Managed Payroll Specialist

Rippling, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Rippling is expanding its US Managed Payroll offering, seeking a Senior Managed Payroll Specialist to own payroll delivery for a portfolio of complex US customers. You will drive accuracy, auditability, and proactive communication across the end-to-end payroll cycle in a fast-moving, cross-functional environment.

You will mentor specialists, refine processes, and partner with Product, Engineering, and Sales to turn customer insights into scalable improvements.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of US managed payroll experience, multi-client/multi-state preferred.
• Strong knowledge of federal/state payroll regulations and tax concepts.
• Ability to manage client-facing relationships with clear, proactive communication.
• Comfort in a fast-moving environment and contributing to playbooks.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted workflows and automation tools.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll cycle for a portfolio of complex US customers, including data collection and final accuracy checks.
• Conduct pre-payroll reviews to identify unapproved timecards, onboarding gaps, and changes.
• Serve as primary contact for assigned accounts with proactive, clear updates during pay runs.
• Manage high-risk payroll escalations with sound judgment and customer empathy.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Implementation, Support, and Sales to surface needs and document edge cases.
• Refine SOPs, identify tooling needs, and drive automated, scalable workflows.
• Mentor specialists and contribute to training while upholding quality and compliance.

Skills

Payroll experience

Client relationship management

Regulatory knowledge

Ambiguity tolerance

AI automation familiarity

Education

FPC or CPP certification

Tools

Google Workspace

Microsoft Excel

Salesforce

Jira

Job description

Rippling gives businesses one place to run HR, IT, and Finance. It brings together all of the workforce systems that are normally scattered across a company, like payroll, expenses, benefits, and computers. For the first time ever, you can manage and automate every part of the employee lifecycle in a single system.

Take onboarding, for example. With Rippling, you can hire a new employee anywhere in the world and set up their payroll, corporate card, computer, benefits, and even third-party apps like Slack and Microsoft 365—all within 90 seconds.

Based in San Francisco, CA, Rippling has raised $1.4B+ from the world’s top investors—including Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, Sequoia, Greenoaks, and Bedrock—and was named one of America's best startup employers by Forbes.

We prioritize candidate safety. Please be aware that all official communication will only be sent from @ Rippling.com addresses.

About the role

Rippling is expanding its US Managed Payroll offering, and we’re looking for a Senior Managed Payroll Specialist to join the team at a pivotal stage. In this client-facing role, you’ll own payroll delivery for a portfolio of complex US customers while helping shape the systems, processes, and feedback loops that make the service better over time.

In this role, you’ll act as a trusted payroll expert and relationship owner, managing everything from routine pay runs to nuanced edge cases with accuracy, auditability, and clear communication. You’ll thrive in a fast-moving service environment where priorities shift, customer needs vary, and independent judgment matters.

As a senior member of the team, you’ll also raise the bar for how Managed Payroll operates. You’ll own escalations, mentor specialists, identify recurring issues, improve processes and tooling, and partner closely with cross-functional teams to turn customer insights into better systems and service delivery.

This is a US-remote based role - we are not hiring in San Francisco Bay Area or New York City Metro.

What you will do

• Own the end-to-end payroll cycle for a portfolio of complex US customers, including data collection, pre-validation, entry, approval coordination, and final accuracy checks.
• Conduct proactive pre-payroll reviews to identify unapproved timecards, onboarding gaps, pending time off, variable pay changes, and other issues that could delay or impact payroll.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned customer accounts, communicating clearly and proactively throughout the pay run cycle.
• Manage nuanced or high-risk payroll escalations, serving as a next-level expert and ensuring issues are resolved with strong judgment and customer empathy.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Implementation, Customer Support, and Sales to surface customer needs, document edge cases, support implementations, and assess fit for Managed Payroll.
• Contribute to the evolution of the Managed Payroll program by refining SOPs, identifying tooling needs, strengthening automation and AI-assisted workflows, and driving scalable process improvements.
• Mentor specialists, contribute to training materials, and uphold high standards for quality, compliance, auditability, and service delivery across the team.

What you will need

• 4+ years of hands-on US managed payroll experience, ideally covering multi-client and multi-state payroll processing
• Strong working knowledge of federal and state payroll regulations, and US payroll concepts including tax withholding, garnishments, benefits deductions, and leave compliance
• Demonstrated ability to manage client-facing relationships with clear, proactive, and professional communication
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving, evolving environment — you embrace ambiguity, identify interim solutions when needed, and contribute to the playbook as you go
• Genuine comfort with technology; experience with or openness to AI-assisted workflows and automation tools
• Proficiency in Google Workspace or Microsoft Excel; experience with Salesforce or Jira is a plus
• Highly desirable: experience in a SaaS or HRIS environment, and/or FPC or CPP certification

Additional Information

Rippling is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected characteristics, Rippling is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities who need assistance during the hiring process. To request a reasonable accommodation, please email [e-mail]

This role will receive a competitive salary + benefits + bonus. The salary for US-based employees will be aligned with one of the ranges below based on location; see which tier applies to your location here .

A variety of factors are considered when determining compensation, including a candidate’s professional background, experience, and location. As a result, final offer amounts may vary from the ranges listed below. We’re hiring Managed Payroll Specialists across multiple levels, and final leveling and compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, and overall fit for the role.

The pay range for this role is:

65,000 - 95,000 USD per year (US Tier 2)

60,000 - 90,000 USD per year (US Tier 3)