Payroll Operations Manager

About the role

We're looking for a Payroll Operations Manager to own and scale our global payroll function while helping build the operational foundation that supports our next stage of growth. You'll be responsible for ensuring employees, contractors, and commission recipients are paid accurately, compliantly, and on time across the countries in which we operate.

Responsibilities

• Own global payroll end-to-end, running payroll across the U.S. and international jurisdictions for employees, contractors, and commission recipients—accurate, compliant, and on time, every cycle.
• Build for scale, designing and improving the systems, automation, controls, and documentation that let payroll handle 2x, 5x, 10x the volume without proportional effort.
• Manage vendors and partners, owning relationships with payroll providers, EORs, and benefits administrators, holding them to a high bar on accuracy, compliance, and service.
• Own payroll tax compliance, coordinating domestic and international payroll tax registrations, withholding, deposits, filings, reconciliations, and tax notice resolution; partnering with providers and advisors on local requirements and cross-border employee scenarios.
• Manage complex and variable compensation, ensuring the accurate payroll treatment of commissions, bonuses, taxable benefits, relocation payments, and other cash and non-cash compensation.
• Administer key programs, running 401(k) contributions, payroll deductions, contractor payments, garnishments, benefits inputs, and other payments where administered through payroll systems.
• Partner cross-functionally, working closely with Finance, Accounting, People Ops, Tax, and Legal to keep data clean, stay compliant, and give employees a seamless experience.

Requirements

• 5+ years in payroll, accounting operations, or finance operations, including ownership of complex payroll in a high-growth environment.
• Deep domestic and international payroll experience, with meaningful exposure to international payroll, EORs, global payroll providers, and cross-border employee matters.
• Strong command of US payroll tax compliance, including federal, state, and local withholding, deposits, filings, reconciliations, tax notices, and quarter- and year-end reporting.
• International payroll tax knowledge, with working knowledge of international payroll tax and withholding concepts, and the judgment to identify issues and coordinate with local payroll providers, Tax, Legal, and external advisors.
• Fluency with enterprise payroll platforms (ADP, Workday, Rippling, or similar), including configuration, process improvement, and vendor management.
• Based in San Francisco and willing to work from the office 5 days per week.

Qualifications

Cognition is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities throughout the hiring process - please let us know if you need any.