Senior Payroll Specialist

EngineersOfAI; Raleigh, Northern (NC, KY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Celonis in Raleigh, NC is seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist (IC3) to own US and Canadian payroll operations across multiple states and provinces. You will oversee biweekly and semi-monthly payroll cycles, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness while addressing complex tax scenarios and regulatory requirements.

You will collaborate with HR, Finance, and external vendors, driving process improvements and automation to support scalable payroll operations in a fast-growing AI-powered

Qualifications

• Experience managing multi-state US and Canadian payroll.
• Knowledge of wage and tax regulations (FLSA, EI, CPP) across US/Canada.
• Ability to lead complex payroll projects and respond to inquiries.
• Experience with audits and year-end tax processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end payroll processing for US & Canada across multiple states and provinces.
• Process complex payments, including equity, bonuses, retro pay, terminations and off-cycle runs.
• Calculate and ensure accurate statutory deductions, garnishments, and benefit withholdings.
• Collaborate with HRIS, HR, Benefits, Finance, and external payroll vendors.
• Support internal and external audits and year-end tax filings.
• Identify opportunities to automate and scale payroll processes.

Skills

US & Canada payroll

Payroll tax compliance

Attention to detail

Analytical thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

ADP Workforce Now

UKG Payroll

Workday

Job description

Celonis is the global leader in Process Intelligence and the pioneer of Process Mining technology. As one of the world’s fastest-growing enterprise SaaS companies, we are changemakers pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. We invest heavily in advanced AI capabilities—specifically our Process Intelligence Graph—to turn data insights into immediate business action. We believe there is a massive opportunity to unlock global productivity and sustainability by placing intelligence at the core of every business process. Join our mission to make processes work for people, companies, and the planet.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Senior Payroll Specialist (IC3) to take end-to-end ownership of our multi-state US and Canadian payroll operations.

We are in the middle of an exciting AI transformation, actively embedding AI into everything we do. In this role, you will lead the accurate, compliant, and timely processing of payroll for a growing workforce while directly contributing to how we re-imagine payroll operations using modern AI and automation tools. This role exercises independent judgment while managing complex payroll operations, identifying operational risks, and recommending practical solutions that support payroll accuracy, compliance, and continuous process improvement.

As a senior individual contributor, you will act as a trusted SME for employee payroll inquiries, lead complex tax and regulatory compliance projects across US states and Canadian provinces, and help drive the future of AI-powered payroll systems and workflows.

Payroll Environment

Supports 850+ employees across three legal entities in the United States and Canada.

Processes two separate U.S. bi-weekly payrolls utilizing ADP Workforce Now (WFN).

Processes Canadian semi-monthly payroll utilizing UKG Payroll for employees located in Ontario and British Columbia.

Workday serves as the HR System of Record (HRIS) supporting employee lifecycle events, organizational changes, compensation updates, and payroll-related employee data.

Partners closely with Human Resources, Benefits, Finance, Accounting, Treasury, and other key stakeholders to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll operations.

What you will do:

• Payroll Processing & Operations (US & Canada)
• Lead end-to-end processing of semi-monthly / bi-weekly payrolls for US and Canada employees (exempt, non-exempt, hourly, and salary).
• Process complex payments, including equity (NSO/ISO/RSU tax withholding), bonuses, commissions, retro pay, terminations, severance, and off-cycle runs.
• Partner with Service Delivery to process hires, transfers, compensation adjustments, leaves of absence (FMLA, STD, LTD, Canadian EI/MAT leaves), and terminations.
• Calculate and ensure accurate processing of statutory deductions, garnishments, court orders, 401(k)/RRSP contributions, and benefit withholdings.

Compliance & Tax Management

• Ensure strict compliance with US federal, state, and local payroll tax laws, FLSA overtime regulations, and labor standards.
• Oversee Canadian payroll compliance across multiple provinces (Ontario & British Columbia), including Employment Insurance (EI), Canada Pension Plan (CPP/QPP), Employer Health Tax (EHT/CNESST), and Record of Employment (ROE) issuance.
• Partner with external payroll vendors and tax accountants to manage quarter-end and year-end processes, including US W-2/1095-C auditing and Canadian T4/T4A/RL-1 filings.
• Support internal and external payroll, benefit, and financial audits (e.g., 401(k) audits, workers' comp, tax authority notices).
• Process Improvement & Systems
• Identify opportunities to automate, streamline, and scale payroll processes between HRIS, time tracking, and accounting systems.
• Audit payroll inputs and outputs systematically to maintain a near-zero error rate.
• Reconcile payroll tax accounts and ledger entries in partnership with the Finance/Accounting team.
• Employee Experience & Collaboration
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee inquiries regarding paychecks, withholdings, tax forms, and deductions, delivering high-touch, empathetic support
• Maintain comprehensive documentation for payroll processes, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and com