Job Description

What You’ll Do

Payroll Operations & Compliance

• End-to-End Payroll Management: Oversee and execute timely, accurate semi-monthly payroll for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and monthly payroll for Brazil, including off-cycle runs, bonuses, and corrective adjustments.
• Compliance & Tax Administration: Ensure ongoing compliance with federal, state/provincial, and local tax regulations and wage laws across AMER jurisdictions, managing new U.S. tax registrations and year-end reporting (e.g., W-2s, T4s).
• Internal Controls & Quality Assurance: Review and approve all payroll runs prior to transmission, ensuring strict alignment with internal controls, company policies, local regulations, and audit requirements.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with People Operations, Stock Administration, Compensation, Benefits, and external vendors (e.g., ADP) to streamline workflows and resolve complex payroll discrepancies.
• Issue Resolution: Monitor, track, and drive the timely resolution of open payroll tickets, ensuring clear documentation and communication with impacted stakeholders.
• Month-End Accounting Support: Collaborate with the GL team on month-end close activities, managing payroll-related journal entries, reconciliations, and salary-related accruals.
• System & Integration Optimization: Drive payroll process improvements and automation initiatives, partnering with People Tech to optimize integrations between Workday and third-party payroll systems.
• Subject Matter Expertise: Serve as the AMER payroll SME, providing clear, consistent guidance on policy interpretations, tax amendments, and payroll inquiries to internal partners and employees.
• Data-Driven Reporting & Projects: Utilize payroll data and metrics to identify trends, support broader Finance and People initiatives (including platform and data-driven projects), and enable transparent decision-making.
• Team Leadership & Culture: Support, guide, and mentor payroll team members to build regional capability, while modeling a collaborative culture that constructively challenges the status quo.

What We’re Looking For

• Significant hands-on payroll experience for multi-state U.S. payroll plus at least one additional AMER country in a mid- to large-sized, multi-entity corporate environment.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. federal and state payroll tax, wage and hour rules, and year-end reporting; familiarity with Canadian, Mexican, and/or Brazilian regulations preferred.
• Equity knowledge (ESPP, NQ, ISO, RSU) preferred.
• Experience working with ADP and other third-party payroll providers; comfort working across multiple systems and integrations.
• Solid understanding of accounting concepts related to payroll (accruals, reconciliations, GL mapping) and experience supporting month-end close.
• Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets for reconciliations, variance analysis, and audit support.
• Proven ability to own processes end-to-end, manage deadlines, and operate effectively in a fast-changing environment.
• Collaborative work demonstrated success partnering across Finance, HR, Technology, Benefit, Stock, and Compensation teams.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $96,000 - $172,000. Your base pay will depend on your experience, skills, education, training, and location among other factors. All full-time positions or part-time roles working 30 hours or more a week at Guidewire are eligible for benefits that support their health and well-being including health, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, and a company sponsored retirement plan. In addition, some roles may be eligible for the annual company bonus plan, commissions, and/or long term incentive awards which are contingent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, company and employee performance.

Disability Accommodations and Guidewire’s Appeals Process. Guidewire provides accommodations to the hiring process to create a fair opportunity for candidates with disabilities to contend for open positions. Accommodation requests should be directed to Accommodations@guidewire.com. If things do not go as hoped, we invite you to use our appeals process. Guidewire promises to independently review any denied accommodation and any decision not to offer you the position. The appeals process is the same in either case. Within five business days of receiving a notice of denial of an accommodation, or receiving a notice of your non-selection for a vacancy, e-mail Accommodations@guidewire.com to make an appeal. Guidewire will assign a new decision-maker to review the request and/or hiring decision, who will then notify you in writing of a decision within 10 business days.