About Handshake

Handshake is building the career network for the AI economy, backed by the largest and most trusted job network on the internet. As the only three-sided job marketplace connecting 18 million knowledge workers, 1,500 educational institutions, and 1 million employers, Handshake powers career discovery, hiring, and upskilling—from first internships to full-time roles, freelance work to gig work, and beyond.

Founded in 2014, we’ve built the most trusted platform for early talent—owning the college-to-career market and powering nearly every career center. Today we’re building on that foundation to help students and early professionals upskill or reskill for the future.

Now’s a great time to join Handshake. Here’s why:

• Category Leader: Over 92% coverage across US universities & 77% of total US university student population.

• Proven Market Demand: Deep employer partnerships across Fortune 500s and the world’s leading AI research labs.

• World-Class Team: Leadership from Scale AI, Open AI, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, and Palantir, just to name a few.

• Capitalized & Scaling: $434M raised with a $175M+ run rate.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Manager, Payroll and Equity to join our Accounting team and support Handshakes continued growth. In this role, you will lead all aspects of global payroll operations, including ensuring accurate and timely processing, maintaining compliance with international and domestic regulations, and driving cross-functional collaboration. You will play a critical role in leading and developing the team, with an eye toward process optimization and transformation.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, highly organized, and possesses strong analytical and communication skills. They thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and bring a proactive, solution-oriented mindset to their work.

• Oversee payroll processing timely and accurately for 600+ employees located in the US, Canada and Europe

• Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, including periodic filings

• Timely address employees inquiries on payroll related matters. Build SLAs and standard operating procedures for payroll helpdesk

• Maintain payroll accounting entries and reconciliations, collaborate with the accounting team on payroll aspects of the month close and annual financial reporting

• Oversee equity administration, reporting and regulatory filings

• Develop and implement global payroll policies and procedures to ensure compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements

• Own relationships with consultants and third-party vendors supporting payroll preparation, employee benefits and compliance

• Collaborate with People and other teams to ensure seamless integration of payroll processes

• Develop payroll team to support expanding operations through hiring, training and supporting junior payroll team members

• Research compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, including tax laws and employment standards

• Maintain confidentiality and oversee sensitive information with discretion

Desired Capabilities

• Minimum 5 years of experience in multi-state and international payroll management in a fast paced high growth environment

• Proven track record of building payroll processes and implementing systems supporting payroll, employee benefits and equity administration

• Deep knowledge of payroll accounting and reconciliations, hands on experience with month end close process

• Ability to conduct research on payroll and tax rules, through identifying key areas to address and leveraging third party vendors where appropriate

• Knowledge of payroll, equity and related taxes legislation in the US and Europe, related compliance requirements

• Solid analytical and organizational skills, with great attention to detail

• Proficiency in payroll software and systems, such as Workday, Carta, Netsuite

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field

• Certification in payroll management, such as FPC or CPP preferred

Perks

Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supported—and thrive at work and in life.

The below benefits are for full-time US employees.

🎯 Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company

💰 Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching

🍼 Family Support: Paid p