Payroll Manager

Sierra • San Francisco, CA

26d • Onsite

About The Position

At Sierra, we’re creating a platform to help businesses build better, more human customer experiences with AI. We are primarily an in-person company based in San Francisco, with growing offices in Atlanta, New York, London, France, Singapore, and Japan.
We are guided by a set of values that are at the core of our actions and define our culture: Trust, Customer Obsession, Craftsmanship, Intensity, and Family. These values are the foundation of our work, and we are committed to upholding them in everything we do.
Our co-founders are Bret Taylor and Clay Bavor. Bret currently serves as Board Chair of OpenAI. Previously, he was co-CEO of Salesforce (which had acquired the company he founded, Quip) and CTO of Facebook. Bret was also one of Google's earliest product managers and co-creator of Google Maps. Before founding Sierra, Clay spent 18 years at Google, where he most recently led Google Labs. Earlier, he started and led Google’s AR/VR effort, Project Starline, and Google Lens. Before that, Clay led the product and design teams for Google Workspace.

Requirements

• 7+ years of payroll experience, ideally within high-growth, global technology companies.
• Strong understanding of U.S. multi-state payroll, as well as experience supporting international payroll (EMEA and/or APAC preferred).
• Expertise in payroll compliance, tax regulations, and year-end filings (W-2s, 1099s, bonuses, equity withholding, etc.).
• Experience working with payroll and HR systems such as ADP, Gusto, Rippling, Workday, Deel, or similar.
• Excellent analytical skills with a high level of accuracy, attention to detail, and strong documentation habits.
• Clear communicator with the ability to partner effectively with executives, Finance, Legal, and employees at all levels.
• A proactive, systems-minded approach excited to build and improve processes in a fast-paced, scaling environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting global expansion and new entity setup.
• Familiarity with equity compensation, including tax and withholding implications.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) or similar certification.
• Experience designing or managing scalable payroll audits and controls.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end global payroll operations across the U.S. and international regions, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant payroll processing.
• Build scalable payroll systems and workflows, partnering with Finance, People Ops, and Legal to automate processes, maintain data integrity, and support company growth.
• Ensure full payroll compliance with federal, state, and international regulations, including tax filings, statutory requirements, audits, and year-end reporting.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to employees and leaders, providing clear guidance on payroll, taxes, and equity, while managing third-party vendors for quality and accuracy.
• Analyze payroll data and maintain documentation, using insights to forecast costs, drive process improvements, and support global expansion and workforce planning.

Benefits

• Flexible (Unlimited) Paid Time Off
• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits for you and your family
• Life Insurance and Disability Benefits
• Retirement Plan (e.g., 401K, pension) with Sierra match
• Parental Leave
• Fertility and family building benefits through Carrot
• Lunch, as well as delicious snacks and coffee to keep you energized
• Discretionary Benefit Stipend giving people the ability to spend where it matters most
• Free alphorn lessons

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees