Sr. Manager, Payroll

GAQ127R57

While candidates in the listed location(s) are encouraged for this role, candidates in other locations will be considered.

Databricks is looking for a Senior Manager, Payroll to own end-to-end payroll delivery for the United States and Canada. This is a hands-on leadership role — you will run the operations, lead the team, own the compliance, and be the subject matter expert the business turns to when it matters.

You will sit within the Global Payroll function, reporting directly to the Senior Director, Head of Global Payroll, and will be an active member of the Payroll Leadership Team — contributing to global strategy, cross-regional alignment, and function-wide initiatives beyond your direct remit.

You will manage a team of four to five payroll professionals and be accountable for accurate, timely, and compliant payroll for a fast-scaling workforce across multiple US states and Canadian provinces.

This is not a coordinator role with a manager title. We need someone who has been in the engine room, knows what good looks like, and can build it here.

The impact you will have:

Payroll Operations

• Own the full payroll cycle — semi-monthly and off-cycle runs — for all US and Canadian employees, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and a clean audit trail on every run
• Manage the payroll calendar, cut-off deadlines, and coordination with HR and Finance to ensure data integrity from hire to final pay
• Serve as the primary escalation point for payroll discrepancies, employee queries, and operational issues — resolving with speed and precision
• Drive continuous improvement across payroll processes, reducing manual effort and increasing controls without sacrificing responsiveness

Technology & Systems

• Work within Workday Payroll and Workday HCM as the primary payroll platform — managing pay runs, earnings and deduction codes, and audit reporting
• Utilise ADP Smart Compliance for multi-state and provincial tax filing, remittance, and amendment management
• Partner with HRIS and IT on system upgrades, open enrolment changes, and configuration changes requiring payroll impact assessment
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual reconciliation and improve data accuracy across the payroll tech stack

Tax Compliance — US & Canada

• Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local payroll tax obligations across all US jurisdictions including multi-state nexus, SUI, SDI, and local levies
• Manage Canadian payroll tax compliance across all provinces — CPP, EI, provincial income tax, and Quebec-specific requirements (QPP, QPIP)
• Own year-end processes end to end — W-2, W-2c, T4, T4A, RL-1 — from reconciliation through employee distribution and agency filing
• Manage tax registration, filing, amendment, and penalty response across all active jurisdictions
• Stay ahead of legislative changes — federal and sub-national — and translate them into process and system updates before they become compliance gaps

Equity & Supplemental Compensation

• Manage payroll processing and tax withholding for RSU vesting events, including coordination with Stock Administration on vest schedules, sell-to-cover mechanics, and supplemental withholding rates
• Ensure correct treatment of ESPP, NQSOs, ISOs, and other equity instruments from a payroll tax perspective
• Partner with Legal and Tax on equity income sourcing and IRS / CRA reporting obligations on equity-derived income
• Reconcile equity payroll data to stock admin records each quarter with zero tolerance for mismatch

Team Leadership

• Lead, develop, and performance-manage a team of four to five payroll professionals — setting clear expectations, managing workload, and building capability
• Create a team culture where accuracy is non-negotiable, deadlines are owned not managed around, and problems surface early
• Build redundancy and cross-training so the function is never single-threaded on any critical process
• Coach the team on technical depth — tax law, equity mechanics, compliance — so they grow into the next generation of payroll leaders

Controls, Audit & Governance

• Design and maintain SOX-compliant payroll controls, including segregation of duties, approval workflows, and exception reporting
• Lead payroll's response to internal and external audits — preparing documentation, managing timelines, and closing findings without repeat
• Maintain payroll policy documentation and desktop procedures, updated with every legislative or system change
• Produce monthly payroll metrics and variance analysis for Finance and HR leadership

What we look for:

• 8+ years of hands-on US and Canada payroll experience, with at least 3 years in a leadership role managing a team
• Deep working knowledge of US multi-state payroll tax — nexus determination, reciprocity agreements, SUI/SDI, supplemental withholding rates
• Solid understanding of Canadian payroll compliance — CPP/QPP, EI/QPIP, provincial tax, T4/RL-1 year-end
• Proven experience managing RSU and equity payroll — from vest event processing through W-2/T4 reconciliation
• Strong command of payroll reconciliation, general ledger mapping, and accrual processes
• Experience leading teams of four or more people — you know how to delegate, develop, and hold people accountable
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) or equivalent certification preferred

Nice to Have

• Experience with Workday Payroll and Workday HCM — working knowledge of the platform in a payroll operations context is a strong advantage
• Hands-on experience with ADP Smart Compliance for multi-jurisdictional tax filing and agency management is a strong advantage
• Experience supporting a high-growth technology company through rapid headcount scaling across new US states and Canadian provinces
• Familiarity with Shareworks for stock plan administration and equity payroll integration is an added advantage
• Experience with payroll and equity tax rules for mobile employee populations
• Exposure to global payroll coordination and vendor management beyond North America