Payroll Senior Manager, Americas

Join the team redefining how the world experiences design.
Hello, g'day, mabuhay, kia ora, 你好, hallo, vítejte
Thanks for stopping by. We know job hunting can be a little time consuming and you're probably keen to find out what's on offer, so we'll get straight to the point.
Where and how you can work
Our flagship office is in Sydney, Australia, but we've made our way from down under, to a hub San Francisco, which is now home to our US operations. We offer flexibility in how and where you work, we trust our Canvanauts to choose the balance that empowers them and their team to achieve their goals.
What you'd be doing in this role
As Canva scales change continues to be part of our DNA. But we like to think that's all part of the fun. So this will give you the flavour of the type of things you'll be working on when you start, but this will likely evolve.
This role is a fantastic opportunity to champion Canva's employee-centric attitude across the Americas and EMEA region. The primary responsibility of the Payroll Lead will be to own the end-to-end payroll process in the United States, United Kingdom, Austria, Czech Republic, and more. This Leader will serve as the main point of contact and subject matter expert for all payroll-related matters within the regions. This role will actively support global expansion initiatives in the Americas and EMEA, while also playing a key role in shaping our processes for continued growth and the increasing complexities of payroll and benefits compliance in these regions. The Payroll Lead will have the chance to make a significant impact, helping to shape the evolution of Canva's payroll function.
At the moment, this role is focused on:

• Ownership of end-to-end payroll processing for the Americas and EMEA, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness.
• Serve as the go-to resource and subject matter expert for all Americas and EMEA payroll-related matters, including future payroll or Employer of Record (EOR) expansions within the Americas.
• Stay up-to-date with payroll laws, regulations, and tax requirements across the Americas and EMEA, ensuring payroll processes are compliant.
• Identify opportunities for process optimization and automation within the payroll function, implementing best practices to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
• Collaborate with People Ops, Legal, Finance, and other departments to communicate and implement payroll-related changes, policies, and procedures.
• Compile and analyze payroll data, producing regular reports for management and relevant stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance payroll operations, data integrity, and reporting capabilities.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support system upgrades, implementations, and integrations related to payroll systems.
• Provide leadership in addressing complex payroll issues and resolving escalations, ensuring excellent customer service.
• Update and maintain KPIs and SLAs, including accuracy and timeliness.
• Be part of a fun and agile team that constantly seeks to support and develop each other in a hyper-growth environment.

You're probably a match if

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field. A Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Global Payroll Management Institute (GPMI) designation is a plus.
• People management experience and leading a globally distributed team.
• 8+ years of payroll experience in the United States, United Kingdom, Czech Republic or Austrian payroll, with specific expertise in handling complex payroll processes and ensuring compliance across multiple countries in the Americas and EMEA.
• In-depth knowledge of payroll regulations, tax laws, and labor legislation in the Americas and EMEA
• Highly organized, and attention to detail, with the ability to ensure accuracy in payroll calculations and data entry.
• Proficiency in using payroll software and systems. Experience with Paylocity, ADP Global view/ADP Celegro, Workday or similar platforms is preferred.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively liaise with cross-functional teams, employees, and external partners.
• Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills, with the capacity to identify issues and implement solutions proactively.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets, with expertise in managing large datasets and creating complex formulas, functions, and macros (is a plus).
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, adapting quickly to changing circumstances and effectively navigating competing priorities.
• High level of integrity and discretion, handling confidential employee information and sensitive payroll data.

About the team
Canva's Payroll team is a part of the Finance Group, predominantly based in Australia, and growing teams in the United States, EMEA and the Philippines. We manage payroll for our ever-growing community of Canvanauts worldwide.
As Canva continues to rapidly grow and expand globally, the payroll function faces increased complexity in scaling operations and compliance. We are expanding the team, adding technical expertise and operational skills to help Canva achieve its crazy big goals.
With payroll being one of the most critical functions in Finance, the team plays a significant role in making Canva one of the best places to work. We are dedicated to ensuring that every Canvanaut is paid accurately and on time, providing an excellent employee experience.
What's in it for you?
Achieving our crazy big goals motivates us to work hard - and we do - but you'll experience lots of moments of magic, connectivity and fun woven throughout life at Canva, too. We also offer a range of benefits to set you up for every success in and outside of work.
Here's a taste of what's on offer:

• Equity packages - we want our success to be yours too
• Health benefits plans to support you and your wellbeing
• 401(k) retirement plan with company contribution
• Inclusive parental leave policy that supports all parents & carers
• An annual Vibe & Thrive allowance to support your wellbeing, social connection, office setup & more
• Flexible leave options that empower you to be a force for good, take time to recharge and supports you personally

Check out for more info.
At Canva we value fairness, and we strive to provide competitive, market-informed compensation whilst ensuring internal equity within the team in each region. We make hiring decisions based on your skills, experience and our overall assessment of what we observed and learnt in the hiring process. The target salary range for this position is $169,000 to $259,000. When calculating offers, we make salary decisions based on market data and candidates' skills and experience.
Other stuff to know
We make hiring decisions based on your experience, skills and passion, as well as how you can enhance Canva and our culture. When you apply, please tell us the pronouns you use and any reasonable adjustments you may need during the interview process.
We celebrate all types of skills and backgrounds at Canva so even if you don't feel like your skills quite match what's listed above - we still want to hear from you
Please note that interviews are conducted virtually.