Payroll Manager; Global

Who are we?

Our mission is to scale intelligence to serve humanity. We’re training and deploying frontier models for developers and enterprises who are building AI systems to power magical experiences like content generation, semantic search, RAG, and agents. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI.

We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. We like to work hard and move fast to do what’s best for our customers.

Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are passionate about their craft. Each person is one of the best in the world at what they do. We believe that a diverse range of perspectives is a requirement for building great products.

Join us on our mission and shape the future!

Cohere seeks a Payroll Manager to own and scale our global multi-country payroll operations across North America, Europe, and APAC. In this role you will be responsible for ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing as we continue to grow rapidly across jurisdictions. You will partner closely with Finance, People, Legal, and regional external providers to build a global payroll function.

This is an opportunity for a hands‑on, detail‑oriented payroll leader who thrives in a high‑growth environment, is comfortable navigating ambiguity, and can design scalable processes that support a distributed workforce.

• Own end‑to‑end payroll processing for all global entities and employee populations, including full‑time employees, contractors, and international transfers.
• Ensure timely and accurate payroll cycles (bi‑weekly, semi‑monthly, monthly) across multiple jurisdictions.
• Validate payroll inputs (compensation changes, bonuses, commissions, benefits, leave, etc.) and review calculations.
• Oversee payroll reconciliations and perform monthly payroll‑related close activities (payroll‑related journal entries, accruals, and variance analyses).
• Serve as the primary point of contact for payroll queries from employees and internal stakeholders.

• Lead process improvements to increase accuracy, scalability, and automation of payroll workflows.
• Partner with People Ops to transition and modernize our global HRIS and payroll systems including platform implementation.
• Develop and maintain robust documentation, including global playbooks, country‑level SOPs, and integration maps to support future scale.
• Act as a subject‑matter expert for payroll system integrations with other platforms (e.g., accounting software, benefits administration).
• Implement and monitor KPIs to measure payroll process efficiency and accuracy.

• Ensure compliance with local tax regulations, and statutory reporting requirements across supported countries.
• Maintain and enhance internal controls over payroll, including segregation of duties, approvals, documentation standard.
• Manage audits (financial, tax, and internal) requiring payroll support.
• Stay current on global payroll legislation changes and coordinate implementation of required updates.
• Conduct periodic internal audits and risk assessments to identify control gaps.

• Manage relationships with global payroll providers, PEOs, and local in‑country partners.
• Evaluate vendor performance and partner on RFP efforts with Procurement.

• 6–10 years of progressive payroll experience.
• 3+ years of experience managing global payroll across multiple countries.
• CPP, CPA, or similar certification.
• Expertise in US and Canadian payroll compliance.
• Experience with EMEA/APAC payroll jurisdictions is a strong plus.
• Strong understanding of payroll accounting, including payroll accruals, reconciliations, and month‑end close processes.
• Proven experience implementing or upgrading payroll systems and process improvements.
• Deep attention to detail, high ownership, and an ability to operate in a fast‑paced, scaling environment.
• Excellent communication skills and comfort…