Director of Payroll

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.

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.

• 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

• Oversee Canada payroll operations in partnership with our PwC Global Payroll Platform
• 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

• Manage and develop 1–2 direct reports on the US payroll team
• Build a team culture of accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll issues and employee inquiries

• Partner with Corporate Accounting on payroll journal entries, accruals, and month-end close
• Work closely with Tax, Benefits, People Systems, and Employment Legal
• Support audit readiness and internal & systems controls

• Champion the use of AI tools within the payroll function
• Lead or support process improvement projects
• Document processes, build SOPs, and contribute to the team's knowledge infrastructure

• 8+ years of payroll experience, with at least 3 years in a senior or manager-level role owning US multi-state payroll end-to-end
• Hold a CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification
• Direct people management experience
• Strong Workday experience — payroll module preferred
• Deep familiarity with equity compensation processing (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs)
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
• Strong cross-functional instincts

• Canada payroll experience
• Experimented with AI or automation tools to improve payroll workflows
• Been part of a Workday payroll implementation or major system migration
• Worked at a company that scaled rapidly
• Experience in or exposure to IPO readiness, SOX compliance, or building financial controls from scratch

• Location-based hybrid policy: Currently, we expect all staff to be in one of our offices at least 25% of the time
• Visa sponsorship: We do sponsor visas!
• Minimum education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience