Global Payroll Manager

FieldAI’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the heart of Southern California’s robotics ecosystem, we build risk-aware, reliable, field-ready AI systems that solve the hardest problems in robotics and unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence. If you want your work to ship, get tested on hardware, and improve through real deployments, Irvine is the place. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-only architectures, combining rigorous engineering with learning systems proven in globally deployed solutions that deliver results today and get better every time our robots run in the field.

Key Responsibilities

Global Payroll

Own accurate, on-time payroll for all employees across UCAN, APAC, and EMEA, whether run in-house, through in-country providers, or via Employer of Record (EOR) partners

Manage the global payroll calendar, inputs, and approvals across multiple pay frequencies and currencies

Own payroll tax withholding, filings, and remittances, including registrations as we enter new countries and states

Manage year-end reporting in every jurisdiction (W-2, T4, P60, and local equivalents)

Contingent Workforce

Own the payment process for contractors and temps - onboarding, invoicing, approvals, and payment runs

Partner with People Ops and Legal on worker classification and misclassification risk (ABC test, IR35, and local equivalents)

Manage staffing agency and EOR relationships, reconciling invoices to timesheets and contracted rates

Own 1099 and other non-employee tax reporting

Systems & Processes

Keep BambooHR as the source of truth for employee data, ensuring compensation and job changes flow cleanly into payroll

Own integrations between BambooHR, payroll providers, benefits carriers, and NetSuite

Identify and close payroll process gaps, building scalable policies and controls from scratch where they don’t yet exist

Prepare payroll journal entries and accruals for month-end close and reconcile payroll liability accounts

Team

Be the go-to resource for employee payroll questions across all time zones

Partner with People Ops on onboarding, offboarding, leave, relocations, and international transfers

Act as a key finance partner to leadership on the payroll and tax implications of hiring in new countries

What You Have

8+ years of progressive payroll experience, including 2-3 years managing multi-country payroll, with meaningful time spent in a startup environment

Hands-on payroll experience across UCAN, APAC, and EMEA

Direct experience paying contractors and temporary workers at scale, with working knowledge of classification risk

Experience with BambooHR - data management, reporting, and payroll integrations

Demonstrated track record of building and improving processes, not just executing inherited ones

Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate payroll and tax complexity into plain language for employees and leadership

The Extras That Set You Apart

Familiarity with BambooHR and TriNet

CPP or FPC (PayrollOrg), CPM (Canada), or CIPP (UK) certification

Experience with global payroll platforms such as Deel, Rippling, Papaya Global, or ADP Global

Experience with equity payroll events (option exercises, etc.) across jurisdictions

Background in a Series A-C companies - you know what it means to be the first to formalize a process

Our salary range is generous and we consider each individual’s background and experience when determining final compensation. Base pay may vary based on role scope, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and the Irvine, California market.

Why Join FieldAI in Irvine? In Irvine, you will work where the robots are. Our local team builds and tests systems on real hardware with real sensors, then ships them to operate in unstructured, previously unknown environments around the world. We are solving one of robotics’ hardest challenges: reliable deployment outside the lab. Our Field Foundational Models™ raise the bar for perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, with an emphasis on explainability and safety for real-world use. You will collaborate with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. We bring deep experience from organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, along with a track record of field deployments and strong performance in DARPA challenge segments.

Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution We are looking for builders who want their work to leave the whiteboard and show up on robots. If you enjoy tackling tough, uncharted questions and working across disciplines, you will find your people here. Our teams span AI, software, robotics engineering, product, field deployment, and technical communication, all focused on shipping systems that perform in the real world.

Our headquarters is in Irvine, and we partner closely with teams there as well as colleagues across the US and around the world. Join us in Southern California and help define what dependable, field-ready autonomy looks like.

We value diverse perspectives and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace. We evaluate candidates and employees based on merit, qualifications, and performance, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other legally protected status.