least 3 years of payroll leadership experience, including oversight of payroll team members, outsourced providers, or cross-functional payroll operations.

• Demonstrated experience managing payroll in a multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction environment with outsourced payroll providers and/or EOR partners.

• Strong working knowledge of payroll tax, wage and hour requirements, statutory deductions, benefits deductions, payroll accounting, reconciliations, and payroll compliance processes.

• Experience supporting controls-focused environments, including audit support, process documentation, reconciliations, evidence retention, and practical process improvement.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain payroll issues clearly to employees, Finance leaders, HR partners, providers, and auditors.

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation strongly preferred.

• Experience in SaaS, cybersecurity, technology, software, PE-backed, or global private-company environments preferred.

• Experience with ADP, ADP Celergo, Workday, NetSuite, EOR platforms, or similar payroll/HRIS/ERP environments preferred.

• Experience supporting non-U.S. payroll operations through outsourced providers, in-country partners, or EOR arrangements preferred.

• Experience supporting statutory audit requests, benefit audits, worker classification considerations, global provider management, or payroll-related compliance matters preferred.

• Experience supporting payroll-related entity expansion, provider transitions, system changes, M&A integration, or Finance improvement initiatives preferred.

• Hands-on, delivery-oriented leadership style with strong integrity, discretion, judgment, and a controls-minded approach to governance, audit readiness, and risk mitigation.

• Collaborative, service-oriented, and able to influence across Finance, People, Legal, Tax, Treasury, Enterprise Applications, external providers, employees, and leadership.

• Process improvement mindset with a proactive interest in automation, practical workflow improvements, and scalable payroll routines.

Physical Requirements

• General office environment and responsibilities requiring:

• Extensive use of the computer which involves viewing a monitor and keyboarding for most of the workday

• Placing and receiving phone calls

• Occasionally moving and lifting objects up to 20 pounds

• May require up to 10% travel as needed