Global Payroll Manager at Nex in San Jose, CA

Nex is on a mission to help families rediscover the joy of movement. Created by parents for parents, Nex combines technology and play to deliver fun, social, and interactive experiences powered by natural body motion, encouraging kids and adults to move more, play more, and have fun together. Nex Playground, the company’s award-winning active play system, is purpose-built to get families moving year-round, with safety and privacy as core considerations in its intentional design. It is certified kidSAFE+ COPPA compliant and built to support healthy, active play for all ages and abilities. Nex Playground features a growing library of 50+ experiences, including motion and dance games, fitness and educational experiences, and Nex Originals. Content includes collaborations with partners like Hasbro, Sesame Workshop, and NBCUniversal. Nex has been recognized by Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, TIME’s Best Inventions, and Parents’ Best Entertainment System for Families, and has earned Red Dot, IDEA, and Core77 international design awards. We encourage you to explore Have Fun and Is Motion Gaming Back?, as they offer a deeper look into our culture, values, and explain how our approach to motion gaming differs from previous generations. To protect yourself from recruitment scams, please note that Nex communicates through official company emails ending in @nex.inc. If you receive a suspicious email or message, please do not respond and report it immediately to us. Location:San Jose, CA or Remote (PST preferred) Annual Salary:USD 145,000 - USD 185,000 Type:Full-Time Reporting to: Director, Finance and Operations The Role We are seeking a Global Payroll Manager to join the growing Finance team at Nex. This is a high-impact, hands-on role for a payroll professional who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. You will build and own the global payroll function—establishing best-in-class processes, ensuring compliance across multiple jurisdictions, and serving as the company’s internal payroll authority as we expand domestically and internationally. In this role, you will rationalize and optimize payroll workflows, manage relationships with international payroll providers, and ensure accurate reconciliation of payroll-related balance sheet accounts. You will partner closely with Finance, HR, Legal, and the broader business to ensure payroll operations keep pace with company growth. What You’ll Do Build best-in-class global payroll processes— assess current state workflows, identify gaps, and implement scalable, efficient processes for payroll execution across all applicable jurisdictions domestically and internationally. Manage international payroll providers— onboard and oversee third-party payroll vendors across multiple countries, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and service quality. Serve as the primary point of contact for all payroll provider relationships. Reconcile payroll-related balance sheet accounts— own the end-to-end reconciliation of payroll-related balance sheet accounts including accrued compensation, payroll liabilities, and related accounts, ensuring accuracy and alignment with the general ledger. Ensure global payroll compliance— maintain up-to-date knowledge of payroll regulations across applicable jurisdictions; manage registrations, filings, and remittances in accordance with local requirements. Drive payroll automation and technology— evaluate and implement payroll technology solutions to reduce manual effort, improve data accuracy, and streamline reporting across geographies. Maintain a comprehensive payroll calendar— oversee all payroll cycles, tax filings, and statutory payments, ensuring timely and accurate execution across all regions. Support audits and compliance reviews— serve as primary contact for internal and external audits related to payroll; coordinate documentation and responses to resolve inquiries efficiently. Partner cross-functionally— collaborate with HR, Accounting, Legal, and FP&A to provide payroll guidance on new hires, equity events, benefit programs, and organizational changes. What You Bring 6+ yearsof progressive payroll experience, with a mix of global payroll operations and industry experience preferred; CPP or equivalent certification a plus. Demonstrated experience managing international payroll providersacross multiple countries, including vendor onboarding and ongoing performance management. Hands-on expertise reconciling payroll-related balance sheet accounts, including accrued compensation, payroll tax liabilities, and related GL accounts. Builder’s mentality—you are comfortable creating processes and know how to prioritize in an environment where not everything is yet defined. Experience with payroll technology platforms(e.g., ADP, Workday, Rippling, or equivalent) and a track record of leveraging automation to improve efficiency and accuracy. Understanding of multi-country payroll compliance, including statutory filings, tax withholding requirements, and local employment regulations. Exceptional attention to detail, strong written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to translate complex payroll concepts for non-payroll stakeholders. Experience at an early-stage or high-growth startupis a significant plus; consumer technology, e-commerce, or hardware industry background preferred. We Offer Competitive compensation package. Flexible working hours and vacation policy. Product-driven culture that treasures talents and individual growth. Front-row seat and hands-on experience with cutting edge technologies in the evolving gaming field Nex is located in San Jose, California, USA and Hong Kong. Learn more about us at nex.inc/who-we-are. We encourage applications even if you don’t meet more than 50% of the requirements — we believe that experience comes in many forms! Nex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all individuals at every stage of the employment relationship, including all current and prospective employees, and covers all employment decisions including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and termination. We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment and to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.