Payroll Manager
At a glance
Manager-level Payroll role at Suno. San Francisco · full-time · $140,000–$185,000 base.
hrroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Run payroll from preparation through each pay cycle, ensuring staff receive accurate payments on schedule
- Apply federal, state and local payroll rules to withholding, filings, wage requirements, garnishments and annual W-2 work
- Coordinate with People on new hires, compensation and benefits updates, equity payroll and employee exits
- Oversee outside payroll services, compare payroll records with the general ledger and resolve mismatches
- Set up the policies, checks and records needed for scalable operations and audit readiness
What you bring
- Five to seven years in payroll, including end-to-end processing at a high-growth company
- Deep knowledge of payroll compliance across multiple states, including taxes, wage rules, garnishments and annual reporting
- Hands-on work with payroll systems and external providers, including implementations or transitions
- Payroll accounting skills covering ledger reconciliation and support for monthly close
- Discretion with sensitive matters, plus demonstrated use of AI or automation to improve payroll speed and accuracy
Who this fits
This is a hands-on manager role for someone ready to establish an internal payroll function, operate it and build it out. You’ll work from the San Francisco office five days a week, need US work authorization and should expect travel of up to ten percent. You’ll report to the Director of Accounting and work closely with People and external payroll providers.
From the employer
About Suno
We're building the world's first creative entertainment platform, where the entire world can feel the joy and fulfillment of making music. Music is for everyone: Our users include everyone from grandmothers creating songs for their loved ones, to Grammy winners using Suno Studio, our power tool, to make the most popular hits in the world.
Building the future of entertainment requires ambition. The pace is fast, the problems are hard, and the work demands ownership and intensity. For the right people, it’s incredibly rewarding: a chance to shape a new medium, work with a small team that cares deeply about quality, make music, drink too much coffee, and build something that millions of people use to express themselves in ways that were never before possible.
Suno is the fastest growing consumer entertainment company and the leader in AI music. We are backed by leading investors including Bond Capital, Menlo Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, IVP, Forerunner, Union Square Ventures, Alkeon, Quiet, Matrix Partners, Schroders Capital and, NVentures (venture arm of NVIDIA).
About the Role
Suno is scaling fast, and payroll is becoming mission-critical as our headcount grows. As our first internal Payroll Manager, you'll own payroll processing and compliance end to end for a rapidly growing Series D company — bringing the function in-house, building the processes and controls it needs, and running it cleanly every cycle. Reporting to the Director of Accounting and partnering closely with the People team and our third-party payroll providers, you'll make sure every employee is paid accurately and on time while keeping us compliant across a growing footprint. You'll also bring a measured, meaningful approach to AI and automation to make payroll faster and more accurate. This is a hands-on, build-and-operate role for someone who wants to stand up the payroll function the right way and grow with it.
Listen to the song we made about the role: https://suno.com/s/NHzt3T6j1cg7P3NT
What You'll Do
Own end-to-end payroll processing across all pay cycles, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time.
Manage compliance across federal, state, and local requirements — tax withholding and filings, wage-and-hour rules, garnishments, and year-end (W-2) processing.
Partner closely with the People team on onboarding, compensation changes, benefits and equity-related payroll, and off-boarding.
Manage third-party payroll providers and reconcile payroll to the general ledger, resolving discrepancies quickly.
Build the policies, controls, and documentation that make payroll scalable, audit-ready, and self-service as the team grows.
Bring AI and automation to payroll with the right guardrails — making it faster and more accurate so the people building the world's first Creative Entertainment platform are always paid right and on time.
What You'll Need
Must-Haves
5-7 years of payroll experience, including hands-on ownership of end-to-end payroll processing at a high-growth company and a passion for payroll.
An extremely high level of discretion and ownership, capable of handling highly confidential and time sensitive matters.
Deep knowledge of multi-state payroll compliance — tax withholding and filings, wage-and-hour rules, garnishments, and year-end reporting.
Hands-on experience with payroll systems and third-party providers (e.g., Rippling, Gusto, ADP, Workday, or similar), including implementations or transitions.
Strong payroll accounting skills — reconciling payroll to the GL and partnering on the monthly close.
A demonstrated, measured use of AI and automation to make payroll faster and more accurate.
A builder's mindset and aptitude for building — you'll set up, document, operate, and then automate, often with little existing infrastructure.
Nice-to-Haves
CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) or FPC certification.
International payroll compliance experience, ideally managed through a 3rd party EOR.
Experience bringing payroll in-house or standing up a payroll function from scratch.
Equity / stock-based compensation payroll (RSUs, options, ESPP) and global / multi-entity payroll exposure.
Consumer tech or other high-growth environment experience.
Work Location Policy
This role is expected to work from the designated Suno office 5 days a week, per Suno's company policy. Full-time employees will receive competitive equity packages, and comprehensive benefits. The actual base salary offered may vary depending on location, skills, qualifications, and experience.
Additional Notes
Applicants must be eligible to work in the US.
Willingness to travel (up to 10%) to collaborate with team members across Suno office locations.
Perks & Benefits
Company Equity Package
401(k) with 3% Employer Match & Roth 401(k)
Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance (PPO w/ HSA & FSA options)
11 Paid Holidays + Unlimited PTO & Sick Time
16 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave
Creative Education Stipend
Generous Commuter Allowance
In-Office Lunch (5 days per week)
Compensation
The annual salary range for this role is $140-185K + target equity + benefits (including medical, dental, vision, and 401k)
Suno is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis under provincial, federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of state and local laws, including the Massachusetts Fair Chance in Employment Act, NYC Fair Chance Act, LA City Fair Chance Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Suno is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis under provincial, federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of state and local laws, including the Massachusetts Fair Chance in Employment Act, NYC Fair Chance Act, LA City Fair Chance Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.