Sr. Manager, Global Payroll

Sr. Manager, Global Payroll

Eightfold AI is the industry's first Talent Intelligence Platform that transforms how you hire, retain, and grow a diverse workforce.

Eightfold is a global leader in an AI-native enterprise talent platform, trusted by the world's largest & most respected Fortune 500 organizations. Our platform is built from the ground up, operating at scale across Azure and AWS, deployed in multiple regions globally, including IL4-compliant environments for the US Government, supporting users in 100+ countries and 30+ languages. Today, Eightfold is at the forefront of agentic AI, delivering intelligent agents that actively drive outcomes across hiring and talent workflows, while much of the industry is still experimenting with prototypes. Backed by over $410M in funding and valued at $2B+, we are defining the next era of agentic talent systems. What sets Eightfold apart is not just the technology & our mission, but the team behind it. We are a deeply technical, execution-driven organization that values ownership, collaboration, and high standards. Our engineers, product leaders, and go-to-market teams work closely together — in person and across functions — to build systems that scale in the real world. If you're excited to work on hard problems, move with urgency, raise the bar every day, and help build agentic systems that transform how the world works, Eightfold is the place to do it.

About the Role As Sr. Manager, Global Payroll, you will lead Eightfold's global payroll function, owning strategy, operations, compliance, and the team that powers it all. You'll manage a team while partnering closely with Finance, HR, Legal, and senior leadership to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery across all international entities. This is a leadership role for someone who thrives at the intersection of operational excellence, people development, and global scale.

Team Leadership & Development

• Currently oversee one payroll specialist; as the company scales globally, you'll build and mentor the payroll team structure, fostering a high-performance and collaborative culture
• Set clear goals, provide ongoing coaching, and conduct performance reviews to support team growth and accountability
• Lead resolution of complex payroll issues, including hands-on investigation of reconciliation variances, tax discrepancies, and month-end/year-end close exceptions. You'll regularly jump in alongside the team to troubleshoot system issues, validate data accuracy, and mentor through examples

Global Payroll Operations

• Oversee end-to-end payroll processing across the US, India, and other international entities, ensuring accuracy and on-time delivery every cycle
• Manage relationships with all payroll vendors, in-country partners, and third-party processors; hold partners accountable to SLAs
• Partner with HR and Finance to manage payroll-impacting events including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, and equity transactions

Payroll Accounting & Compliance

• Lead month-end payroll accounting close, including GL account reconciliation (payroll liability accounts, tax accounts, cash disbursement)
• Validate payroll accrual calculations and ensure proper period cutoff
• Partner with technical team on audit support: prepare schedules and coordinate with auditors
• Review and approve gross-to-net calculations, tax withholding accuracy, and benefit deductions on a sample basis each cycle
• Ensure compliance with local tax, labor, and statutory regulations across all jurisdictions; proactively monitor regulatory changes and implement required updates
• Develop and maintain payroll policies, process documentation, and internal controls in support of SOX compliance

Strategy & Systems

• Define and execute the roadmap for payroll operations, driving automation, scalability, and process improvements
• Evaluate, implement, and optimize payroll technology solutions to support the company's growth trajectory
• Collaborate cross-functionally on equity administration (RSUs, stock options), benefits reconciliation, and workforce planning

Stakeholder Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to HR, Finance, and Legal leadership on all payroll-related matters
• Present payroll metrics, trends, and risk areas to senior stakeholders with clarity and confidence
• Champion a positive employee experience by ensuring payroll inquiries are handled with professionalism and care

Qualifications

• 10+ years of payroll experience, with at least 4+ years managing payroll operations.
• 2+ years of experience in a people management role.
• Proven track record of building and developing high-performing teams in a fast-paced environment
• Deep expertise in US federal and state payroll tax requirements; experience with India payroll strongly preferred
• Hands-on experience with enterprise payroll systems such as Workday, ADP, Paylocity, or comparable platforms
• Hands-on experience with payroll accounting, GL reconciliation, and internal controls
• Experience operating in a high-growth technology or SaaS company
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities across multiple geographies and time zones
• Executive-level communication skills — able to translate complex payroll matters for non-payroll audiences

Must Haves

• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification
• Experience with equity payroll and equity administration platforms (Carta, Morgan Stanley Shareworks)
• Familiarity with SOX compliance and payroll-related audit processes
• Experience scaling payroll operations during periods of rapid international expansion

We are a team of self-starters who excel in their fields. We believe in giving you responsibility, not a task. We want you to have ownership and pride in your work and see your work's positive impact on your colleagues, our customers, and the world. We believe in providing transparency and support so you can do the best work of your career. Hybrid Work @ Eightfold: At Eightfold, we believe our best work happens when we collaborate closely, learn from one another, and build together. We follow a hybrid work model that combines flexibility with a strong emphasis on in-person collaboration to foster innovation, culture, and rapid execution. Employees based near our Santa Clara, London, Bangalore, and Noida offices are expected to work from the office three days per week, as we believe regular in-person engagement is essential to how we build high-impact products and strong teams. Eightfold.ai provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran or disability status. Experience our comprehensive benefits with family medical, vision and dental coverage, a competitive base salary, and eligibility for equity awards and discretionary bonuses or commissions. *Please note this role is open to all US locations and categorized as remote or hybrid depending on location. The base salary ranges below are provided for pay transparency. Base pay is only one piece of our total compensation package as this role may be eligible for bonuses and equity awards. Compensation varies depending on a number of factors including qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Base Salary Range: $125,000 to $165,000