Sr. Manager Global Payroll at Hopper - Remote UK — Columbus

About the Role

As the Senior Manager of Global Payroll Systems & Equity Operations at HTS, you will serve as a player-coach reporting to the Head of People Operations & Workforce Technology to modernize and scale our workforce compensation infrastructure. Sitting on the leadership team, your mandate is to transition the function away from manual, multi-vendor handoffs into an automated, highly scalable operating model that maximizes systemic efficiency without proportional headcount growth. This high-visibility role uniquely blends global cross-functional system design with hands-on execution to directly mitigate operational and financial risk.

What Would Your Day-to-Day Look Like

• Own the end-to-end global payroll operating model across employees, contractors, EORs, PEOs, and local providers.
• Manage and develop a team of 2–3 direct reports while maintaining execution discipline and high operational standards.
• Lead the operational administration of employee equity in Shareworks, covering grant processing, data updates, and multi-department reconciliation.
• Identify and implement automation workflows to minimize manual data transfers, recurring exceptions, and data friction.
• Partner with HR Technology, IT, and Finance to drive payroll platform consolidations and maximize system reliability.
• Strengthen compliance protocols, payroll controls, and documentation to protect the business from financial exposure and ensure audit readiness.
• Establish clear processing calendars, accountability metrics, and data scorecards to measure function accuracy and capacity gains.
• Step into complex tax, equity, and market-specific payroll challenges to drive swift cross-functional resolution.

An Ideal Candidate Has

• Global Payroll Leadership: Proven experience managing multi-country payroll operations, specifically navigating EOR, PEO, and local provider frameworks.
• Equity Administration Expertise: Direct familiarity handling equity platforms like Shareworks, including managing grant lifecycles and complex equity tax coordination.
• Systems & Automation Focus: A strong track record of designing HRIS integrations, optimizing workflows, and intentionally removing manual touchpoints from financial operations.
• Controls & Compliance Rigor: Deep knowledge of payroll controls, financial audit readiness, and tax implications within a high-growth technology or fintech corporate structure.
• Player-Coach Capability: The demonstrated capability to manage and upskill a remote operational team while simultaneously acting as a hands-on technical expert.
• Commercial & Analytical Mindset: The ability to convert complex operational patterns into clear, data-driven decisions that improve company-wide scaling efficiency.

Benefits

• Well-funded and proven startup with large ambitions, competitive salary, upsides of pre-IPO equity packages.
• Hopper covers 100% of the premiums for the employee for a group insurance plan through Vitality Health.
• Automatic contributions when you start with Hopper through Smart Pension.
• Please ask us about our very generous parental leave, much above industry standards!
• Access to co-working space on demand through FlexDesk AND work-from-home stipend.
• Carrot Cash travel stipend.
• Unlimited PTO.
• Entrepreneurial culture where pushing limits and taking risks is everyday business.
• Open communication with management and company leadership.
• Small, dynamic teams = massive impact.

More About Hopper

At Hopper, we are on a mission to become the leading travel platform globally – powering Hopper's mobile app, website and our B2B business, HTS (Hopper Technology Solutions). By leveraging massive amounts of data and advanced machine learning algorithms, Hopper combines its world-class travel agency offering with proprietary fintech products to bring transparency, flexibility and savings to travelers globally.

The Hopper platform serves hundreds of millions of travelers globally and continues to capture market share around the world. The Hopper app has been downloaded over 120 million times and has become largely popular among younger travelers – with 70% of its users being Gen Z and millennials.

Through HTS, our B2B division, the company supercharges its partners' direct channels by integrating our fintech products on their sites or powering end-to-end travel portals. Today, our partners include leading travel brands like Capital One, Nubank, Air Canada, and many more.

Hopper has raised over $750 million USD of private capital and is backed by some of the largest institutional investors and banks in the world. Hopper has been named the #1 most innovative company in travel by Fast Company, is the #3 largest online travel agency in North America, and continues to have millions of new installs each month.

Come take off with us!

At Hopper, we leverage AI-driven tools to assist our team in efficiently reviewing applications. These tools help us assess qualifications fairly and objectively. By submitting your application, you acknowledge the use of these automated screening technologies.