Senior Vendor Relationship Manager (Payroll and Compliance)

✨ One platform, a whole world of opportunity

The best jobs have always clustered in a handful of the world's wealthiest cities. But talent is everywhere. Oyster set out to close that gap - building a global employment platform that lets companies hire, pay, and care for brilliant people anywhere.

We're proof that a high-performing culture doesn't need an office. Distributed across 60+ countries since 2020, we've built something the industry keeps noticing:

Ranked #10 of 250 on TIME and Statista's 2026 list of America's Top WorkTech Companies

Named one of America's Greatest Startup Workplaces 2026 by Newsweek

A G2 Spring 2026 Leader across Employer of Record, Global Employment, Multi-country Payroll, and HR Compliance

The only B Corp-certified global employment platform ~ independently verified since 2023

Two of those rankings measured our business impact from the outside. One measured how our own people feel about working here. They landed in the same place ~ because at Oyster, culture and performance aren't separate conversations. They're the same one.

And we're just getting started. If you want to do the best work of your career alongside people who care as much as you do, we'd love for you to apply.

Location: While this position is posted in a specific region, all of Oyster’s positions are fully remote, and you can work from home. Forever. To create the best experience for our new hire, this role requires that you be based within UTC -1 to UTC +3

In this highly strategic and cross-functional role, you’ll own and evolve Oyster’s global network of external payroll partners and core compliance providers that underpins end-to-end payroll delivery across our markets. Operating with a primary focus (~80%) on core multi-country payroll delivery, vendor accuracy, calendar adherence, and operational controls, alongside secondary oversight (~20%) of specialized Compliance vendors, you’ll ensure our partners deliver scalable, high-quality, and fully compliant solutions that enable our customers to hire anyone, anywhere. You’ll combine commercial acumen, operational excellence, regulatory monitoring, and strong relationship management to drive vendor performance, execute risk assessments, resolve complex payroll escalations, and continuously strengthen our global partner ecosystem. From leading commercial negotiations, compliance tracking, and governance frameworks to identifying new partner opportunities and ensuring alignment with local legal and statutory payroll standards, you’ll play a critical role in shaping how Oyster delivers global employment solutions at scale.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys solving complex operational challenges, and can confidently influence stakeholders internally and externally. You are commercially minded, data-driven, solutions-oriented, and energized by building strong partnerships that create long-term business impact.

Key Responsibilities

Act as the Subject Matter Expert and primary operational and commercial owner for Oyster's strategic multi-country payroll partners worldwide.

Maintain deep operational mastery of end-to-end payroll delivery workflows, cut-off calendars, variance analysis, Gross-to-Net (GTN) calculations, statutory filings, and failure modes across key markets

Partner with internal Pay & Payroll operations teams to monitor partner SLA compliance, data payload delivery, and payroll cut-off adherence

Proactively evaluate vendor capacity, operational readiness, and processing controls ahead of peak payroll cycles and expansion into new markets

Define partner strategy, governance, scorecards, review cadences, escalation thresholds, and improvement plans

Hold partners accountable for payroll accuracy, timeliness, statutory compliance, compliance tracking, responsiveness, controls, and customer outcomes

Manage the full vendor relationship lifecycle, from partner selection and onboarding through transition, consolidation, or exit decisions

Evaluate partner capabilities, market coverage, operational maturity, security/compliance posture, and scalability

Build and maintain expertise in multi-country payroll delivery, regulatory dependencies, and contractual trade-offs

Vendor Performance & Governance

Establish baselines and monitor vendor performance through KPIs, SLAs, scorecards, and remediation plans