Director of Payroll

United States Digital Space LLC; Washington; Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC is seeking a hands-on Senior US Payroll Manager to own US and Canada payroll operations end-to-end in Workday, with 1–2 direct reports and close collaboration with the Head of Global Payroll. You will drive compliance across US & Canada and lead initiatives to integrate AI into payroll workflows.

The role requires 8+ years of payroll experience (3+ in a leadership position), CPP certification, and strong Workday expertise.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of payroll experience with 3+ years in a senior or manager role owning US multi-state payroll end-to-end.
• CPP certification is preferred or required.

Responsibilities

• Own full-cycle payroll processing for US entities, multi-state, multi-frequency, exempt and non-exempt.
• Process complex equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs) with accurate tax withholding.
• Manage high-volume payments (bonuses, commissions, severance, equity events).
• Oversee quarter-end, year-end reconciliations, W-2s, and tax notices.
• Maintain and optimize Workday payroll configuration and automation opportunities.
• Oversee Canada payroll in partnership with PwC Global Payroll Platform (CRA compliance, T4s, ROE).
• Partner with international payroll to keep Canada integrated into global compliance.
• Develop 1–2 US team direct reports; foster accuracy and accountability.
• Collaborate with Finance, HR, Legal; support audits and controls.
• Champion AI adoption for reconciliation, anomaly detection, and reporting.

Skills

Workday Payroll

CPP Certification

People Management

US Multi-state Payroll

Equity Compensation

Cross-functional Collaboration

AI/Automation

Payroll Controls

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Workday

Job description

About the company

the company's mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems.

About the role

You'll own US and Canada payroll operations end-to-end — hands-on in Workday, close to the details — while also managing and developing 1-2 direct reports on the US team. You'll report directly to the Head of Global Payroll and be a key leader in making sure North American payroll keeps pace with the company's growth.

Strategic importance:

You'll be a key contributor to our compliance initiative — our framework for managing payroll tax obligations across US & Canada. You'll also be part of the team driving AI adoption within payroll: we're actively building out how AI tools can improve reconciliation accuracy, error detection, and reporting workflows. This isn't a future initiative — it's happening now.

ResponsibilitiesUS Payroll Operations

• Own full-cycle payroll processing for all US entities — multi-state, multi-frequency, exempt and non-exempt populations

• Process complex equity compensation including RSUs, ISOs, and NSOs, ensuring accurate tax withholding and timely reporting

• Manage high-volume payments: bonuses, commissions, severance, and equity events

• Oversee quarter-end, W-2 preparation, year-end reconciliations, and resolution of federal and state tax notices

• Maintain and continuously improve Workday payroll configuration — identify automation opportunities and lead optimization initiatives

Canada Payroll Management

• Oversee Canada payroll operations in partnership with our PwC Global Payroll Platform, developing expertise in CRA compliance, T4s, Records of Employment, and multi-province processing

• Partner with our international payroll team to ensure Canada stays integrated into our global compliance posture

• Build out Canada payroll SOPs as the function matures

Team Leadership & Development

• Manage and develop 1-2 direct reports on the US payroll team — set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and invest in their growth

• Build a team culture of accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement

• Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll issues and employee inquiries

Cross-Functional Partnership & Compliance

• Partner with Corporate Accounting on payroll journal entries, accruals, and month-end close

• Work closely with Tax, Benefits, People Systems, and Employment Legal to ensure data integrity and compliance

• Support audit readiness and internal & systems controls

AI Adoption & Process Improvement

• Champion the use of AI tools within the payroll function — identify high-value use cases for reconciliation, anomaly detection, and reporting

• Lead or support process improvement projects that reduce manual effort, increase accuracy, and improve the employee payroll experience

• Document processes, build SOPs, and contribute to the team's knowledge infrastructure

You may be a good fit if you have

• 8+ years of payroll experience, with at least 3 years in a senior or manager-level role owning US multi-state payroll end-to-end

• Hold a CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification

• Direct people management experience — you've managed at least one FTE directly, not just contractors or mentorship relationships

• Strong Workday experience — payroll module preferred; HCM with direct payroll involvement and a clear path to Workday Payroll ownership is considered

• Deep familiarity with equity compensation processing (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs) and the tax implications at both federal and state levels

• Demonstrated ability to thrive in fast-moving, ambiguous environments — you build structure where none exists and don't wait for someone to hand you a playbook

• Strong cross-functional instincts — you know how to build trust quickly, influence without authority, and communicate clearly across Finance, HR, Legal, and beyond

Strong candidates may also have

• Canada payroll experience — even introductory exposure is valued; willingness to learn and grow into the function matters more than deep expertise on day one

• Experimented with AI or automation tools to improve payroll workflows (reconciliation, error detection, reporting)

• Been part of a Workday payroll implementation or major system migration

• Worked at a company that scaled rapidly — from 500 to 2,000+ employees — and built payroll infrastructure to match

• Experience in or exposure to IPO readiness, SOX compliance, or building financial controls from scratch

The annual compensation range for this role is listed below.

For sales roles, the range provided is the role's On Target Earnings (\"OTE\") range, meaning that the range includes both the sales commissions/sales bonuses target and annual base salary for the role.

Annual Salary:

$230,000-$300,000 USD

LogisticsMinimum education: Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experienceRequired field of study:A field relevant to the role as demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experienceMinimum years of experience: Years of experience required will correlate with the internal job level requirements for the positionLocation-based hybrid policy: Currently, we expect all staff to be in one of our offices at least 25% of the time. However, some roles may require more time in our offices.Visa sponsorship:We do sponsor visas! However, we aren't able to successfully sponsor visas for every role and every candidate. But if we make you an offer, we will make every reasonable effort to get you a visa, and we retain an immigration lawyer to help with this.