Director of Payroll (US & Canada)

About the role

Anthropic is seeking a Director of Payroll to own and lead payroll operations across the United States and Canada. Reporting to the Head of Global Payroll, you will combine hands‑on processing in Workday with strategic oversight of a small US payroll team.

Key responsibilities

• Manage end‑to‑end payroll processing for all US entities, including multi‑state, multi‑frequency, exempt and non‑exempt employees.
• Process complex equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs) with accurate tax withholding and timely reporting.
• Oversee high‑volume payments such as bonuses, commissions, severance and equity events.
• Lead quarter‑end, W‑2 preparation, year‑end reconciliations and resolution of federal and state tax notices.
• Maintain and continuously improve Workday payroll configuration, identifying automation opportunities.
• Partner with PwC Global Payroll Platform to manage Canada payroll, ensuring CRA compliance, T4s and multi‑province processing.
• Develop SOPs for Canada payroll as the function matures.
• Manage and develop 1–2 direct reports, fostering a culture of accuracy and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Accounting, Tax, Benefits, People Systems and Legal to ensure data integrity and audit readiness.
• Champion AI tools for reconciliation, anomaly detection and reporting within the payroll function.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading payroll operations for US and Canadian entities.
• Strong knowledge of payroll tax regulations in the United States and Canada.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and develop a small team.
• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Experience driving process automation and AI adoption in finance functions.

Required skills

• Workday payroll system