Senior Manager, Payroll San Francisco

Asana, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 223,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mental health benefits

Career coaching

Family building benefits

Retirement plans

Office dining options

Job summary

Asana, Inc. is seeking a strategic Senior Manager, Payroll to lead our US and Canada payroll function from our San Francisco office with an office-centric hybrid schedule.

You will act as the payroll subject matter expert, ensure payroll continuity and compliance, strengthen controls and processes, mentor the payroll team, and partner with Accounting, HR, Tax, Legal and external providers during growth and international expansion.

Qualifications

• Experience leading payroll for US/Canada in a public company or equivalent.
• Strong knowledge of payroll accounting, SOX controls, and internal controls.
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally with Finance, HR, Tax and Legal.

Responsibilities

• Lead the accurate processing of multi-state US and Canada payrolls while ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Act as the payroll subject matter expert and drive payroll process improvements.
• Strengthen payroll controls, SOX compliance, and audit readiness.
• Partner with Accounting on reconciliations, month-end close, and accruals.
• Mentor and develop the payroll team through effective communication.

Skills

Payroll leadership

Multi-state US & Canada payroll

SOX compliance

Payroll accounting

Internal controls

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Business

CPP certification (bonus)

Tools

Workday

ADP

NetSuite

Job description

Our Finance team tracks and seeks to understand the factors driving our growth and success. We help our entire organization achieve our operational and financial goals while embodying our company values. We ensure our objectives are feasible and work closely with all teams to ensure they have the resources they need to achieve our ambitious mission enabling all teams to work together effortlessly. We are looking for a strategic and hands‑on Senior Manager, Payroll to lead our US and Canada payroll function. In this role, you will serve as Asana's payroll subject matter expert, ensuring payroll continuity, compliance, and scalable processes during an exciting period of growth while empowering and developing your team.

This role is based in our San Francisco office with an office-centric hybrid schedule. The standard in‑office days are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Most Asanas have the option to work from home on Wednesdays. Working from home on Fridays depends on the type of work you do and the teams with which you partner. If you're interviewing for this role, your recruiter will share more about the in‑office requirements.

What you’ll achieve

• Lead the accurate and timely processing of multi‑state US and Canada payrolls while ensuring compliance with federal, state, local, and provincial regulations.
• Serve as Asana's primary subject matter expert and resource for complex payroll matters.
• Maintain and strengthen payroll processes, automation, SOX controls, payroll policies, and internal audit readiness.
• Keep comprehensive payroll documentation, procedures, and internal controls current and audit‑ready.
• Partner closely with Accounting on payroll reconciliations, accruals, journal entries, and month‑end close activities.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with HR, Finance, Tax, Legal, and external payroll providers to support seamless operations, M&A activities, and international expansion.
• Manage payroll vendors and external service relationships to maintain operational excellence.
• Empower, mentor, and develop the payroll team through open, compassionate communication and proactive knowledge sharing.

About you

• Demonstrates curiosity about AI tools and emerging technologies, with a willingness to learn and leverage them to enhance productivity, collaboration, or decision‑making.
• Progressive leadership experience in payroll management, including direct people management and team development.
• Deep experience leading payroll operations and SOX compliance within a publicly traded company environment.
• Deep functional expertise in multi‑state US and Canada payroll regulations, payroll accounting, and internal controls.
• Proven track record of operating strategically while remaining close to day‑to‑day execution.
• Exceptional communication skills with a demonstrated ability to build cross‑functional trust and resolve conflict constructively.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field.
• Experience with enterprise systems such as Workday, ADP, or NetSuite, or a CPP certification is a plus.

At Asana, we're committed to building teams that include a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, as this is critical to helping us achieve our mission. If you're interested in this role and don't meet every listed requirement, we still encourage you to apply.

What we’ll offer

Our comprehensive compensation package plays a big part in how we recognize you for the impact you have on our path to achieving our mission. We believe that compensation should be reflective of the value you create relative to the market value of your role. To ensure pay is fair and not impacted by biases, we're committed to looking at market value which is why we check ourselves and conduct a yearly pay equity audit.

For this role, the estimated base salary range is between $190,000 - $223,000. The actual base salary will vary based on various factors, including market and individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process. The listed range above is a guideline, and the base salary range for this role may be modified.

In addition to base salary, your compensation package may include additional components such as equity, sales incentive pay (for most sales roles), and benefits. If you're interviewing for this role, speak with your recruiter to learn more about the total compensation and benefits for this role.

We strive to provide equitable and competitive benefits package that support our employees worldwide and include:

• Mental health, wellness & fitness benefits
• Career coaching & support
• Inclusive family building benefits
• Long‑term savings or retirement plans
• In‑office culinary options to cater to your dietary preferences

These are just some of the benefits we offer, and benefits may vary based on role, country, and local regulations. If you're interviewing for this role, speak with your recruiter to learn more about the total compensation and benefits for this role.

#LI-Hybrid

About us

Asana is a leading platform for human + AI collaboration. Millions of teams around the world rely on Asana to achieve their most important goals, faster. Asana has been named to Fortune's Best Workplaces for 7+ years and recognized by Fast Company, Forbes, and Gartner for excellence in workplace culture and innovation. We offer an exceptional office‑centric culture while adopting the best elements of hybrid models to ensure that every one of our global team members can work together effortlessly. With 13+ offices all over the world, we are always looking for individuals who care about building technology that drives positive change in the world and a culture where everyone feels that they belong.

We believe in supporting people to do their best work and thrive. Our goal is to ensure that Asana upholds an environment where all people feel that they are respected and valued, whether they are applying for an open position or working at the company. We provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by law.