Senior Payroll Specialist

We are rebuilding biotech for the AI era.

When a breakthrough is delayed, the world waits. Getting a molecule from discovery to patients, or a crop from lab to field, involves thousands of slow, manual, disconnected steps. AI has the potential to change this, compressing decades of R&D work into years. But that only happens when clean, structured scientific data and AI are built into how science gets done.

Benchling is the AI platform for biotech R&D. Scientists use Benchling to design experiments, capture structured data, and run AI agents and models directly in their workflows. Over 200,000 scientists around the world trust Benchling to power their most important work, from academic labs to Sanofi, Moderna, and more than half of the world's top 50 biopharma.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Benchling is looking for a Senior Payroll Specialist to own and help scale our global payroll operations. In this role, you will serve as the primary owner of US multi-state payroll processing while supporting non-US payroll in EMEA (and possibly in LATAM, APAC in the future) in partnership with the regional payroll processors. You will work cross-functionally with People, Accounting, and Legal to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely pay for our employees. You will also apply a continuous improvement mindset across day-to-day processing, system builds, and automation initiatives. This role is well-suited for a payroll professional who is equally comfortable in the details of a complex pay run and leading cross-functional process improvement initiatives.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own end-to-end US payroll processing across multiple states, ensuring accuracy and timeliness for all pay runs.

• Support EMEA payroll operations across Switzerland, UK (including Northern Ireland), Republic of Ireland, France, Germany, and Denmark, in partnership with regional vendors and the Payroll Manager.

• Administer leave of absence payroll processing, ensuring accurate pay, benefit deductions, and compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.

• Act as a subject matter expert and point of contact for employee and internal partner payroll inquiries.

• Collect, verify, and maintain compensation, benefit, and deduction data to support payroll calculations and ensure data integrity.

• Ensure proper taxation and compliance with federal, state, local, and international payroll regulations across all operating jurisdictions.

• Process equity-related payroll items, including stock options and RSUs, and ensure proper tax withholding and reporting compliance.

• Perform payroll accounting tasks including journal entries and GL reconciliations, as part of month/quarter/year-end close activities.

• Support external audits, including financial statement audits, workers' compensation audits, and 401(k) audits, by preparing schedules, pulling data, and responding to auditor inquiries.

• Identify opportunities for process improvement and drive cross-functional initiatives to enhance payroll operations, system efficiency, and compliance.

• Leverage AI and automation tools to streamline payroll workflows, reduce manual effort, and improve operational efficiency.

• Collaborate with People, Finance, and Legal teams on payroll matters and policy compliance.

• Assist with payroll system implementations, upgrades, and related projects as needed.

• Support future payroll entity build-outs in APAC and LATAM as the company expands into new regions.

   

QUALIFICATIONS

 Required

• 5+ years of experience processing multi-state US payroll, with broad familiarity across most states

• Proficiency in ADP Workforce Now

• Proficiency in Workday HCM

• Hands-on experience supporting EMEA payroll, including one or more of the following: Switzerland, UK (including Northern Ireland), Republic of Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark

• Experience processing equity compensation, including stock options and RSUs, with a strong understanding of associated tax withholding and compliance requirements

• Experience processing taxable/non-taxable fringe benefits, leave of absence, 401(k), overtime pay, and visa holder payroll

• Hands-on experience supporting financial statement audits, workers' compensation audits, and 401(k) audits, including preparation of schedules and responding to auditor requests

• Experience performing payroll accounting tasks including journal entries and GL reconciliations

• Demonstrated ability to identify process improvement opportunities and lead or contribute to cross-functional initiatives

• Highly organized with strong attention to detail; ability to prioritize competing deadlines and pivot as business needs shift

• Intermediate Excel skills including XLOOKUP, pivot tables, and IF functions

• Ability to handle confidential data with discretion and professionalism

• Effective written and verbal communication skills across various levels of management and external partners

Desired

• Familiarity with APAC payroll practices, particularly in Korea and/or Japan

• Familiarity with LATAM payroll practices, particularly in Mexico and/or Colombia

• Experience with an equity management system (e.g., Carta, Equity Edge)

• Experience with NetSuite

• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification

• Experience with payroll system implementations

• Experience using AI and automation tools to build or improve payroll workflows and drive operational efficiency

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Benchling welcomes everyone.

We believe diversity enriches our team so we hire people with a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and experiences.

We are an equal opportunity employer. That means we don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.