Staff Software Engineer, Payroll

Position Title: Staff Engineer Software

Paylocity is an award-winning provider of cloud-based HR and payroll software solutions, offering the most complete platform for the modern workforce. The company has become one of the fastest-growing HCM software providers worldwide by offering an intuitive, easy-to-use product suite that helps businesses automate and streamline HR and payroll processes, attract and retain talent, and build a strong workplace culture.

While traditional HR and payroll providers automate basic HR processes such as payroll and benefits administration, Paylocity goes further by developing tools that HR and businesses need to compete for talent and deliver against the expectations of the modern workforce.

We give our employees what they need to succeed, including great benefits and perks! We offer medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and a 401(k) match, as well as perks that support you, your family, and your finances. And if it’s career development you desire, we provide that, too! At Paylocity, people matter most and have always been at the heart of our business.

Want to develop the strategies and principles needed to deliver compelling software? Join our team and help us enhance our all-in-one software platform, elevate our one-of-a-kind technology, and improve the employee experience.

This is a fully remote position, allowing you to work from home or location of record within the U.S. with no in-office requirements.? You must be available five days per week during designated work hours.? The work arrangement for this role is subject to change based on business needs and individual performance. This may include adjustments to on-site requirements or schedule expectations, as necessary.

Position Overview

The Staff Software Engineer drives technical excellence and innovation across our organization. This role combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership, focusing on architecting scalable solutions while fostering a culture of technical excellence and collaboration.

About the Team

The Payroll Admin team is responsible for all user interfaces related to Payroll entry and administration, as well as the backend systems that drive the accuracy of data and its submission to processing. As a Staff Engineer on the Payroll Admin team you will:

• Drive technical direction across the Payroll domain by influencing architectural decisions and ensuring alignment with long-term business and engineering goals.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, product, and infrastructure teams to build modern solutions that prioritize scalability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Demonstrate deep expertise in SOLID principles, enterprise architecture, and engineering best practices, setting a high bar for technical excellence.

Primary Responsibilities

The below represents the primary duties of the position and others may be assigned as needed. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty independently and hold themselves accountable to drive outstanding results. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Core Responsibilities

• Rapidly getting up to speed with the US Payroll domain if no prior experience exists
• Understanding the full end to end architecture that currently exists, as well as form strong opinions and lead the team through where we need to go next
• Design and implement modular, well-architected systems that scale efficiently
• Keep on top of organizational wide initiatives, driving technical implementation strategy within your team, while respecting best practices set at a company level
• Architect solutions that consider both immediate needs and long-term implications
• Own and deliver large-scale projects with high reliability, observability, and performance
• Delegate effectively and independently coordinate with other developers to accelerate project timelines and develop team capabilities
• Strong capacity to manage multiple high-impact projects simultaneously
• Set and maintain high standards for code quality, performance, and observability
• Lead code reviews and technical design discussions with constructive feedback
• Identify and resolve quality issues in team members' code
• Advocate for test automation and process improvements

Growth & Development

• Mentor and coach team members at all experience levels
• Drive continuous team improvement through knowledge sharing and best practices
• Build strong relationships with engineers across teams and departments
• Foster an inclusive culture that encourages open discussion and collaboration
• Work across other teams and departments to align on technical strategy for Payroll
• Build consensus through clear technical communication
• Resolve conflicts constructively while maintaining positive team dynamics

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field
• Minimum 8 years of software engineering experience
• Proven track record of leading significant technical initiatives

Technical Skills:

• Extremely strong skills in MS SQL or similar relational database technologies
• Deep understanding of enterprise level distributed systems and scalability patterns
• Strong background in software architecture and system design
• Experience with performance optimization and observability
• Expertise in multiple programming languages and technologies
• C#, Java, or a similar modern, object-oriented programming language
• Experience with agile development methodologies

Physical requirements

• Ability to sit for extended periods: The role requires sitting at a desk or workstation for long periods, typically 7-8 hours a day.
• Use of computer and phone systems: The employee must be able to operate a computer, use phone systems, and type. This includes using multiple software programs and inquiries simultaneously.

Paylocity is an equal-opportunity employer . Paylocity is committed to the full inclusion of all individuals. We recruit, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. At Paylocity, we believe diversity makes us better.

We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, culture, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion or spiritual belief, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique. We actively cultivate these differences through our employee resource groups (ERGs), employee experiences, perspectives, talents, and approaches to drive innovation in the software and services we provide our customers.

We comply with federal and state disability laws and make reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. To request reasonable accommodation in the job application or interview process, please contact [email protected]. This email address is exclusively designated for such requests, aligning with federal and state disability laws. Please do not send resumes to this email address, as they will be removed.

The pay range for this position is $110,700- $205,700/yr; however, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, ,and experience. This position is eligible for an annual restricted stock unit grant based on individual performance in addition to a full range of benefits . This information is provided per the relevant state and local pay transparency laws for the location in which this position will be performed. Base pay information is based on market location. Applicants should apply via