US Payroll Operations

About the Team

OpenAI Finance is responsible for ensuring the organization is set up for success in pursuit of its mission. OpenAI’s Payroll team is responsible for timely and accurate processing of payroll and ensuring compliance with all statutory regulations.

About the Role

At OpenAI, payroll is not a back-office function — it is mission-critical infrastructure. We are seeking a seasoned US Payroll Operations expert to scale, and continuously improve the payroll and payroll-support ecosystem that serves one of the fastest-growing and most technically sophisticated organizations in the world.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

In this role, you will:

- Process biweekly payrolls for 5,000+ US employees, ensuring accurate and timely payroll delivery for exempt and non-exempt populations while maintaining compliance across federal, state and local regulations.

- Support payroll activities related to mergers & acquisitions, including final payroll processing, tax account closures, W-2 reporting, payroll record retention, compliance requirements and payroll integration or wind-down activities.

- Lead day-to-day workflows with outsourced payroll/BPO partners to ensure SLAs are met, quality standards are upheld and identify opportunities to improve quality, efficiency and controls.

- Deliver exceptional employee support by resolving payroll inquiries with a strong service mindset, ensuring clear communication, timely resolution and adherence to established SLAs.

- Drive continuous process improvement through automation, AI-enabled solutions, workflow redesign and system optimization, reducing manual effort while enhancing accuracy, compliance and employee experiences.

- Create and maintain process documentation, SOPs and process maps to support scalable payroll operations and audit readiness.

- Partner closely with HR, Benefits and other cross-functional teams to ensure clean upstream inputs and accurate downstream reporting.

- Create and maintain employee-facing payroll resources, knowledge base articles and self-service tools that improve transparency, reduce inquiry volume and improve the employee experience.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

- 7+ years of progressive experience in payroll operations, preferably in a fast-paced or high-growth environment.

- Strong working knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local payroll regulations, including employee mobility, multi-state taxation and standard payroll practices.

- Hands-on experience with Workday Payroll required. ADP SmartCompliance experience is a plus.

- Ability to independently manage multiple competing priorities, take ownership of outcomes, and deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines.

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a high attention to detail.

- Clear and concise communication skills, with the abili