Global Head of Payroll
Designer Fund is a venture fund and design partner that invests in early-stage technology companies where design is central to value creation. It supports founders with product and brand design, hiring, fundraising, and access to a design-focused community.
About Designer Fund
Designer Fund invests in early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A that use design to improve health, sustainability, and prosperity. The fund provides capital, design strategy, product and brand guidance, design hiring support, fundraising assistance, investor introductions, and access to the Designer Fund Collective of founders, advisors, and design leaders. Its portfolio includes technology companies serving sectors such as financial infrastructure, healthcare, developer tools, collaboration, climate technology, and productivity.
Skills
About the Role
You will lead and scale payroll operations across our global footprint, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll delivery for employees across the United States, Europe, Israel, and other international markets. You will build and develop a high-performing global payroll organization, establish scalable processes and controls, and serve as a key partner to the Finance, Legal, People, and Operations teams. You will operate strategically while remaining close to the details, driving operational excellence in a fast-paced, high-growth, and globally distributed environment.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field
- 10+ years of progressive payroll leadership experience, including responsibility for multinational payroll operations
- Demonstrated experience leading global payroll teams across multiple countries and regions
- Strong understanding of payroll taxes, financial controls, and payroll compliance
- Proven ability to build scalable payroll processes and lead through periods of growth, change, and system transformation
- Strong project management skills with experience managing multiple priorities and stakeholders simultaneously
- Hands-on leadership style with a willingness to dive into operational details when needed
- Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and process improvement capabilities
- Excellent communication skills and ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization
- High degree of discretion and commitment to maintaining confidentiality
Responsibilities
- Lead global payroll operations across all countries and entities, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant payroll processing
- Manage, coach, and develop a team of Payroll Managers and payroll professionals across multiple regions
- Establish scalable payroll governance, controls, policies, and operating procedures that support a growing global workforce
- Own relationships with global payroll providers, Employer of Record partners, tax advisors, and other payroll vendors
- Partner closely with People Operations to ensure accurate and timely flow of employee data
- Partner with Finance, Accounting, Tax, Equity Administration, and Legal to ensure compliance with global payroll regulations
- Ensure accurate processing and reporting of equity compensation, including RSUs, stock options, and related payroll tax obligations
- Drive payroll technology strategy and optimization, including Workday Payroll, global payroll platforms, integrations, automation, reporting, and system implementations
- Develop meaningful payroll metrics, dashboards, and reporting packages
- Ensure accurate and timely payroll tax filings, registrations, remittances, garnishments, and statutory reporting requirements
- Identify opportunities to streamline processes, improve controls, reduce risk, and enhance the employee payroll experience
- Serve as the senior escalation point for complex payroll matters and drive timely resolution
Benefits
- Free medical plans
- 401K matching
