We are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented US Payroll Specialist to oversee our end-to-end multi-state payroll operations. In this role, you will ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing for all US-based employees while managing internal payroll initiatives. The ideal candidate is a strategic problem-solver with deep expertise in US labor laws, taxation, and ADP+Workday payroll systems.

You will:

Full-Cycle Payroll Processing: Oversee the accurate and timely processing of multi-state bi-weekly and semi-monthly payrolls for over a thousand exempt and non-exempt employees across most of the USA.
Compliance & Taxation: Ensure strict adherence to federal, state, and local tax laws, as well as FLSA regulations. Monitor regulatory changes and update internal systems accordingly.
Year-End Processing: Manage year-end payroll activities, including W-2 and W-2c generation, fringe benefit reporting, and annual tax reconciliations.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with HR to ensure accurate data flow for onboarding, offboarding, benefits deductions, and compensation changes. Ability to work with Accounting to ensure accurate general ledger mapping, month-end close procedures, and payroll account reconciliations.
System Administration & Optimization: Act as the primary subject matter expert for our payroll system (e.g., Workday, ADP). Identify bottlenecks, recommend process improvements, and lead system upgrades or implementations.
Issue Resolution, Continuous Improvement & Auditing: Conduct regular audits of payroll data to identify and resolve discrepancies. Serve as the ultimate point of continuous improvement with AI and other methodologies to ensure Scale’s payroll processes are best in class.

Ideally you'd have:

5+ years of payroll experience.
Strong organizational skills; the ability to get all priority tasks completed by the end of each day.
Confidentiality and integrity.
Accuracy under pressure and extreme attention to detail.
Experience with ADP WorkforceNow and Workday.
Bachelor’s degree.
Technical proficiency.

Nice to haves:

Advanced AI technical skills.
Excellent communication skills.

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

Please reference the job posting's subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the locations of San Francisco, New York, Seattle is:

$121,600—$152,000 USD

PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.

About Us:

At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Ernst & Young, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information.

We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.

PLEASE NOTE: We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.

About the role