About Rivian Rivian is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract. As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations. Role Summary We are seeking a high-caliber, compliance-minded Sr. Payroll Specialist to own the execution, auditing, and optimization of our multi-state US payroll operations. This is a highly visible role that sits at the intersection of Finance, HR, and Technology. You will be responsible for managing complex weekly and bi-weekly payroll cycles, ensuring strict SOX compliance, and serving as a critical partner for system testing and cross-functional data integration. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, love leveraging technology like Workday and ServiceNow to solve complex problems, and pride yourself on 100% accuracy, this role is for you. The Sr. Payroll Specialist will be expected to report onsite to your assigned office and work in a hybrid capacity. You'll be reporting directly to our Director, Payroll. Responsibilities Process accurate and timely multi-state payrolls for 15,000+ US weekly and bi-weekly employees Manage and audit time-tracking data within Workday to ensure accurate hours and reporting Partner cross-functionally with internal teams to gather, verify, and input manual payroll data Ensure all payroll data, transactions, and changes are thoroughly documented and audited for SOX compliance Process off-cycle payments, manual checks, and expedited runs as needed Perform and balance payroll-related bank reconciliations to support corporate accounting Run internal audits regularly to ensure strict alignment with company policies and guidelines Serve as Tier 3 support for advanced escalations via ServiceNow, investigating root causes and executing corrections Partner with the systems team as the core Point of Contact (POC) for user acceptance testing (UAT) on new configurations, payroll codes, and system updates prior to implementation Demonstrate continuous effort to improve operations, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide high-quality customer service Troubleshoot problems with paychecks, tax deductions, timecard issues, and other complex payroll-related matters Qualifications High School Diploma, GED, or other recognized high school equivalency credential required 5+ years of progressive experience in corporate payroll processing multi-state populations Advanced hands-on experience with Workday Payroll, Workday Time Tracking, and loading EIBs Strong foundational understanding of SOX compliance controls and internal auditing procedures Experience managing and resolving advanced case escalations within an enterprise ticketing system (e.g., ServiceNow) Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Suite for data analysis, reporting, and collaboration Prior exposure to or familiarity with Canadian payroll laws and/or equity/stock payroll processing is a plus Exceptional attention to detail, strong problem-solving skills, and the ability to maintain strict confidentiality Pay Disclosure The salary range for this role is $79,700 to $99,600 for Atlanta, GA, Normal, IL, and Plymouth, MI based applicants. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs. The successful candidate may be eligible for annual performance bonus and equity awards. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits including life, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to participate in Rivian’s 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Plan if you meet certain eligibility requirements. Full-time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part-time employee coverage is effective the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com. You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than July 10, 2026. Equal Opportunity Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at candidateaccommodations@rivian.com. Candidate Data Privacy Rivian may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law. Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services. Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions. Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services.
Sr. Payroll Specialist
This role is for a Sr. Payroll Specialist responsible for executing, auditing, and optimizing multi-state US payroll operations. It involves managing payroll cycles, ensuring SOX compliance, and partnering on system testing and data integration using Workday and ServiceNow. The role requires advanced experience with Workday Payroll and Time Tracking, strong knowledge of SOX compliance, and experience with enterprise ticketing systems.
What you'd actually do
- Process accurate and timely multi-state payrolls for 15,000+ US weekly and bi-weekly employees
- Manage and audit time-tracking data within Workday to ensure accurate hours and reporting
- Partner cross-functionally with internal teams to gather, verify, and input manual payroll data
- Ensure all payroll data, transactions, and changes are thoroughly documented and audited for SOX compliance
- Process off-cycle payments, manual checks, and expedited runs as needed
Skills
Required
- High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent
- 5+ years of progressive experience in corporate payroll processing multi-state populations
- Advanced hands-on experience with Workday Payroll, Workday Time Tracking, and loading EIBs
- Strong foundational understanding of SOX compliance controls and internal auditing procedures
- Experience managing and resolving advanced case escalations within an enterprise ticketing system (e.g., ServiceNow)
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Google Suite for data analysis, reporting, and collaboration
Nice to have
- Prior exposure to or familiarity with Canadian payroll laws and/or equity/stock payroll processing is a plus
What the JD emphasized
- SOX compliance
- Workday Payroll
- Workday Time Tracking
- enterprise ticketing system