Payroll Operations Manager, Americas

The best jobs are often restricted to a few wealthy cities, but talent exists everywhere. Oyster set out to change this by launching a global employment platform that enables companies to hire, pay, and support talent anywhere.

We’re proof that a strong, engaged culture doesn't require an office. Since January 2020, Oyster has:

🌏 Built a distributed team of 400+ across 60+ countries

👩‍💻 Featured in Forbes as #9 in FlexJobs Top 30 Companies for remote jobs

🌈 Formed a diverse leadership team and a workforce that’s 60% female

🏆 Earned top employee engagement scores

🦄 Raised $286 million; valued at $1.2 billion

💚 Achieved B Corp status in 2023

Our momentum shows the power of global employment, and we’re just getting started! If you want to help us drive change and work remotely, we’d love for you to apply!

Location: While this position is posted in a specific location, all of Oyster’s positions are fully remote, and you can work from home. Forever. To create the best experience for this employee and to meet the business needs, this role requires you to be based in the US.

As our Payroll Operations Manager, Americas you'll lead a team of payroll specialists delivering exceptional payroll services across multiple countries, managing both in-house (native) and Employer of Record (EoR) operations. This isn't just a typical payroll management role – it's an opportunity to build and optimize payroll operations in a hyper-growth, global-first environment.

You'll report directly to our Senior Manager, Payroll Operations and have the opportunity to drive payroll transformation through automation, shape strategy for new country launches, build a high-performing team, and partner with Product, Finance, and HR to revolutionize how we deliver payroll at scale.

• Manage and oversee a team of payroll specialists to deliver both in-house (native) and EoR payroll for Oyster's team members across multiple countries & timezones as assigned.

• Managing, coaching, and monitoring the successful transition to, and adoption of, Oyster's automated payroll tooling and processes for delivering payroll at scale whilst maintaining Service Delivery targets and KPIs

• Delivering a best-of-breed payroll experience, ensuring payroll queries are resolved in line with SLAs

• Embrace and support Oyster’s automated payroll processes, collaborating with cross-functional teams (e.g., Payroll Transformation, Product) to continuously improve these processes

• Managing and overseeing the execution of Oyster's Native payroll operations in Canada, EoR payrolls in the United States, Brazil and Mexico and PEO payrolls in the United States.

• Performing the lead role in managing, communicating, and resolving payroll escalations pertaining to countries under your charge

• Ensuring you and your team maintain professional knowledge of payroll legislative changes

• Perform manager reviews on pre-payroll and post-payroll audits to ensure data integrity

• Working closely with HR Advisory to manage enhancements to processes and legislative issues

• Overseeing effective working relations and monitoring SLA adherence with local payroll vendors, accountants, and employment advisors

• Leading optimization of payroll processes and engaging with cross-functional teams such as Product, Treasury, Accounting, and Finance Transformation

• Building and developing your team through coaching, performance management, and career development planning

• Leading due diligence, vendor selection, and implementation planning for new country launches

• Presenting management reports on payroll metrics and operational performance to senior leadership

• Assist team with equity, including RSUs & Stock Options

• Provide backup support for payroll team members ("pods") during PTO or peak processing periods.

• Mentor and develop payroll team members by fostering continuous learning and career growth.

• Analyze payroll trends to identify discrepancies, inefficiencies, and areas for optimization

• Must have 7+ years of payroll experience, including at least 3 years of people management experience (hiring, coaching, performance management), leading a team of payroll professionals.

• Responsible for oversight of end-to-end native (in-house) and managed payrolls across the Americas (Canada, US, Mexico, and LATAM)

• Overseeing local country taxation & compliance e.g. taxation of benefits, expenses, income, national insurance, pension auto-enrolment, statutory payments.

• Working closely with local payroll engines (software) throughout the Americas/LATAM.

• Experience working with finance transformation, RPA, and process improvement teams to achieve automation and efficiency.

• Experience managing payroll for 1,000+ employees across multiple jurisdictions/geographies

• Project management experience leading payroll implementations or transformation initiatives

• [BONUS] Recognized payroll qualification/diploma/certification (e.g., CIPP, FPC, CPP)

• A reliable home internet connection (or be able to get one)

• Fluent English language skills

Our values guide the work we do, the decisions we make, and the culture that makes us special. We make it happen. We drive change. We build and give trust, and we are a united team.

Our mission is to create a more equal world, one global hire at a time. Everything we do ladders up to our mission, and that doesn’t just mean building software. We develop programs, participate in workshops, and create dedicated teams to ensure we successfully support companies and knowledge workers in this new world of work. 

We embrace asynchronous communication and collaborative work and share our practices in the Oyster Public HQ to help other global teams learn from our experiences.

With diverse locations, cultures, and needs, we created How YOU Work; a program supporting your whole human experience at Oyster:

• Work from anywhere: Oyster has no borders or HQ. As long as work is timely, your team is supported, and you're authorized to work where you live, you can work from anywhere.

• Paid time off: Enjoy 40 days off per year (including holidays and vacation), or more if required by your country.

• Mental health support: Access Plumm, our mental well-being service.

• Wellbeing allowance: Each month, receive a wellbeing allowance in your ThanksBen wallet. Spend it on a wide range of options; see the benefits catalogue for ideas.

• Flexible parental leave: All new parents are eligible for at least three months’ paid leave, with job protection for up to 12 months or as required locally.

• WFH stipend: Receive a stipend for your laptop and home office equipment to get you set up quickly.

We embrace diverse perspectives and intentionally build our product and company with an inclusive, global mindset. We encourage you to apply, even if you don’t meet every criterion, and are committed to a trust-based, thriving environment.

Oyster is committed to ensuring equal opportunity of employment for qualified persons with disabilities and actively fosters an inclusive work environment. If you require reasonable accommodations throughout the recruiting process, please email [email protected] with the subject line: Interview Accommodations.

Our available positions are on our careers page. Our team will only contact you from an @oysterhr.com email, and we will never ask for money as part of an interview process or job offer. If you receive a suspicious email about Oyster jobs or are directed to a site other than www.oysterhr.com/careers, please report it via our Compliance and Ethics Helpline.