US Payroll Operations

OpenAI • San Francisco, CA

20h • Hybrid

About The Position

About the Team OpenAI Finance is responsible for ensuring the organization is set up for success in pursuit of its mission. OpenAI’s Payroll team is responsible for timely and accurate processing of payroll and ensuring compliance with all statutory regulations. About the Role At OpenAI, payroll is not a back-office function — it is mission-critical infrastructure. We are seeking a seasoned US Payroll Operations expert to scale, and continuously improve the payroll and payroll-support ecosystem that serves one of the fastest-growing and most technically sophisticated organizations in the world. This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

Requirements

• 6+ years of progressive experience in payroll operations, preferably in a fast-paced or high-growth environment.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local payroll regulations, tax requirements, and standard payroll practices.
• Hands-on experience with Workday Payroll or other large HCM/payroll systems; ADP or SmartCompliance experience is a plus.
• Ability to independently manage priorities, take ownership of outcomes, and deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Clear and concise communication skills, with the ability to partner effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Nice To Haves

• CPP certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Execute end-to-end payroll processing for bi-weekly payroll cycles, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Review and validate employee data changes (new hires, terminations, compensation changes, time and attendance inputs) to ensure payroll accuracy.
• Proactively identify and resolve payroll discrepancies, working directly with employees and internal partners to troubleshoot and prevent recurrence.
• Manage employee payroll support inquiries with a high degree of professionalism, clarity, and service orientation.
• Lead day-to-day workflows with outsourced payroll/BPO partners to ensure SLAs are met, quality standards are upheld, and escalations are handled efficiently.
• Partner closely with HR and other cross-functional teams to ensure clean upstream inputs and accurate downstream reporting.
• Maintain documentation, process maps, and internal controls to support audit readiness and compliance.
• Recommend process improvements and identify automation or efficiency opportunities to drive continuous improvement in payroll operations.

What This Job Offers

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