Senior Manager, Regulatory Compliance and Licensing

Justworks•Tampa, FL

21h•$137,000 - $177,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Regulatory Compliance and Licensing provides people and operational leadership for Regulatory Compliance and Licensing Operations within Product Compliance at Justworks. The role sets priorities, ownership, operating rhythms, and performance expectations; develops team members; and partners with Product Compliance leadership on organizational design, resourcing, and the evolution of the functions. The position strengthens the operating foundation for regulatory obligations by establishing documented processes, controls, escalation paths, backup coverage, continuity planning, knowledge management, and meaningful operational measures. It oversees execution and readiness for obligations such as PEO and other applicable licensing, CPEO certification, ESAC accreditation, regulatory reporting, government filings, business registrations, examinations, and agency correspondence. The role also leads regulatory change management, translating developments into operational, product, and control requirements in partnership with Payroll Compliance, Legal, Product, Engineering, Operations, and other teams. It works across the business to strengthen controls, support audit and examination readiness, manage remediation, identify and mitigate risks, and provide senior leaders with clear updates on priorities, organizational health, risks, and decisions. The manager builds and develops a high-performing team through coaching, capacity planning, cross-training, role design, and succession planning.

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 communicating risks and priorities to senior leaders.
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 evolution of the functions.
Establish documented processes, controls, escalation paths, backup coverage, business continuity planning, and knowledge management for regulatory obligations.
Improve visibility into obligations, execution status, risks, issues, capacity, quality, and compliance outcomes through effective operational measures.
Oversee timely and accurate execution of licensing, certification, accreditation, regulatory reporting, government filing, business registration, examination, and agency correspondence obligations.
Ensure obligations are documented, calendared, assigned, reviewed, and escalated appropriately.
Oversee interactions with regulators, government agencies, auditors, and external partners, ensuring follow-up actions are completed.
Monitor and interpret regulatory developments, assess their impact on products and operations, and translate changes into clear 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 risks.
Support audit and examination readiness through documentation, evidence, clear 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 an engaged, high-performing team; coach and develop team members; address performance or skill gaps; and inform hiring and resourcing decisions.
Create sustainable coverage across critical responsibilities through role design, cross-training, and succession planning.
Communicate regulatory priorities, organizational health, risks, and decisions requiring leadership attention to senior leaders.