Senior Payroll Accountant

Overview

Instacart’s Controller Accounting Team is the backbone of our financial integrity. We ensure accurate, timely, and compliant financial reporting across the organization, grounded in U.S. GAAP and strengthened by robust operational processes and controls.

We are hiring a Senior Payroll Accountant to own payroll-related general ledger accounting and serve as a strategic partner across Payroll Operations, HR, Tax, and FP&A/Corporate Strategy. In this role, you will drive the monthly close for payroll accounts, elevate our SOX control environment, and deliver insights that inform key business decisions.

This is an opportunity to build and optimize scalable processes in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment. You will collaborate cross-functionally, roll up your sleeves to solve complex problems, and help streamline the close while improving accuracy and transparency in the numbers that matter.

About the Job

• Own the monthly close for payroll and related accounts, including preparing and reviewing journal entries, performing account reconciliations, and delivering variance analyses across wages, bonuses, commissions, taxes, benefits, and stock-based compensation.
• Partner closely with Payroll Operations to ensure accurate GL postings and timely resolution of issues across multi-state jurisdictions and multiple legal entities.
• Design, document, and operationalize SOX-compliant processes and controls for payroll accounting; support internal and external audit requests with clear, well-organized evidence.
• Collaborate with Tax, FP&A/Corporate Strategy, HR/Benefits, and HRIS to improve forecast accuracy, refine accrual methodologies, and implement system and process enhancements.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that reduce close timelines and defects by standardizing templates, automating reconciliations, and leveraging ERP and payroll/HRIS integrations.
• Provide technical accounting guidance on payroll-related matters, draft and maintain accounting policies, and communicate impacts of new programs (e.g., compensation plans, benefits, mobility) to stakeholders.
• Support ad hoc analyses and special projects, including new system integrations, tool evaluations, and scalability efforts to meet the needs of a growing business.

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of payroll accounting or GL accounting experience with a substantial payroll focus in a public company or large private company.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. GAAP for payroll, benefits, bonuses/commissions, and stock-based compensation.
• Hands-on ownership of monthly close activities for payroll accounts, including preparation/review of journal entries and balance sheet reconciliations for payroll liabilities, taxes, and benefits.
• Experience establishing and operating SOX/internal controls and supporting internal/external audits.
• Proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets (lookups, pivot tables, index/match) and comfort working with large, complex datasets.
• Experience with an ERP and payroll/HRIS systems (e.g., Workday, Oracle, SAP, NetSuite, ADP or similar), including GL integrations and data extraction.
• Ability to manage competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment while communicating clearly with cross-functional partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA or equivalent professional accounting certification.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP).
• Experience in a high-growth, multi-entity, multi-state environment.
• Background in accounting for equity-related payroll impacts and mobility/remote workforce payroll tax considerations.
• Experience with reconciliation tools and automation (e.g., BlackLine) and BI/query tools (e.g., SQL, Looker, Tableau).
• Demonstrated process improvement results, such as measurable reductions in close time or error rates.

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