Description
About Anthropic Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems. About the role You'll own US and Canada payroll operations end-to-end — hands-on in Workday, close to the details — while also managing and developing 1–2 direct reports on the US team. You'll report directly to the Head of Global Payroll and be a key leader in making sure North American payroll keeps pace with Anthropic's growth. Strategic importance: You'll be a key contributor to our compliance initiative — our framework for managing payroll tax obligations across US & Canada. You'll also be part of the team driving AI adoption within payroll: we're actively building out how AI tools can improve reconciliation accuracy, error detection, and reporting workflows. This isn't a future initiative — it's happening now. Responsibilities US Payroll Operations - Own full-cycle payroll processing for all US entities — multi-state, multi-frequency, exempt and non-exempt populations - Process complex equity compensation including RSUs, ISOs, and NSOs, ensuring accurate tax withholding and timely reporting - Manage high-volume payments: bonuses, commissions, severance, and equity events - Oversee quarter-end, W-2 preparation, year-end reconciliations, and resolution of federal and state tax notices - Maintain and continuously improve Workday payroll configuration — identify automation opportunities and lead optimization initiatives Canada Payroll Management - Oversee Canada payroll operations in partnership with our PwC Global Payroll Platform, developing expertise in CRA compliance, T4s, Records of Employment, and multi-province processing - Partner with our international payroll team to ensure Canada stays integrated into our global compliance posture - Build out Canada payroll SOPs as the function matures Team Leadership & Development - Manage and develop 1–2 direct reports on the US payroll team — set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and invest in their growth - Build a team culture of accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement - Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll issues and employee inquiries Cross-Functional Partnership & Compliance - Partner with Corporate Accounting on payroll journal entries, accruals, and month-end close - Work closely with Tax, Benefits, People Systems, and Employment Legal to ensure data integrity and compliance - Support audit readiness and internal & systems controls AI Adoption & Process Improvement - Champion the use of AI tools within the payroll function — identify high-value use cases for reconciliation, anomaly detection, and reporting - Lead or support process improvement projects that reduce manual effort, increase accuracy, and improve the employee payroll experience - Document processe