Senior Associate, Payroll

Bridgewater Associates•Westport, CT

6d•$165,000 - $250,000•Onsite

About The Position

Bridgewater Associates is seeking a high-agency operator to serve as the right hand to our Director, Payroll and help reshape how payroll runs at one of the world’s premier asset management firms. The role has two aims: provide real leverage to payroll leadership and reduce key-person risk, and partner with the Director to redesign the payroll operating model through better process, technology, and controls. Strong operational, analytical, and cross-functional skills matter most — payroll or payroll-tax depth is a plus, and we will invest in building it for the right person. Because the team is a daily resource for employees’ pay questions, a service mindset and clear communication matter as much as technical rigor.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, Business, or a related field
5+ years in operations, HR, finance operations, or a related function, with a track record of running processes well
Demonstrated experience improving processes, and ideally leading change or transformation efforts
Strong analytical skills and advanced Excel, comfortable working with large data sets and complex scenarios
Strong communication and the ability to collaborate and build trust across teams and partners
A service mindset and the ability to explain complex pay and tax topics clearly to non-specialists.
High ownership, integrity, discretion, and attention to detail

Nice To Haves

payroll or payroll-tax depth is a plus

Responsibilities

Run and review end-to-end bi-weekly payroll, including data validation, reconciliation, and balancing
Analyze payroll reports to identify discrepancies, trends, and improvement opportunities
Work with internal teams and outsourced partners to resolve payroll and withholding issues
Review complex transactions such as off-cycle payments, supplemental wages, and executive compensation items
Support administration of complex compensation programs (deferred comp, bonuses, equity, fringe benefits, imputed income), coordinating with Finance, HR, Tax, and vendors
Be a responsive, service-minded resource for employee questions about pay, withholding, and multi-state wage allocation.
Help build and roll out employee-facing pay communications, including standardized pay statements that supplement the W-2 and explain how different types of pay are allocated and taxed.
Turn recurring questions into clearer documentation, FAQs, and self-service tools that reduce inquiry volume over time.
Serve as a key resource for federal, state, and local payroll tax compliance, including interactions with tax agencies (notices, amendments, registrations, and filings)
Maintain expertise in multi-state payroll tax regulations, with demonstrated knowledge of New York and Connecticut withholding, reciprocity, and wage sourcing rules
Ensure accurate withholding, reporting, and remittance of payroll taxes across jurisdictions, including year-end activities such as W-2 review and quarter/year-end balancing
Contribute to the development, documentation, and maintenance of payroll tax procedures and controls
Manage state tax wage allocation for multi-jurisdictional employees, analyzing work location and residency scenarios to ensure compliant withholding and reporting
Partner with the Director to design the future-state payroll operating model, including building an enhanced in-house capability
Actively drive process reengineering — mapping workflows, removing manual steps, and redesigning around scalable technology
Help shape and execute the payroll technology roadmap with the Technology team, including automation and reporting
Build documentation and controls that reduce key-person dependency and support a leaner operating model
Support system enhancements, internal audits, and compliance reviews
Act as a fully cross-trained partner to the Director, Payroll, stepping in to keep payroll running without interruption
Collaborate across Tax, Technology, HR, Treasury, Accounting and the business to operationalize new compensation programs, surface risks and drive shared improvements
Serve as an escalation point for complex payroll and withholding matters, coordinating stakeholders to resolution