Global Payroll Lead

Mercor mercor.com Open · verified Oct 24, 2026

On-site San Francisco Full-time Senior Payroll

At a glance

Senior Payroll role at Mercor. San Francisco · full-time · $160,000–$185,000 base.

SalaryStated by Mercor

$160,000 – $185,000

Base salary for this role, in USD per year, as published in the posting.

This role, from MercorOur estimate for the market: $190,800–$208,625Median $202,913

Below the market median of $202,913 for senior payroll roles in San Francisco.

Worked out from 8 postings that stated pay, median $202,913. Last updated Oct 23, 2026.

RolePayroll

SenioritySenior

LocationSan Francisco

WorkplaceOn-site

EmploymentFull-time

Base pay$160,000–$185,000

PostedOct 22, 2026 · 2d ago

Role brief

hrroles summary, based on the employer's posting.

What you'll do

Run payroll across assigned countries, checking employee changes and approvals before sending files to providers
Match payroll results against approved inputs, funding, and accounting records, then support journals and month-end close
Coordinate acquisition payroll integrations and country launches, from data mapping and testing through post-launch checks
Improve HRIS data flows, approval steps, reporting, and vendor transitions with documented requirements
Set payroll controls and procedures, investigate recurring pay issues, and automate validated checks and reports

What you bring

At least seven years of progressive payroll work in high-growth technology startups
You have owned US payroll and delivered payroll in other countries through local teams or providers
You have led a payroll improvement, vendor change, acquisition integration, or country launch through stabilization
Hands-on experience with enterprise HRIS and payroll platforms, including validation, reporting, testing, and troubleshooting
A relevant degree or equivalent practical experience

Who this fits

This senior role suits someone who can lead payroll delivery while staying close to operational details and working across Accounting, People Ops, Finance Systems, and Legal. It is based onsite in San Francisco, with five in-office days each week.

From the employer

About Mercor

Mercor's mission is to organize human intelligence to power the AI economy. We're a leading AI data company, building the layer between human expertise and frontier models. Millions of domain experts on the platform are paid over $4 million per day to train frontier AI models. Mercor's APEX benchmark family measures AI's real-world impact on professional work. Mercor Enterprise brings this same infrastructure to Fortune 500 companies: helping companies capture how their best people actually work, translating that expertise directly back into agents.

Mercor is creating a new category of work where expertise powers AI advancement. Achieving this requires an ambitious, fast-paced and deeply committed team. You’ll work alongside researchers, operators, and AI companies at the forefront of shaping the systems that are redefining society. Mercor is a profitable Series C company valued at $10 billion. We work in-person five days a week in our San Francisco, NYC, or London offices.

About the Role

Mercor is seeking a high-execution payroll leader to spearhead global payroll delivery while scaling our underlying operational infrastructure. In this role, you will hold end-to-end accountability for payroll execution schedules, vendor governance, internal controls, general ledger reconciliations, and complex issue resolution, all while driving high-impact automation initiatives. Additionally, you will orchestrate the seamless transition of acquired talent onto Mercor's unified payroll architecture.

Working cross-functionally, you will collaborate closely with Accounting, People Ops, Finance Systems, Legal, and international payroll partners. This position demands a mix of strategic oversight and hands-on execution—diving deep into operational mechanics, driving swift decision-making within structured framework guidelines, and proactively flagging operational bottlenecks to executive leadership.

What You'll Do

Run employee payroll cycles across assigned countries, coordinating inputs, validations, approvals, funding deadlines, and provider processing so employees are paid accurately and on time.
Review new hires, departures, compensation changes, bonuses, benefits, deductions, and equity-related payroll inputs with functional owners; investigate exceptions before approval.
Reconcile payroll outputs to approved inputs, funding, and accounting records. Partner with Accounting on journals, accruals, balance sheet reconciliations, and month-end close.
Maintain country calendars and evidence of required filings and remittances, working with providers and local advisers to resolve issues and complete year-end activities.
Lead payroll workstreams for acquisitions and new-country launches, including data mapping, cutover planning, testing, parallel runs where appropriate, and post-launch reconciliation.
Improve HRIS-to-payroll data flows, approval workflows, and reporting. Deliver scoped implementations and vendor transitions with documented requirements and acceptance criteria.
Build operating procedures, backup coverage, access controls, and audit evidence, maintaining separate preparation and approval responsibilities for payroll and payments.
Resolve employee pay questions clearly and promptly. Track accuracy, on-time delivery, reconciliation aging, and issue resolution, and address recurring causes.
Automate repeatable checks and reporting using approved tools, with validation, human review, and appropriate protection of employee data.

What We're Looking For

7+ years of progressive payroll experience in high-growth tech startups
Hands-on ownership of US payroll and experience delivering payroll in additional countries through local teams or providers.
Strong understanding of payroll processing, reconciliations, statutory deadlines, controls, and year-end reporting, with judgment about when to involve local tax or legal specialists.
Experience delivering a payroll optimization, vendor transition, acquisition integration, or new-country launch from planning through stabilization.
Practical experience with an enterprise HRIS and payroll platform, including data validation, reporting, testing, and troubleshooting. Rippling or comparable systems experience is valuable.
Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing deadlines and influence partners without direct authority.
Clear communication, sound judgment with confidential information, and willingness to stay close to operational work.
A degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.