Payroll Manager

We are looking for an experienced senior manager of payroll to support our client in San Francisco, California. This long-term contract position will oversee complex payroll initiatives, strengthen operational consistency, and partner across functions to ensure accurate, compliant payroll delivery in a fast-paced multinational environment. The role is ideal for a leader who can guide large-scale payroll programs, improve processes, and communicate effectively with senior stakeholders while maintaining strict standards for data privacy and accuracy.

Responsibilities:

• Drive major payroll initiatives that support the modernization of global payroll operations and help align multiple providers within a more unified delivery model.
• Oversee payroll system implementation activities from early planning and requirement definition through testing, validation, deployment, and post-launch stabilization.
• Work closely with technical teams to support the design and rollout of numerous integrations between third-party applications and the global payroll platform.
• Evaluate proposed payroll workflows to confirm regional and country-specific obligations are addressed before new processes are adopted.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Benefits, IT, and external service providers to verify payroll data integrity and resolve discrepancies efficiently.
• Coordinate the migration of payroll information from legacy environments into new platforms or related data repositories, including reconciliation and quality checks.
• Create and maintain clear payroll procedures, internal controls, and policy documentation to support compliance and standardized operations.
• Promote successful adoption of new tools and ways of working through training, stakeholder communication, and change management efforts.
• Prepare status updates, operational summaries, and project reporting for leadership while safeguarding confidential employee and payroll information.