Sr. Manager, Payroll

GAQ128R86 Mission Databricks is looking for a Senior Manager, Payroll to own end-to-end payroll delivery for the Europe region. This is a hands-on leadership role — you will run the operations, lead the team, own the compliance, and be the subject matter expert the business turns to when it matters. You will sit within the Global Payroll function, reporting directly to the Director, Global Payroll Operations , contributing to global strategy, cross-regional alignment, and function-wide initiatives beyond your direct remit. You will manage a team of two to five payroll professionals and be accountable for accurate, timely, and compliant payroll for a fast-scaling workforce. This is not a coordinator role with a manager title. We need someone who has been in the engine room, knows what good looks like, and can build it here. Individual will not be ‘back office’ this is a business facing role and enhancing employee experience and stakeholder management is key. The impact you will have: Payroll Operations • Own the full payroll cycle, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and a clean audit trail on every run • Manage the payroll calendar, cut-off deadlines, and coordination with HR and Finance to ensure data integrity from hire to final pay • Serve as the primary escalation point for payroll discrepancies, employee queries, and operational issues — resolving with speed and precision • Drive continuous improvement across payroll processes, reducing manual effort and increasing controls without sacrificing responsiveness • Drive high performance from payroll vendors. Technology & Systems • Work with our Payroll GPO and Leadership team to build Data and AI enabled payroll operations • Identify opportunities to reduce manual reconciliation and improve data accuracy across the payroll tech stack Tax Compliance • Good understanding of requirements outside the payslip (such as PSA and STBV in UK) and able to input and work with relevant teams to ensure compliance. Equity & Supplemental Compensation • Manage payroll processing and tax withholding for RSU vesting events , including coordination with Stock Administration on vest schedules, sell-to-cover mechanics, and supplemental withholding rates • Partner with Legal and Tax on equity income sourcing and reporting obligations on equity-derived income • Reconcile equity payroll data to stock admin records each quarter with zero tolerance for mismatch Team Leadership • Lead, develop, and performance-manage a team of payroll professionals — setting clear expectations, managing workload, and building capability • Expected to take a broader leadership role across the Global Payroll team as a senior leader within it. • Create a team culture where accuracy is non-negotiable, deadlines are owned not managed around, and problems surface early • Build redundancy and cross-training so the function is never single-threaded • Coach the team on technical depth — tax law, equity mechanics, compliance — so they grow into the next generation of payroll leaders Controls, Audit & Governance • Design and maintain SOX-compliant payroll controls, including segregation of duties, approval workflows, and exception reporting • Lead payroll's response to internal and external audits — preparing documentation, managing timelines, and closing findings without repeat • Maintain payroll policy documentation and desktop procedures, updated with every legislative or system change • Produce monthly payroll metrics and variance analysis for Finance and HR leadership What we look for: • 8+ years of hands-on payroll experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing a team • Deep working knowledge of European Payrolls • Proven experience managing RSU and equity payroll — from vest even