OpenAI

US Payroll Operations

OpenAI • $90K — $130K *
San Francisco, CA 94112In-Person
Business Services
5 - 7 years of experience
6 days ago
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years in payroll operations, ideally in a high-growth environment
  • In-depth knowledge of U.S. payroll regulations, including multi-state taxation
  • Hands-on experience with Workday Payroll; familiarity with ADP SmartCompliance is a plus
  • Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines
  • Strong analytical skills with attention to detail
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities
  • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, HR or related field; CPP certification preferred

Responsibilities

  • Process biweekly payrolls for over 5,000 employees with compliance assurance
  • Support payroll tasks for mergers and acquisitions, including final processing and compliance tasks
  • Lead day-to-day workflow with payroll partners, ensuring SLA adherence and quality improvement
  • Provide exceptional employee support by resolving payroll inquiries efficiently
  • Drive process improvements through automation and system optimization
  • Develop and maintain documentation, SOPs, and process maps for scalability
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure accurate payroll processes
  • Create resources and tools to enhance employee understanding and reduce inquiries

Benefits

  • Relocation assistance for new employees
  • Hybrid work model with 3 days in the office per week
Full Job Description
About the Role

At OpenAI, payroll is not a back-office function - it is mission-critical infrastructure. We are seeking a seasoned US Payroll Operations expert to scale, and continuously improve the payroll and payroll-support ecosystem that serves one of the fastest-growing and most technically sophisticated organizations in the world.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

In this role, you will:
  • Process biweekly payrolls for 5,000+ US employees, ensuring accurate and timely payroll delivery for exempt and non-exempt populations while maintaining compliance across federal, state and local regulations.
  • Support payroll activities related to mergers & acquisitions, including final payroll processing, tax account closures, W-2 reporting, payroll record retention, compliance requirements and payroll integration or wind-down activities.
  • Lead day-to-day workflows with outsourced payroll/BPO partners to ensure SLAs are met, quality standards are upheld and identify opportunities to improve quality, efficiency and controls.
  • Deliver exceptional employee support by resolving payroll inquiries with a strong service mindset, ensuring clear communication, timely resolution and adherence to established SLAs.
  • Drive continuous process improvement through automation, AI-enabled solutions, workflow redesign and system optimization, reducing manual effort while enhancing accuracy, compliance and employee experiences.
  • Create and maintain process documentation, SOPs and process maps to support scalable payroll operations and audit readiness.
  • Partner closely with HR, Benefits and other cross-functional teams to ensure clean upstream inputs and accurate downstream reporting.
  • Create and maintain employee-facing payroll resources, knowledge base articles and self-service tools that improve transparency, reduce inquiry volume and improve the employee experience.


You might thrive in this role if you have:
  • 7+ years of progressive experience in payroll operations, preferably in a fast-paced or high-growth environment.
  • Strong working knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local payroll regulations, including employee mobility, multi-state taxation and standard payroll practices.
  • Hands-on experience with Workday Payroll required. ADP SmartCompliance experience is a plus.
  • Ability to independently manage multiple competing priorities, take ownership of outcomes, and deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a high attention to detail.
  • Clear and concise communication skills, with the ability to partner effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. CPP certification is strongly preferred.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory consisting of the for-profit corporation OpenAI LP and its parent company, the non-profit OpenAI Inc. The company was founded in 2015 by a group of technology leaders, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, and John Schulman. OpenAI's mission is to develop and promote friendly AI for the betterment of humanity. The company has developed a number of cutting-edge AI technologies, including GPT-3, a language processing system that can generate human-like text. OpenAI has received funding from a number of high-profile investors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
Learn more about OpenAI
Size
100 employees
Industry
Information Technology
Founded
2015
* Ladders Estimates

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