Payroll Operations Specialist

An overview of this role

As a Payroll Operations Specialist, you'll play a key role in ensuring accurate, compliant, and efficient payroll operations for GitLab team members across multiple countries. You'll bridge business needs with technical solutions by leading payroll testing for system implementations and updates, supporting global payroll-impacting projects, and partnering closely with People, Benefits, Accounting, and Operations to keep data accurate and processes consistent. You'll dig into complex reconciliations between payroll and accounting records to identify root causes and process gaps, then help define and implement improvements that enhance data integrity and the team member experience. You'll also provide backup support for payroll processing during long term absences, helping maintain business continuity in a fully remote, globally distributed environment.

What You’ll Do  

• Support global payroll-impacting projects and drive change management to improve accuracy, efficiency, and team member experience in payroll operations
• Lead payroll testing activities for system implementations, upgrades, process changes, and integrations, documenting results and issues clearly
• Collaborate with People, Benefits, Accounting, and Operations teams to align on requirements, timelines, and deliverables for payroll-related initiatives
• Perform comprehensive reconciliations of historical payroll and accounting records to identify variances, analyze root causes, and define remediation plans
• Maintain and enhance data integrity across payroll systems and related tools by validating inputs, monitoring outputs, and escalating discrepancies as needed
• Provide clear, proactive communication and guidance to partner functions, explaining payroll impacts, trade-offs, and timelines, ensuring questions are resolved and decisions are well-documented
• Support end-to-end payroll processing coverage as needed, including during long-term absences, to ensure continuity of operations and compliance with internal controls

What You’ll Bring 

• Experience supporting end-to-end payroll processing and payroll operations projects in a multi-country environment
• Practical knowledge of payroll accounting, including reconciling payroll and general ledger data and resolving variances
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets at an intermediate level, with the ability to quickly learn new tools and systems
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with GitLab team members and external vendors, both in writing and verbally, including explaining complex payroll reconciliations, variances, and process changes in an accessible way
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and maintain high attention to detail
• Experience working with or exposure to tools such as Workday, ADP, Papaya, MacOS, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Forms
• Demonstrated focus on accountability, customer service, and thorough, accurate work in a collaborative team setting
• Openness to learning, adapting to process changes, and applying transferable skills from related payroll, accounting, or operations roles

About the team

You'll join the Global Payroll team, which is responsible for accurate, compliant, and timely payroll operations for GitLab team members across multiple countries. We partner closely with People, Benefits, Accounting, and Operations to maintain reliable end to end payroll processes, support system changes, and ensure data integrity across our tools and vendors. As a fully remote, distributed team, we collaborate asynchronously across time zones, using documentation and shared workflows to keep projects and daily operations aligned. We are focused on improving payroll systems, refining reconciliations and controls, and supporting business changes so that GitLab team members experience consistent, dependable pay and related services.