Payroll Specialist Lead - Canada

About Remote

Remote is solving modern organizations’ biggest challenge – navigating global employment compliantly with ease. We make it possible for businesses of all sizes to recruit, pay, and manage international teams. With our core values at heart and future focused work culture, our team works tirelessly on ambitious problems, asynchronously, around the world. You can find Remoters working from 6 different continents (Antarctica left to go!) and all of our positions are fully remote.

With Innovation as one of the core values, we have built Automation and AI capabilities into the requirements for every role.

We encourage every member of the Remote team to bring their talents, experiences and culture to the table to help us build the best-in-class HR platform.   If you are energetic, curious, motivated and ambitious, be part of our world. Apply now and define the future of work!

What this job can offer you

The Payroll Specialist lead ensures the accurate and timely execution of payroll processes, consistently meeting deadlines and maintaining a high standard of accuracy. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of global payroll best practices, is proactive in problem-solving, and takes full ownership of operational improvements. This role involves managing daily operations, optimizing internal resources such as SOPs and the ticketing system, and driving cross-functional projects to enhance long-term efficiency. The Payroll Specialist lead also provides training and mentorship across teams, fosters a culture of continuous learning, and is committed to delivering exceptional client support and stakeholder management on a global scale. They excel in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and are passionate about driving both operational excellence and strategic growth.

What you bring

• Experience: Several years in regional or global payroll operations, with a solid understanding of global payroll best practices.
• Leadership: Passionate about managing teams with a hands-off approach, empowering individuals without micromanaging while fostering a collaborative work environment.
• Technical Skills: Proficient in payroll software tools such as SAP, Excel, and Google Sheets, using these tools to drive accuracy and operational efficiency.
• Problem Solving: Possesses an analytical mindset with strong problem-solving abilities, capable of addressing complex challenges and finding innovative solutions.
• Adaptability: Thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced international environment, consistently delivering impactful results while adapting quickly to changes.
• Efficiency: Constantly seeks opportunities to improve productivity, streamline processes, and optimize efficiency in all areas of work.
• Working Method: Comfortable working asynchronously and remote in a globally distributed team.
• Language Skills: Fluent in both written and spoken English.

Key Responsibilities 

• Deliver payroll with precision and accountability: Consistently meet >99% of deadlines for assigned tasks while maintaining an accuracy rate of >99.5%. Implement strategic checks and controls to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and continuously refine processes to meet broader business goals.
• Manage and optimize the ticketing system (Zendesk): Take full ownership of the Zendesk queue with strategic oversight, ensuring tickets are assigned within 24 hours. Identify trends or recurring issues, addressing root causes to prevent future escalations and enhance long-term efficiency.
• Strategically Manage SOPs and internal resources: Take ownership of SOPs, checklists, and internal resources, not only ensuring they are updated but also leading efforts to optimize and improve these documents across teams, aligning them with company goals and best practices.
• Provide cross-team training, mentorship, and knowledge sharing: Proactively offer training and mentorship across teams, including Implementation and PCST, to standardize best practices and elevate operational effectiveness across departments. Take ownership of personal development by actively pursuing learning opportunities and sharing knowledge with the team. Foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement that drives operational excellence and long-term success.
• Proactive decision making and initiative: Demonstrate initiative in making informed decisions, often resolving issues independently. Proactively suggest solutions that have a broader impact on business operations, ensuring strategic long-term benefits.
• Global client support, communication, and stakeholder management: Provide comprehensive client support with a global perspective, ensuring follow-ups and problem-solving are handled efficiently. Focus on delivering long-term solutions that enhance client satisfaction and improve service delivery across regions. Demonstrate exceptional communication skills, building strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels. Provide clarity and insight in complex situations, acting as a trusted advisor for key business decisions.
• Lead global testing, projects, and cross-functional engagement: Actively seek opportunities to participate in global testing and high-impact projects, providing insights and leadership that extend beyond the immediate team or region. Engage with and support other teams across functions using collaboration tools like Slack, offering troubleshooting and guidance. Ensure effective execution, measurable results for global initiatives, and maintain strong communication across departments to resolve issues and drive success as a cross-functional senior specialist.

Practicals

• You'll report to: Manager, Payroll Operations
• Team: Payroll Operations
• Team size: N/A
• Location: United States or Canada
• Start date: As soon as possible

Application process

Roughly 2 hours across 3 weeks

1. Interview with recruiter
2. Interview with future manager
3. Interview with Senior Manager, Payroll Operations
4. Bar Raiser Interview
5. Prior employment verification check

#LI-DNP

 

Remote's Total Rewards philosophy is to ensure fair, unbiased compensation and fair equity pay along with competitive benefits in all locations in which we operate. We do not agree to or encourage cheap-labor practices and therefore we ensure to pay above in-location rates. We hope to inspire other companies to support global talent-hiring and bring local wealth to developing countries.

At first glance our salary bands seem quite wide - here is some context. At Remote we have international operations and a globally distributed workforce.  We use geo ranges to consider geographic pay differentials as part of our global compensation strategy to remain competitive in various markets while we hiring globally.

Our salary ranges are determined by role, level and location, and our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay for the successful candidate in this role is dependent upon many factors such as location, transferable or job-related skills, work experience, relevant training, business needs, and market demands. The base salary range may be subject to change.

At Remote, we foster internal mobility as a key element of our culture of employee growth and development, supported by a compensation philosophy that guarantees pay equity and fairness. Therefore, all compensation changes associated with an internal move will be reviewed by the Total Rewards & People Enablement team on a case by case basis.

The annual salary range for this full-time position is$66,550—$112,300 USD

Benefits

Our full benefits & perks are explained in our handbook at remote.com/r/benefits. As a global company, each country works differently, but some benefits/perks are for all Remoters:

• work from anywhere
• flexible paid time off
• flexible working hours (we are async)
• 16 weeks paid parental leave
• budget towards co-working spaces, learning and wellness (including gym memberships)
• mental health support services
• stock options
• home office budget & IT equipment

How you’ll plan your day (and life)

We work async at Remote which means you can plan your schedule around your life (and not around meetings). Read more at remote.com/async.

You will be empowered to take ownership and be proactive. When in doubt you will default to action instead of waiting. Your life-work balance is important and you will be encouraged to put yourself and your family first, and fit work around your needs.

If that sounds like something you want, apply now!

How to apply

1. Please fill out the form below and upload your CV with a PDF format.
2. We kindly ask you to submit your application and CV in English, as this is the standardised language we use here at Remote.
3. If you don’t have an up to date CV but you are still interested in talking to us, please feel free to add a copy of your LinkedIn profile instead.

Not only do we encourage folks from all ethnic groups, genders, sexuality, age, abilities, disability status and any other under-represented group to apply, but we prioritize a sense of belonging. We have 4 ERGs (Women, Disability, Queer, Minorities in Tech) who meet regularly with the People team. During your interviews and beyond, we ask & encourage anybody who needs an accommodation to request one from their recruiter.

We will ask you to voluntarily tell us your pronouns at interview stage, and you will have the option to answer our anonymous demographic questionnaire when you apply below. As an equal employment opportunity employer it’s important to us that our workforce reflects people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences and this data will help us to stay accountable. We thank you for providing this data, if you chose to.

At Remote, we embrace AI as a valuable tool while prioritizing human creativity and authenticity. We look forward to meeting candidates who balance innovation with genuine expertise and experience. To learn more about Remote's AI guidelines check see here. 

Please note we accept applications on an ongoing basis.