Manager, Global Payroll (North America)
e.l.f. Beauty
Full-time
On-site
Oakland, California, United States
Compensation and Benefits
About the Company
e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. stands with every eye, lip, face and paw. Our deep commitment to clean, cruelty free beauty at an incredible value has fueled the success of our flagship brand e.l.f. Cosmetics since 2004 and driven our portfolio expansion. Today, our multi-brand portfolio includes e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. SKIN, pioneering clean beauty brand Well People, Keys Soulcare, a groundbreaking lifestyle beauty brand created with Alicia Keys, Naturium, high-performance, biocompatible, clinically-effective and accessible skin care, and our newest brand, rhode, a line of curated skincare essentials, formulated for a variety of skin types and needs with high performance ingredients, it’s a daily routine that nourishes your skin barrier over time.
In our Fiscal year 25, we had net sales of $1 Billion and our business performance has been nothing short of extraordinary with 28 consecutive quarters of net sales growth. We are the #2 mass cosmetics brand in the US and are the fastest growing mass cosmetics brand among the top 5. Our total compensation philosophy offers every full-time new hire competitive pay and benefits, bonus eligibility (200% of target over the last six fiscal years), equity, flexible time off, year-round half-day Fridays, and a hybrid 3 day in office, 2 day at home work environment. We believe the combination of our unique culture, total compensation, workplace flexibility and care for the team is unmatched across not just beauty but any industry.
Visit our Career Page to learn more about our team: https://www.elfbeauty.com/work-with-us
About the Role
The Global Payroll Manager (North America) will oversee end-to-end payroll operations across the United States and Canada, serving as our technical payroll regulatory expert. This role will focus on establishing scalable infrastructure, standardized processes, and performance frameworks to support our global operations and enable future growth and geographic expansion.
This position is ideal for a hands-on payroll leader who thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous, and rapidly growing environments. The successful candidate will have deep technical expertise in North American payroll regulations, significant experience in payroll and HR system configuration and reporting customization, and a proven track record of driving operational excellence through automation, process optimization, and quality oversight with quantifiable metrics.
This role requires strong business process management capabilities and the ability to work effectively across time zones, partnering closely with our India-based payroll team to ensure seamless global payroll operations.
Responsibilities:
- Oversight over end-to-end payroll operations, compliance, and transformation for North America (U.S. and Canada), with potential future geographic expansion.
- Serve as the technical payroll regulatory expert for North American Payroll statutory requirements, tax compliance, and regulatory reporting (Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), federal, state/provincial, and local).
- Design, implement, and maintain foundational payroll processes, controls, and organizational infrastructure to support current and future-state operations.
- Drive payroll system configuration, integration, and reporting customization initiatives across payroll and HR platforms (ADP, SAP, BambooHR, or similar enterprise HR Information Systems).
- Lead automation and optimization initiatives to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of payroll operations.
- Establish and maintain disciplined quality oversight frameworks with quantifiable metrics and KPIs to measure accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
- Implement continuous improvement methodologies and track performance metrics to drive operational excellence.
- Manage business process design and documentation, ensuring standardization and scalability across regions.
- Lead system and supplier evaluations, implementations, and vendor management activities.
- Collaborate effectively across time zones with the India-based payroll team, providing guidance, training, and operational oversight.
- Partner with HR, Finance, IT, and external vendors to ensure seamless payroll execution and issue resolution.
- Establish and maintain payroll process documentation, audit controls, and SOX compliance requirements.
- Conduct root cause analysis on payroll discrepancies and implement corrective and preventative actions.
- Champion a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and employee experience excellence.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Human Resources, or related field.
- 8+ years of progressive payroll experience with 5+ years in a leadership or management role.
- Deep technical expertise in U.S. payroll regulations, tax compliance, and statutory reporting requirements.
- Experience working in fast-paced, ambiguous, high-growth environments where foundational infrastructure and processes are being established.
- Significant hands-on experience with payroll and HR system configuration, including workflow design, integration development, and custom reporting.
- Proven track record of automation and optimization initiatives (e.g., RPA, RDA, AI/ML, Microsoft Power Automate, API integrations).
- Demonstrated experience establishing quality oversight frameworks with quantifiable metrics (accuracy rates, SLA compliance, error reduction, cycle-time improvements).
- Strong foundation in business process management, including process mapping, standardization, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Proven success leading system implementations, vendor evaluations, and supplier management projects.
- Experience working across multiple time zones and managing or collaborating with geographically distributed teams.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage complex data, compliance requirements, and multi-system integrations.
- Proficiency with payroll, finance, and HR systems such as ADP, SAP, BambooHR, or other enterprise HRIS platforms.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence across all organizational levels.
Preferred Skills:
- Advanced degree (Master's in Business, Accounting, Finance, or related field).
- Professional certifications such as Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or other recognized payroll credentials.
- Lean Six Sigma certification or equivalent process improvement certification.
- Understanding of payroll governance, audit, and control frameworks (SOX, COSO, ISO, or similar).
- Experience with Canadian, South American, and other regional payroll regulations.
- Advanced Excel/data analysis skills and experience with business intelligence tools (Tableau, Power BI, etc.).
- Project management certification (PMP, Agile, etc.) or demonstrated project management experience.
- Experience designing and implementing shared service or center of excellence (COE) operating models.
- Knowledge of change management principles and experience leading organizational transformation initiatives.
- Familiarity with HR transformation, digital workplace initiatives, and employee self-service technologies.
Key Competencies:
- Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of payroll regulations, system architecture, and compliance requirements.
- Quality & Metrics Orientation: Data-driven approach to quality management with focus on measurable outcomes and continuous improvement.
- Process Excellence: Strong business process management capabilities with ability to design scalable, efficient workflows.
- Change Leadership: Comfortable with ambiguity and skilled at building infrastructure in high-growth, evolving environments.
- Global Collaboration: Ability to work effectively across cultures and time zones with distributed teams.
- Strategic Thinking: Balances tactical execution with strategic vision for future-state organization design.
- Innovation Mindset: Proactive identification and implementation of automation, technology, and process improvements.
- Stakeholder Management: Strong influencing and relationship-building skills across all organizational levels.
$80,000 - $130,000 a year
The base salary range for this role is listed above.
Total compensation includes base salary, annual company-based performance bonus, and equity. Under e.l.f.’s annual bonus program, employees are eligible to earn up to 200% of their target bonus when company performance exceeds defined goals. In addition, e.l.f. provides a variety of other benefits to employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a retirement savings plan, gender neutral parental leave, and unlimited paid time off. The amount of total compensation (including base salary) offered will be based on a wide range of factors, including geographic location, experience, specific skills, and qualifications.
Compensation components are subject to change at the company’s discretion
This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed in this position. It also reflects the general details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job identified, and shall not be considered, as detailed description of all the work required inherent in the job. It is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities, and it is subject to changes and exceptions at the supervisors’ discretion.
e.l.f. Beauty respects your privacy. Please see our Job Applicant Privacy Notice (www.elfbeauty.com/us-job-applicant-privacy-notice) for how your personal information is used and shared.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.