Senior Payroll Specialist (AI)

TL;DR

Senior Payroll Specialist (Finance): Owning end-to-end US payroll and ensuring scalability across entities and states with an accent on federal, state, and local tax compliance. Focus on designing durable payroll controls, automating processes to reduce manual effort, and leading payroll transitions in a SOX-compliant environment.

Location: Remote (Must be based in the US, ideally East Coast)

Salary: $111,000 - $139,000 USD

Company

Nebius is a full-stack AI cloud platform providing GPU orchestration and inference optimization for the global AI economy.

What you will do

• Manage end-to-end multi-state US payroll execution across entities, pay groups, and vendors.
• Ensure federal, state, and local tax compliance, including FICA/FUTA/SUI and annual filings (W-2).
• Administer regulated pay items including 401(k), garnishments, and equity income taxation.
• Perform root-cause analysis for payroll failures and implement durable process fixes.
• Lead payroll execution during new state/entity launches, vendor changes, or M&A transitions.
• Define and monitor SOX-aligned payroll controls to ensure audit readiness.

Requirements

• 5+ years of US payroll experience in complex, multi-state and multi-entity environments.
• Deep knowledge of FLSA, employment taxes, garnishments, and year-end reporting.
• Strong payroll controllership skills and experience working with Finance during audits.
• Proven ability to standardize and automate payroll processes to reduce manual effort.
• Demonstrated experience leading payroll transitions (system, vendor, or entity).
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Nice to have

• CPP or FPC certification from PayrollOrg.
• Experience with major US payroll platforms and their HRIS/GL integrations.
• Experience operating payroll controls in a SOX-compliant, US-listed company.
• Project management certification or cross-functional leadership experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits packages.
• Career growth and learning opportunities.
• Flexibility, ownership, and an innovative team culture.
• Opportunity to contribute to impactful AI projects within an international environment.