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