Sr Manager, Payroll Connection & Integration Support

Human Interest is on a mission to ensure that people in all lines of work have access to retirement benefits.

More than half of all working Americans are not saving enough for their future. Too often, it’s because they are employed by a company that doesn’t offer a retirement plan. Human Interest is changing that by making it affordable and accessible for small and medium-sized businesses to offer employees a path to financial independence through retirement savings.

We’re a high-growth fintech company changing the retirement industry. We are backed by a number of investors. This includes funding from Marshall Wace and Baillie Gifford, as well as top investors such as BlackRock , TPG (The Rise Fund) , SoftBank, Glynn Capital , NewView Capital, USVP, Wing, Uncork, and more.

About the role

As the Sr. Manager, you will lead our payroll connection and integration operations teams, directly managing 2 Payroll Connection Managers and overseeing frontline operational teams. Reporting directly to the Director of Customer Operations- Money In, you will translate high-level strategy into actionable operational execution—driving velocity, throughput, and seamless payroll connectivity for our clients and plan participants.

In this role, you serve as a critical strategic bridge between Sales Activation, frontline operations, and cross-functional partners across Product, Engineering, and Customer Success. You will mentor and scale people leaders, manage high-volume payroll connections, and leverage data to continue to improve the payroll connection timeline to elevate customer experience while maintaining a lean, compliant footprint. As the leader of our Integrations Operations Team, you will need to have a deep understanding of our payroll integrations, their gaps and trend analysis to assist the product team on developing long term solutions.

We move fast, you should be ready to lead at speed.

What you get to do every day

Coach & Develop Leaders: Directly manage, mentor, and build leadership bench strength across 2 Payroll Connection Managers and their underlying teams. Establish high performance standards, hold leaders accountable to ambitious KPIs, and cultivate a robust pipeline of future talent.

Drive Vision & Strategic Alignment: Translate company strategy into actionable operational plans across complex money movement, and payroll synchronization flows. Maintain a broad business perspective, ensuring team priorities align directly with company objectives and broader operational effectiveness.

Payroll Partner Management & Escalations: Partner directly with external payroll providers and technology partners to manage complex escalations, perform joint root-cause analyses on recurring integration issues, and establish long-term resolutions.

Operational Excellence & Performance Monitoring: Own high-level metrics for SLA adherence, quality, accuracy, and cycle times. Utilize data, capacity modeling, and optimization reports to continuously elevate throughput and set ambitious goals across teams.

Cross-Functional Strategic Partnership: Build collaborative relationships with leaders in Customer Success & Operations, Sales Activations, Product & Engineering, and Sales. Act as an operational translator, channeling frontline customer insights to shape product roadmaps while seamlessly operationalizing technical and regulatory changes.

Risk Management & Controls: Maintain a rigorous control environment across all payroll transaction lifecycles. Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate operational risks to prevent financial loss and ensure full compliance in a highly regulated landscape.

Client Experience & Root Cause Analysis: Foster a client-first mindset that looks beyond vanity metrics to evaluate true customer experience. Lead deep-dive root cause analyses on operational trends and complex escalations to implement long-term structural fixes.

Process Optimization & Innovation: Drive a culture of innovation by identifying and scaling opportunities for workflow automation, process standardization, and system enhancements to maintain a lean operational footprint.

Change Leadership & Executive Reporting: Lead teams through rapid organizational and technological change with clarity and empathy. Deliver concise, transparent operational reporting and insights to executive leadership.

Additional duties as assigned.

What you bring to the role

Experience: 4+ years of operational management experience in financial services, fintech, 401(k) retirement services, or SaaS, with 2+ years specifically managing other People Managers/Leaders.

Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of payroll integration (APIs, SFTP, file feeds), transaction lifecycles, money movement processes, and operational risk controls within regulated environments.

Project Management: Demonstrated track record of leading complex operational initiatives that include integration enhancements, operational decisions and governance frameworks; and multi-phased migration plans from strategy through execution.

Leadership Development: Proven track record of developing direct-report managers, setting clear expectations, managing performance, and building high-performing operational teams.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Demonstrated ability to leverage complex data reports, staffing models, and SLA metrics to drive strategy and prioritize trade-offs.

Cross-Functional Influence: Exceptional ability to partner with cross-functional leadership (Sales, Product & Engineering, Implementation, CS) to align on shared goals and advocate for operational priorities.

Change & Process Management: Experience designing end-to-end operational improvements, scaling processes, and leading large teams through organizational change.

Nice to Have

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field.

Direct experience with 401(k) recordkeeping systems, payroll integrations, or complex financial reconciliations.

Formal certification in process improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma) or continuous improvement frameworks.

Experience in high-growth, fast-paced fintech environments.

Why you will love working at Human Interest

Human Interest is tackling one of our country's biggest challenges - closing the retirement gap. You'll be instrumental in architecting and scaling solutions that bring financial security to employees at small and medium-sized businesses nationwide. We’ve made significant progress, but there is still growth ahead, offering you a unique opportunity to solve complex problems, drive innovation, and advance your career alongside a dedicated, mission-driven team. We value hard work and recognize that our team's contributions are key to our continued success.

Join Human Interest and make a lasting impact by shaping the future of retirement.

Our operating principles define how we work together as a team. They reflect Human Interest’s unique view on what’s important and what’s right. Documenting this core aspect of our culture helps employees make good decisions on their own. It also helps candidates considering career opportunities critically evaluate whether they will thrive at Human Interest.

Customer obsession : We're all about creating amazing experiences for our customers. We put their needs first and go the extra mile to make them smile.

Long-Term Orientation : We're not just playing for today; we're building a legacy. We think big, plan strategically, and invest in our future.

Autonomous and Accountable Teams : We trust our team members to take ownership and make smart decisions. We empower you to be your best self!

An Escalating Bar for Talent and Performance : We're constantly raising the bar and challenging ourselves to be better. We believe in growth and continuous improvement.

Fundamental Optimism : We see the glass as half full (and then we fill it up with more