Staff Software Engineer, Global Payroll Calculation

Rippling (Netherlands); Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 189,000 - 315,000; Full time

Job summary

Rippling is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead the Payroll Calculation team. You will design and implement the next generation of payroll systems, ensuring correctness, auditability, and scalability across global jurisdictions.

This hands-on role combines architectural oversight with practical software leadership and cross-team collaboration. You will mentor engineers, drive architectural direction, and leverage AI to simplify payroll logic while maintaining strict accuracy and regulatory

Qualifications

• Experience designing and scaling complex production systems where correctness is critical.
• Strong foundation in architecture, data modeling, distributed systems, databases, caching.
• Track record of setting technical direction and leading initiatives across teams.
• Ability to translate platform decisions into customer outcomes.
• Excellent communication with engineers, product, and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture and technical strategy for Rippling’s payroll calculation systems.
• Write critical production code and drive high-impact technical initiatives.
• Design frameworks that are configurable, versioned, testable, and explainable.
• Leverage AI to simplify payroll logic while preserving accuracy and auditability.
• Build enterprise-scale payroll systems for complex legal structures and approvals.
• Expand native payroll across countries and jurisdictions.
• Improve distributed systems, DB performance, caching, reliability, and operability.
• Collaborate with product, payroll ops, HRIS, and other engineering teams end-to-end.
• Mentor senior engineers across payroll calculation areas.

Skills

Staff-level leadership

Distributed systems

Architecture design

Auditability

Inter-team collaboration

Strong communication

Job description

Rippling is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead the Payroll Calculation team. You will design and implement the next generation of payroll systems, ensuring correctness, auditability, and scalability across global jurisdictions.

This hands-on role combines architectural oversight with practical software leadership and cross-team collaboration. You will mentor engineers, drive architectural direction, and leverage AI to simplify payroll logic while maintaining strict accuracy and regulatory