US Payroll & Tax Lead

The Role
This is our first dedicated US payroll hire, and it's a meaningful one. You'll own the full US payroll and tax function: processing, filings, remittances, agency registrations, and year-end reporting across our own employees and the employers we service through our payroll platform.
There's no existing playbook to follow here. You'll be building the processes and controls from scratch, which is exactly the point. We're looking for someone who sees that as the interesting part of the job, not the downside.
You'll also be our closest internal user of the Rise platform itself. When something doesn't work the way it should for US payroll or tax, you'll be the one who spots it first and works directly with our product and engineering teams to get it fixed. Your day-to-day experience will have a real influence on what we build.

What You'll Be Doing:
Payroll processing
Run end-to-end payroll cycles for our US employee population and the client employers we service, covering wages, deductions, benefits, and garnishments

Own the payroll calendar and keep delivery accurate and on time across all pay schedules

Handle off-cycle runs and corrections as they come up

Tax filings and compliance
Prepare and submit all federal, state, and local payroll tax filings and remittances across all 50 states and DC

File all quarterly and annual returns, including W-2s and 1099s, accurately and on time

Complete employer registrations and tax account setup in new states and localities as we grow

Own the compliance tracker and filing calendar so nothing slips through

Manage agency notices and resolve tax discrepancies and audit requests across all active jurisdictions

Client support
Be the person our direct payroll customers turn to when they hit a complex compliance question, a tax notice, or an issue they can't figure out on their own

Help them get to the right answer quickly

Process and documentation
Write the SOPs for payroll processing, filings, reconciliations, and year-end work

Build audit-ready records and practical controls into everything we do

Product collaboration
Use the Rise platform to do your job and tell us honestly where it falls short

Work with product and engineering to turn compliance requirements into features that actually work

What We're Looking For
Essential
6+ years of US payroll experience, with direct ownership of multi-state processing and employment tax compliance

Proven, hands-on experience preparing and submitting payroll tax filings and remittances across a wide range of federal, state, and local jurisdictions

Experience completing state and local agency registrations

Solid working knowledge of multi-state withholding, unemployment tax, W-2 and 1099 requirements, and quarterly and annual return obligations

A track record of building processes and controls in environments that weren't fully built out yet

Sharp attention to detail and strong reconciliation habits

Background in a payroll services, EOR, or PEO environment, where you were responsible for payroll and tax on behalf of client employers, not just internal employees - direct experience working for a payroll processing company

Strongly preferred
Background in a payroll services, EOR, or PEO environment, where you were responsible for payroll and tax on behalf of client employers, not just internal employees

Familiarity with payroll tax engines such as MasterTax or Symmetry

CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) designation

Experience handling tax notices and agency inquiries across multiple jurisdictions