Payroll Manager

Steno

$85K — $100K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Finance & Insurance
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of progressive payroll experience with multi-state payroll management.
  • Hands-on experience with Rippling HCM software.
  • Strong knowledge of payroll compliance across all US states, particularly California, New York, Texas, and Florida.
  • Demonstrated cross-functional collaboration experience, especially between HR and Finance.
  • Solid understanding of payroll accounting and month-end closing processes.
  • Experience with processing commission and bonus payouts alongside business teams.
  • Detail-oriented and capable of managing competing deadlines.

Responsibilities

  • Own and execute full payroll cycle for US and international employees, ensuring compliance.
  • Administer payroll operations in Rippling HCM, managing pay runs and employee data.
  • Act as liaison between People and Finance, ensuring payroll information flows accurately.
  • Collaborate with department leaders on commission and bonus payouts, aligning with policy.
  • Lead payroll compliance across states and federal requirements, understanding wage laws.
  • Serve as subject matter expert on multi-state payroll compliance.
  • Manage year-end processes, including W-2 preparation and audits.
  • Resolve payroll inquiries from employees and managers efficiently.
  • Improve payroll policies and identify process automation opportunities.
  • Partner with Finance for month-end payroll expense reconciliation and forecasting.

Benefits

  • Generous health, vision, and dental coverage for employees and dependents.
  • Wellness and mental health benefits available for employees and their families.
  • Flexible paid time off for work-life balance.
  • Equity options reflecting company success and team contribution.
  • Access to a 401k plan through Guideline.
  • Monthly stipend for home office setup, internet, and phone costs.
Full Job Description
Payroll Manager

Full-Time, Remote / Salary, Exempt / Includes Benefits, PTO, Flexible Schedule, Equity

In this role, you will own end-to-end payroll operations for our 500+ person, multi-state workforce, serving as the trusted bridge between Finance and the People team. You'll manage full-cycle payroll processing, multi-state compliance, and vendor relationships, while partnering with Finance on month-end reporting and headcount planning. We're looking for someone with hands-on Rippling HCM experience and deep multi-state payroll compliance knowledge who's comfortable operating as a trusted liaison across teams.

On a regular basis you will

  • Own and execute the full payroll cycle for all US and international employees and contractors, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with federal, state, and local requirements.
  • Administer and maintain payroll operations within Rippling HCM, including pay runs, tax setup, deductions, and employee data integrity.
  • Act as the primary liaison between the People and Finance teams, ensuring payroll-related information (new hires, terminations, pay changes, leaves, commission/bonus data) flows accurately with no gaps or delays.
  • Partner with department and business unit leaders to process commission and bonus payouts, ensuring calculations, approvals, and timing align with plan documents and policy.
  • Lead payroll compliance across all US states and applicable federal requirements, including wage and hour law, tax and unemployment insurance obligations, unclaimed property, and benefits-related payroll reporting.
  • Serve as subject matter expert on multi-state payroll compliance, with particular depth in California, New York, Texas, and Florida.
  • Manage year-end payroll processes, including W-2 preparation, tax filings, and audits.
  • Respond to payroll-related inquiries from employees and managers, resolving discrepancies quickly and professionally.
  • Maintain and improve payroll policies, procedures, and internal controls; identify opportunities to automate or streamline processes.
  • Partner with Finance to explain and reconcile payroll expense changes at month-end close, providing variance context and supporting documentation.
  • Work with the Strategic Finance team on headcount planning, providing payroll cost data, forecasts, and scenario modeling as needed.
  • Support internal and external audits related to payroll, tax, and compliance.
  • Support other ad hoc payroll-related projects as needed.


You're gonna crush it if:

  • You have 5+ years of progressive payroll experience, including full ownership of multi-state payroll cycles.
  • You have hands-on experience with Rippling HCM.
  • You have strong working knowledge of payroll compliance requirements across all US states; direct experience in California, New York, Texas, and/or Florida is a plus.
  • You have experience working cross-functionally between People/HR and Finance teams, with excellent stakeholder communication skills.
  • You have a solid understanding of payroll accounting concepts, including how payroll expenses flow into month-end close.
  • You have demonstrated experience processing commission and bonus payouts in partnership with cross-functional business teams.
  • You're highly detail-oriented, organized, and comfortable managing competing deadlines.
  • Experience supporting headcount planning or workforce cost forecasting with a Strategic Finance/FP&A team, prior experience in a high-growth or remote-first organization, and/or a CPP certification are all a plus.


Compensation & Benefits

  • Salary - $85,000 - $100,000
  • Health, Vision, & Dental Benefits - generous company-sponsored health plans for both employees and dependents, including comprehensive vision & dental.
  • Wellness/Mental Health - shared benefits to be used among employees and families.
  • Flexible Paid Time Off - allowing employees to find balance in their lives.
  • Options of Equity - we know our success is nothing without our team.
  • Access to a 401k through Guideline.
  • A home office setup and a monthly stipend to offset internet and phone costs.


Application Information

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