Senior Payroll Specialist

Datadog; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits package

Stock equity (RSUs) & ESPP

Career development opportunities

Best in breed onboarding

Mentor and buddy program

Job summary

Datadog is seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist to manage payroll processing and reporting for the Americas, including coordination with PEOs and equity transactions. You will work closely with People, Finance, Equity, Benefits, and HRIS teams to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery.

You will leverage Workday and ADP, support audits, and help scale payroll operations in a fast-growing, hybrid work environment across the Americas and globally.

Qualifications

• Five+ years of payroll processing experience in the Americas (Canada, Mexico, Brazil, US).
• Experience with ADP or Workday payroll systems.
• Knowledge of payroll legislation (SOX, FLSA).
• Proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, SUMIF).
• Excellent written and verbal communication for cross-functional teams.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to leverage AI when necessary.
• Sound judgment and discretion handling confidential matters.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Responsibilities

• Manage payroll preparation and processing with data accuracy and deadlines.
• Handle government payroll tax withholdings and employer contributions.
• Manage regional payroll partners and PEO, with KPIs.
• Coordinate with APAC and EMEA for global consistency.
• Partner with Benefits team on benefits matters.
• Collaborate with HRIS for configuration and tax settings in Workday.
• Support audits with Finance and implement control improvements.
• Process equity transactions (RSU, NSO, ISO, ESPP) with Equity team.
• Improve internal controls to meet SOX and leverage Workday/AI.
• Resolve payroll discrepancies using Workday data reports.
• Respond to payroll/tax inquiries from employees.
• Maintain payroll records per retention policies.
• Distribute payroll correspondence as needed.

Skills

Payroll processing

ADP/Workday

Excel/Sheets

Communication

Attention to detail

AI usage

Regulatory knowledge

Tools

ADP

Workday

Job description

Datadog is seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist to keep up with our rapidly growing company. In this role, you will support the payrolls either directly through Workday and ADP or indirectly via a PEO (Professional Employer Organization) for the Americas (Canada, Mexico, and Brazil).. The individual will work closely with the internal team and with local payroll providers in order to securely process payroll within specified deadlines. You will also play a key role in supporting the company’s equity events by coordinating with the Equity team for stock based compensation including Restricted Stock Unit releases, Non Qualified Stock Options, and Employee Stock Purchase transactions, ensuring accurate tax withholding, regulatory compliance, and timely reporting. Most importantly, you will collaborate with our People and Finance teams to continue to scale this critical function.

At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.

What You’ll Do

• Manage the preparation and processing of payroll, ensuring data accuracy and meeting of deadlines.
• Handle all government reporting requirements for payroll taxes, withholdings and employer contributions.
• Manage regional payroll partners and PEO, including defining KPIs and standards they are required to meet.
• Liaise with payroll counterparts in APAC and EMEA to ensure global consistency of payroll processes and practices.
• Partner with the Benefits team on all matters involving benefits.
• Partner with the HRIS team for configuration and testing of new codes, tax withholding configurations, inbound/outbound integrations, and all other payroll related projects involving Workday.
• Partner with Finance stakeholders bridging the relationship between Payroll and Finance functions and support audits, identify and implement control improvements, and ensure efficient processes are rigorously followed.
• Process equity transactions inclusive of restricted stock units (RSU), non-qualified stock options (NSO), incentive stock options (ISO), disqualified dispositions and all other equity related transactions. Partner with Equity team for purposes of recording transactions related to restricted stock units, non-qualified stock options, incentive stock options and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP).
• Improve internal controls to satisfy SOX auditing requirements and simultaneously create efficiencies by leveraging Workday and AI technology.
• Resolve payroll discrepancies by running and analyzing Workday data reports.
• Collaborate with Finance stakeholders to support audits, identify and implement control improvements, and ensure efficient processes are rigorously followed.
• Respond as appropriate to payroll and tax inquiries as well as providing viable solutions to employee questions and concerns.
• Maintain payroll records according to record retention policy and employer obligations based on employment laws.
• Distribute correspondence to the employee population whenever necessary.

Who You Are

• At least five years of experience processing payroll in the Americas region. Experience required for at least Mexico, Brazil, or Canada.
• Familiarity with payroll systems. ADP and Workday are both preferred. At least one is essential.
• Knowledge of legislation relevant to payroll (e.g., Sarbanes-Oxley Act or FLSA).
• Proficiency with Excel and Google Sheets (e.g., pivot tables, VLOOKUP, SUMIF).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. The ability to communicate effectively to cross functional teams is essential.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills with a keen attention to detail.
• Ability to leverage AI when necessary.
• Sound professional judgment and discretion with handling confidential matters.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Datadog values people from all walks of life. We understand not everyone will meet all the above qualifications on day one. That’s okay. If you’re passionate about technology and want to grow your skills, we encourage you to apply.

Benefits and Growth:

• Generous and competitive benefits package
• New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)
• Continuous career development opportunities
• Product training to develop understanding of our product and space
• Best in breed onboarding
• Internal mentor and buddy program cross-departmentally
• Friendly and inclusive workplace culture

Benefits and Growth listed above may vary based on the country of your employment and the nature of your employment with Datadog.

#LI-Hybrid

Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate’s skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.

The reasonably estimated yearly salary for this role at Datadog is:

$110,000—$147,000 USD

About Datadog:

Datadog is the leading observability and security platform for the AI era, providing businesses with unified visibility across the technology stack to manage complexity at scale. It brings applications, infrastructure, data, models, and security into one place, using AI to detect and resolve issues before they impact customers. Trusted globally by Fortune 500 companies and high-growth AI leaders, Datadog enables businesses to move faster with clarity and confidence. Learn more about #DatadogLife on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Datadog Learning Center.

Equal Opportunity at Datadog:

Datadog is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our Candidate Legal Notices for your reference.

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