Payroll Lead - Americas & EMEA

Canva • San Francisco, CA

13h • $169,000 - $250,000 • Remote

About The Position

This role is a fantastic opportunity to lead and shape payroll operations across the Americas and EMEA while helping build the future of Canva’s global payroll function. The primary responsibility of the Payroll Manager will be to lead a team of payroll specialists across EMEA & Americas. You’ll serve as the main point of contact and subject matter expert for payroll-related matters across the region, ensuring our Canvanauts are paid accurately, compliantly, and on time. You’ll partner closely with Finance, People, Legal, Systems, and external providers to support global expansion, drive operational excellence, and implement scalable payroll solutions that support Canva’s continued growth. This role will actively support expansion initiatives across the Americas and EMEA while playing a key role in shaping payroll processes, controls, and systems for the increasing complexities of a rapidly growing global workforce. You’ll also have the opportunity to leverage automation, AI, and emerging technologies to create a world-class payroll experience for our growing global community.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field.
• 8+ years of payroll experience managing complex, multi-country payroll operations across the Americas and EMEA.
• Experience leading and developing globally distributed payroll teams.
• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations, tax laws, and employment compliance requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience supporting global expansion initiatives, entity launches, acquisitions, or EOR transitions.
• Proven experience leading payroll transformation, automation, system implementations, or process improvement initiatives.
• Curiosity and enthusiasm for emerging technologies, including AI and automation tools, with a demonstrated ability to leverage technology to improve operational efficiency.
• Experience managing payroll vendors, global payroll providers, and external compliance partners.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret payroll data and provide meaningful business insights.
• Experience with payroll and HRIS platforms such as Workday, Paylocity, ADP GlobalView, ADP Celergo, or similar systems.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and Google Sheets; experience with large datasets, reporting, and dashboard development is highly desirable.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to delivering accurate, high-quality outcomes.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, and constantly evolving environment.
• High levels of integrity, discretion, and professionalism when handling confidential employee information and sensitive payroll data.

Nice To Haves

• CPP, GPMI, CIPP, or other payroll-related certification is highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll processing across the Americas and EMEA regions, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness.
• Serve as the go-to resource and subject matter expert for all payroll-related matters, including future payroll or Employer of Record (EOR) expansions.
• Stay up to date with payroll legislation, tax regulations, employment requirements, and compliance obligations across multiple jurisdictions.
• Ensure payroll processes remain compliant with local regulations and internal policies.
• Lead the resolution of complex payroll issues and escalations, delivering an exceptional employee experience.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing payroll team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across Finance, People, Legal, Systems, Equity, and external partners.
• Act as a trusted advisor on payroll-related matters, providing guidance and recommendations to support business decisions.
• Partner with regional and global teams to communicate and implement payroll-related changes, policies, and procedures.
• Support payroll readiness activities for new country launches, entity setups, acquisitions, and workforce expansions across the Americas and EMEA.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to assess payroll, compliance, and operational impacts of expansion initiatives.
• Lead payroll-related projects, including system implementations, upgrades, integrations, and process redesign initiatives.
• Continuously evaluate and implement best practices to support a scalable and efficient payroll function.
• Champion the use of AI-powered tools, automation, and emerging technologies to improve payroll efficiency, accuracy, compliance monitoring, reporting, and employee support.
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes, reduce manual effort, and enhance operational scalability.
• Leverage payroll data and analytics to identify trends, provide insights, and support informed decision-making.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance payroll operations, controls, reporting capabilities, and employee experience.
• Establish and maintain robust payroll controls, governance frameworks, and audit-ready processes.
• Manage relationships with payroll providers, EOR partners, tax authorities, auditors, and external advisors.
• Compile, analyse, and present payroll data and reporting to management and key stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain payroll KPIs, SLAs, and operational metrics, ensuring high levels of accuracy and service delivery.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure timely resolution of findings and recommendations.
• Be part of a fun, agile, and supportive team that continuously learns, evolves, and helps each other succeed in a hyper-growth environment.
• Contribute to building a payroll function that is innovative, scalable, and employee-centric.

Benefits

• Equity packages
• Health benefits plans
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution
• Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents & carers
• An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing, social connection, office setup & more
• Flexible leave options

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior