Senior Manager, Regulatory Compliance and Licensing

Justworks•Tampa, FL

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Regulatory Compliance and Licensing provides people and operational leadership across Regulatory Compliance and Licensing Operations within Product Compliance. The role sets priorities, ownership, operating rhythms, and performance expectations; develops team capabilities; and partners with Product Compliance leadership on organizational design, resourcing, and the evolution of the functions. This position strengthens the operational foundation for regulatory obligations by establishing documented processes, controls, escalation paths, backup coverage, cross-training, business continuity planning, and knowledge management. It improves visibility into obligations, execution, risks, and issues, and develops operational measures for execution, capacity, quality, and risk. The role oversees accurate and timely licensing and regulatory work, including PEO and other applicable licensing, CPEO certification, ESAC accreditation, regulatory reporting, government filings, business registrations, regulatory examinations, and agency correspondence. It leads regulatory change management, supports control improvement and remediation, and partners with teams across the business to translate requirements into practical and sustainable processes. The role also builds and develops an accountable, collaborative team and communicates priorities, risks, and decisions to senior leadership.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive experience in regulatory compliance, licensing, tax compliance or research, compliance operations, or a related field.
5+ years of people leadership experience, including leading teams responsible for complex regulatory or compliance obligations.
Experience leading regulatory compliance programs in a highly regulated environment.
Strong regulatory judgment and ability to translate complex requirements into operational processes, controls, and clear ownership.
Experience strengthening or scaling compliance operations, including process documentation, business continuity, controls, and performance management.
Experience working with government agencies, regulators, auditors, Legal, and cross-functional business partners.
Ability to identify and manage regulatory, operational, and business continuity risks.
Strong people leadership, coaching, and performance management skills.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate risks and priorities to senior leaders.
Proven ability to influence and drive outcomes across functions.

Nice To Haves

Experience in PEO, payroll, HR technology, fintech, SaaS, or another regulated technology-enabled environment.
Experience with CPEO certification, ESAC accreditation, state PEO licensing, or similar regulatory programs.
Experience leading regulatory change management or a comparable regulatory interpretation function.
Experience strengthening compliance functions through organizational, process, or control improvements.
Familiarity with internal audit, SOX, SOC, or other control and assurance frameworks.
Experience using technology, automation, or AI to improve compliance operations.

Responsibilities

Lead Regulatory Compliance and Licensing Operations within Product Compliance, setting priorities, ownership, operating rhythms, and performance expectations.
Develop team members and partner with Product Compliance leadership on organizational design, resourcing, and the ongoing evolution of the functions.
Establish clear ownership, documented processes, controls, escalation paths, backup coverage, cross-training, business continuity planning, and knowledge management for regulatory obligations.
Improve visibility into upcoming obligations, execution status, risks, and issues requiring leadership attention.
Standardize and simplify workflows where doing so improves reliability, efficiency, and compliance outcomes.
Develop operational measures to assess execution, capacity, quality, and risk.
Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant execution of PEO and other applicable licensing, CPEO certification, ESAC accreditation, regulatory reporting, government filings, business registrations, regulatory examinations, and agency correspondence.
Ensure regulatory obligations are documented, calendared, assigned, reviewed, and escalated appropriately.
Oversee interactions with regulators, government agencies, auditors, and external partners, and ensure follow-up actions are completed.
Identify emerging regulatory and operational risks and ensure appropriate mitigation and escalation.
Monitor and interpret relevant regulatory developments, assess their impact on products and operations, and translate changes into operational, product, or control requirements.
Partner with Payroll Compliance, Legal, Product, Engineering, Operations, and other stakeholders to implement new or changing requirements.
Establish processes to track regulatory change from identification through assessment, ownership, implementation, and closure.
Partner with Product Compliance leadership, Internal Audit, Legal, Finance, Product, Security, and other stakeholders to strengthen controls and address identified risks.
Support audit and examination readiness through clear documentation, evidence, ownership, and timely follow-up.
Prioritize, assign, track, and sustain remediation actions owned by the functions.
Build trusted cross-functional partnerships and advise on regulatory requirements, operational impacts, risks, and implementation considerations.
Build and develop an engaged, high-performing team; coach team members, strengthen bench depth, and create growth opportunities.
Assess team capabilities and capacity, address performance or skill gaps, and inform hiring and resourcing decisions.
Create sustainable coverage for critical responsibilities through role design, cross-training, and succession planning.
Communicate regulatory priorities, organizational health, risks, and decisions requiring leadership attention.