Payroll Manager

Moloco; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 117,000 - 161,460; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Well-being benefits

Holidays (12) per year

Flexible Time Off

Job summary

Moloco, a leader in AI advertising solutions, seeks a Payroll Manager to lead end-to-end payroll operations for the US and UK. You will ensure accurate, timely pay, maintain regulatory compliance, and partner with HR, Finance, Legal, and external providers to scale payroll in a fast-growth environment.

You will own multi-country payroll processes, stay current on US/UK regulations, and drive process improvements while upholding internal controls and audit readiness.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience leading global payroll operations.
• Experience managing multi-country payroll, US and UK cycles preferred.
• Expert-level understanding of US payroll compliance (federal/state/local tax, wage and hour, garnishments, unemployment).
• Expert-level understanding of UK statutory compliance (PAYE, NIC, HMRC reporting, SSP, SMP/SPP, pension auto-enrolment).
• Familiarity with UK year-end processes (P60, P11D, Final FPS) and IR35/off-payroll rules where applicable.
• Hands-on experience with Workday or other large HCM/payroll systems; ADP Workforce Now and CloudPay experience preferred.
• Strong Excel/data analysis skills for reconciliations, reporting, and audits.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll processing for US and UK employee populations, ensuring accuracy and timeliness of every pay cycle.
• Maintain full compliance with US federal, state, and local payroll tax and reporting requirements, and with UK HMRC regulations, statutory reporting, and pension obligations.
• Serve as the primary point of escalation for payroll discrepancies, audits, and employee inquiries in both regions.
• Lead process improvement initiatives to increase efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of payroll operations as the company grows.
• Ensure proper internal controls, SOX compliance (where applicable), and audit readiness for payroll processes in both countries.
• Stay current on evolving payroll legislation in both the US and UK.

Skills

Payroll management

US payroll

UK payroll

SOX compliance

Excel

Workday

ADP Workforce Now

CloudPay

Tools

Workday

ADP Workforce Now

CloudPay

Job description

Moloco builds some of the most powerful AI advertising solutions in the world. Our name—short for "machine learning company"—reflects our core mission: democratizing access to the advanced AI that has historically been reserved for tech giants. Led by machine learning pioneers who built some of the most successful ad systems at Google, including YouTube's monetization engine and key search advertising technologies, we're transforming how businesses grow and compete in the digital economy.

Built with AI from day one, Moloco’s planet-scale machine learning platform powers a suite of solutions for advertising growth and monetization. Moloco Ads is an AI-powered platform that delivers real business outcomes for mobile app marketers through performance-based user acquisition. Moloco Commerce Media enables retailers and marketplaces to build revenue-generating ad businesses that balance user experience and advertiser performance.

Moloco is headquartered in Silicon Valley, with offices in Seattle, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Beijing, Singapore, Gurgaon, Tokyo, Shanghai, London, Tel Aviv, and Berlin.

Moloco is a truly rewarding place to work and in an exciting period of growth, which you could be a part of. Join us today and apply now!

The Impact You’ll Be Contributing to Moloco:

The Payroll Manager will lead end-to-end payroll operations across the United States and United Kingdom, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely pay for all employees. This role partners closely with HR, Finance, Legal, and external providers to scale payroll operations in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

The Opportunity:

• Own end-to-end payroll processing for US and UK employee populations, ensuring accuracy and timeliness of every pay cycle.
• Maintain full compliance with US federal, state, and local payroll tax and reporting requirements, and with UK HMRC regulations, statutory reporting, and pension obligations.
• Serve as the primary point of escalation for payroll discrepancies, audits, and employee inquiries in both regions.
• Lead process improvement initiatives to increase efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of payroll operations as the company grows.
• Ensure proper internal controls, SOX compliance (where applicable), and audit readiness for payroll processes
  in both countries.
• Stay current on evolving payroll legislation in both the US and UK.

How Do I Know if the Role is Right For Me?

• 6+ years of experience leading global payroll operations, preferably in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-country payroll, with direct exposure to both US and UK payroll cycles strongly preferred.
• Expert-level understanding of US federal, state, and local payroll compliance (e.g., multi-state tax withholding, wage and hour law, garnishments, unemployment insurance).
• Expert-level understanding of UK statutory compliance, including PAYE, National Insurance Contributions (NIC), HMRC reporting, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), Statutory Maternity/Paternity Pay (SMP/SPP), and pension auto-enrolment requirements.
• Familiarity with UK year-end processes (P60, P11D, Final FPS) and IR35/off-payroll working rules where applicable.
• Hands‑on experience with Workday or other large HCM/payroll systems; ADP Workforce Now and CloudPay experience preferred.
• Strong Excel/data analysis skills for reconciliations, reporting, and audits.

Core Competencies

• Clear, concise communicator able to translate complex payroll regulations into plain‑language guidance for HR, Finance, and employees across countries and time zones.
• Comfortable managing external vendor and advisor relationships (e.g., HMRC, IRS, payroll bureaus, benefits providers) in both regions. Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with sound judgment resolving complex, ambiguous, or sensitive payroll issues.
• Proactively identifies compliance risks and recommends practical solutions.
• Detail‑oriented with a high level of accuracy, balanced with the ability to manage competing deadlines across multiple payroll cycles.
• High level of integrity and discretion when handling confidential compensation and personal data.
• Adaptable and resilient in a fast‑paced, evolving environment with shifting priorities; builds trust with cross‑functional partners as a payroll subject‑matter expert.

U.S.-based employees have access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, and well‑being benefits and perks. U.S.-based employees also receive up to 12 scheduled paid holidays per calendar year and one Thrive Day off per quarter. Additionally, all employees have Flexible Time Off (FTO).

The successful candidate may be eligible for a bonus and equity awards. Eligibility and amounts are determined by performance and the terms of the applicable plans.

The location for this role is listed above. For base pay range purposes, location-based compensation is grouped into the following regions. Your region is determined by your assigned work location.

• Region C: All other U.S. locations

Salary Ranges:

Region A:

$137,600 - $189,888 USD

Region B:

$123,800 - $170,844 USD

Region C:

$117,000 - $161,460 USD

Moloco Thrive: Benefits and Well-Being:

• Lead with Humility: Everyone’s voice is respected, valued, and heard. With humility, we become more open and accessible to each other. We win, lose, and learn together. Accountability and feedback are essential to our success.
• Uncapped Growth Mindset: We see all situations as opportunities to learn, grow, and improve as individuals and as an organization. We seek diverse perspectives, encourage curiosity, and promote experimentation to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
• Create Real Value: We pursue the most impactful opportunities with rigor and integrity. We take intelligent risks and make disciplined trade-offs to maintain deep focus. We help our customers win by delivering durable value.
• Go Further Together: We’re one team working towards one mission and vision. We collaborate proactively and inclusively, involving the right people at the right time and in the right way. We strive to create a more equitable workplace. We won’t let each other fail.

Creating a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusion and belonging is core to our existence. To reach our goals, diversity of talent and thought is a critical component of how we operate as an organization. Our workforce is our superpower, and we know that fostering a culture of inclusion, authenticity, and belonging gives us the greatest opportunity to achieve our vision to become the scaling engine for the Internet economy.

Moloco is an equal opportunity employer. We highly value diversity in our current and future employees and do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex and gender, gender expression and identity, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.