Payroll Lead

Persons in these roles are expected to work from our offices in Seattle. On-site requirements vary based on position and team. If you have questions about on-site work arrangements for this role, please ask your recruiter.

Our base salary range is $89,500 - $134,000 and in addition we have generous bonus plans to provide a competitive compensation package.

Who You Are:

You are a meticulous, solution-oriented payroll professional who takes genuine pride in work that's invisible when it's done right. You know that payroll is a trust function at its core — every person at the organization is counting on you to be accurate, on time, every cycle — and you treat that responsibility with the seriousness it deserves.

You're a process builder, not just a process runner. You get a little thrill out of replacing a manual step with a well-configured integration, and you're curious about how AI tools can take even more repetitive work off your plate.

You're comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy across a complex footprint — multiple states, multiple countries, multiple systems — without losing the details that matter. You communicate proactively, ask clarifying questions early, and follow through without needing to be reminded. When plans change at the last minute — because they will — you stay calm, set realistic expectations, and find the workable path forward.

Most importantly, you understand that this role is part of something larger. Ai2's researchers are building breakthrough AI to solve the world's biggest problems — and none of that happens without a team that's paid accurately, on time, and without ever having to think about it. That's the quiet foundation you provide.

Who We Are:

Ai2 is a Seattle-based nonprofit AI research institute founded in 2014 by the late Paul Allen. Our mission is to build breakthrough AI to solve the world's biggest problems. We develop foundational AI research and innovation to deliver real-world impact through large-scale open models, data, robotics, conservation, and beyond.

The Finance team keeps Ai2 running so our researchers can focus on the science. We're a high-functioning, collaborative group that runs on transparency and proactive communication — we'd rather over-share than let a teammate get surprised. We celebrate process improvements the way other teams celebrate launches, we work with a large amount of autonomy and trust, and we partner daily with People Operations to take care of the 200+ people who work here. You'll be joining us at an exciting time as we modernize our payroll operations and build AI-augmented workflows into our finance processes.

Your Next Challenge:

The Payroll Lead owns end-to-end payroll for our distributed workforce: multi-state US payroll spanning up to 20 states, plus a small group of international and US employees paid through our Employer of Record (EOR) partners in 5–10 countries. You'll work closely with the Sr Manager of Payroll & Benefits and partners in People Operations and Finance, with broad day-to-day autonomy over payroll execution, systems, and process improvement.

This role has been deliberately scoped with room to grow. There is a path toward increased responsibility for someone who demonstrates ownership of the function and drives it forward. There are also greenfield projects waiting for you, like AI-assisted payroll dashboards and data analysis work that we've never had the bandwidth to build. If you want to build broad, modern payroll expertise (multi-state, global EOR, systems integration, automation) at a mission-driven organization, this is that role.

Payroll Execution

Own end-to-end processing of biweekly multi-state US payroll (up to 20 states), including tax withholding, SUTA rates, and local jurisdiction compliance.

Manage international payroll for employees in 5–10 countries via EOR partners, including onboarding coordination, invoice reconciliation, and serving as the primary point of contact for EOR relationships.

Coordinate time-sensitive international employment changes — urgent new-hire requests, last-minute contract extensions, and offboarding reversals — partnering with hiring managers and People Operations to set realistic timelines and navigate what EOR providers can (and cannot) accommodate.

Partner with People Operations on new hires, internal transfers, terminations, benefit deductions, leaves of absence, and compensation changes.

Respond to employee payroll questions with clarity, empathy, and urgency.

Systems, Integrations & Automation

Own and optimize integrations between our HRIS and adjacent systems (ATS, 401(k), and expense platforms) to reduce manual entry and improve accuracy.

Work with your supervisor to identify integration and automation opportunities — including AI-augmented workflows — to further streamline payroll and adjacent processes.

Build AI-assisted payroll dashboards and lead payroll data analysis projects, surfacing cost trends, anomalies, and headcount insights for Finance and leadership — a greenfield project this role gets to own and shape.

Maintain audit-ready documentation, internal controls, and payroll SOPs.

Compliance, Reconciliation & Reporting

Perform quarterly and annual SALT payroll reconciliations and support quarter-end and year-end close, including W-2s and related reporting.

Own monthly benefits reconciliations, ensuring carrier invoices align with payroll deductions and resolving discrepancies with People Operations and providers.

Administer the 401(k) plan, including contribution funding, deferral change processing, and assisting with the annual 401(k) audit process.

Prepare and remit workers' compensation filings, payments and payroll true-ups for OH, WA and WY.

Prepare and remit Seattle payroll expense tax and Seattle Social Housing tax filings and payments.

Work with your supervisor to coordinate prior quarter and year adjustments as needed, including W-2C creation and distribution to employees.

Monitor changing federal, state, and local payroll regulations and proactively adjust processes to stay compliant.

Identify and drive process improvements across the payroll function.

What You’ll Need:

Minimum Qualifications

4+ years of progressive payroll experience, including multi-state payroll ownership (10+ states and experience managing local tax registrations preferred).

Hands-on experience with modern payroll/HRIS platforms and monitoring system integrations.

Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, and comfort manipulating large data sets for reconciliation and reporting.

Knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations, wage and hour rules, and payroll compliance requirements.

A solution-oriented mindset — you don't just flag problems, you offer a fix.

Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with experience working effectively in a virtual or hybrid environment across multiple teams.

High attention to detail, discretion with confidential information, and a strong sense of ownership over deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience managing complex logistics for onboarding, extending and offboarding international employees or similar work.

Experience supporting international payroll, ideally through EOR providers such as Remote, Deel, or similar platforms.

Experience with payroll GL accounting and cost allocation, ideally in a grant-funded or nonprofit environment.

CPP or FPC certification — professional development support is available.

Experience documenting SOPs or building process docs from scratch.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

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