Senior Payroll Specialist

We are rebuilding biotech for the AI era.

When a breakthrough is delayed, the world waits. Getting a molecule from discovery to patients, or a crop from lab to field, involves thousands of slow, manual, disconnected steps. AI has the potential to change this, compressing decades of R&D work into years. But that only happens when clean, structured scientific data and AI are built into how science gets done.

Benchling is the AI platform for biotech R&D. Scientists use Benchling to design experiments, capture structured data, and run AI agents and models directly in their workflows. Over 200,000 scientists around the world trust Benchling to power their most important work, from academic labs to Sanofi, Moderna, and more than half of the world's top 50 biopharma.

ROLE OVERVIEW

Benchling is looking for a Senior Payroll Specialist to own and help scale our global payroll operations. In this role, you will serve as the primary owner of US multi-state payroll processing while supporting non-US payroll in EMEA (and possibly in LATAM, APAC in the future) in partnership with the regional payroll processors. You will work cross-functionally with People, Accounting, and Legal to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely pay for our employees. You will also apply a continuous improvement mindset across day-to-day processing, system builds, and automation initiatives. This role is well-suited for a payroll professional who is equally comfortable in the details of a complex pay run and leading cross-functional process improvement initiatives.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own end-to-end US payroll processing across multiple states, ensuring accuracy and timeliness for all pay runs.

• Support EMEA payroll operations across Switzerland, UK (including Northern Ireland), Republic of Ireland, France, Germany, and Denmark, in partnership with regional vendors and the Payroll Manager.

• Administer leave of absence payroll processing, ensuring accurate pay, benefit deductions, and compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.

• Act as a subject matter expert and point of contact for employee and internal partner payroll inquiries.

• Collect, verify, and maintain compensation, benefit, and deduction data to support payroll calculations and ensure data integrity.

• Ensure proper taxation and compliance with federal, state, local, and international payroll regulations across all operating jurisdictions.

• Process equity-related payroll items, including stock options and RSUs, and ensure proper tax withholding and reporting compliance.

• Perform payroll accounting tasks including journal entries and GL reconciliations, as part of month/quarter/year-end close activities.

• Support external audits, including financial statement audits, workers' compensation audits, and 401(k) audits, by preparing schedules, pulling data, and responding to auditor inquiries.

• Identify opportunities for process improvement and drive cross-functional initiatives to enhance payroll operations, system efficiency, and compliance.

• Leverage AI and automation tools to streamline payroll workflows, reduce manual effort, and improve operational efficiency.

• Collaborate with People, Finance, and Legal teams on payroll matters and policy compliance.

• Assist with payroll system implementations, upgrades, and related projects as needed.

• Support future payroll entity build-outs in APAC and LATAM as the company expands into new regions.

   

QUALIFICATIONS

 Required

• 5+ years of experience processing multi-state US payroll, with broad familiarity across most states

• Proficiency in ADP Workforce Now

• Proficiency in Workday HCM

• Hands-on experience supporting EMEA payroll, including one or more of the following: Switzerland, UK (including Northern Ireland), Republic of Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark

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