Payroll & Equity Administration Specialist

Cabaletta Bio; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and retirement benefits

Paid time off (PTO)

Stock option plans

Job summary

Cabaletta Bio is seeking a Payroll & Equity Administration Specialist to own end-to-end U.S. payroll and equity administration within a growing biotech environment.

You will ensure accurate payroll processing across multiple states, manage tax filings, and handle equity transactions while supporting travel reimbursements in line with policy. In this hybrid role, you will partner with Finance, HR, and IT to implement Rippling and optimize payroll infrastructure, ensuring timely, compliant payroll

Qualifications

• 3+ years hands-on payroll processing experience in biotech or life sciences.
• Strong knowledge of multi-state statutory payroll tax requirements and filings.
• Proficiency with Rippling, Shareworks, NetSuite and Concur preferred.
• High accuracy and discretion handling confidential employee data.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll processing for all U.S. employees across multiple pay cycles.
• Manage multi-state payroll tax compliance, registrations, withholding, and filings.
• Coordinate with international payroll providers for non-U.S. employees.
• Ensure accurate general ledger entries and reconciliations in NetSuite.
• Track PTO, benefits deductions, and garnishments; process wages, bonuses, and equity income.
• Serve as primary contact for payroll inquiries and audits (W-2s, ACA).
• Identify process improvements for payroll/HR tech infrastructure.

Skills

Payroll processing

Attention to detail

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Rippling

Shareworks

NetSuite

Concur

Job description

Payroll & Equity Administration Specialist

Hybrid/Philadelphia, PA

About the Position

The Payroll & Equity Admin Specialist is a key addition to Cabaletta's Finance team as we move towards an integrated HR technology and payroll platform (Rippling). This role owns accurate and compliant payroll processing for our growing biotech workforce, including multi-state tax filings, while partnering closely with Finance, HR, and IT. This person supports every Cabaletta employee by making sure they are paid accurately and on time, equity transactions are processed and recorded correctly, and travel and expense reimbursements are handled promptly and in compliance with company policy. This role will also play a hands-on role in configuring and optimizing our new payroll infrastructure. This is a highly collaborative role within a patient-focused culture that is committed to improving every day — and an exciting opportunity to help shape foundational systems at a growing biotech ahead of commercialization.

Responsibilities Include

Payroll Support

• Own end-to-end payroll processing for all U.S. employees, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll across multiple pay cycles.
• Manage multi-state statutory payroll tax compliance, including registrations, withholding, unemployment insurance, and other required filings.
• Coordination with international payroll providers for small workforce outside the U.S.
• Partner with Finance to ensure accurate general ledger entries and reconciliations within NetSuite.
• Track and reconcile PTO balances, benefits deductions, and garnishments
• Ensure correct processing of wages, bonuses, equity income and complex or non-standard pay scenarios
• Serve as the primary point of contact for payroll-related employee inquiries, resolving issues with accuracy, discretion, and urgency.
• Partner with HR and Finance on audits (financial, tax, workers' compensation) and year-end payroll processes, including W-2s and ACA reporting.
• Identify and implement process improvements as Cabaletta scales its payroll and HR technology infrastructure.

Stock/Equity Administration

• Manage employee demographics in Shareworks equity platform
• Maintain accurate records of stock option activity in Shareworks
• Process new equity grants and terminations in coordination with Legal and Finance
• Ensure payroll impact of equity transactions is processed accurately and timely

Travel & Expense Reporting

• Review and process employee expense reports ensuring policy compliance using Concur
• Flag and follow up on missing receipts, out-of-policy spend, or coding errors
• Manage corporate card program, including card-issuance and cancellations.
• Reconcile corporate card transactions and follow up with employees for support as needed

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on payroll processing experience, ideally within a biotech, pharmaceutical, or life sciences company.
• Strong working knowledge of multi-state statutory payroll tax requirements, filings, and registrations.
• Proficiency with core payroll and HRIS systems; experience with Rippling, Shareworks, NetSuite and Concur strongly preferred.
• High degree of accuracy, attention to detail, and discretion in handling confidential employee data.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate cross-functionally with Finance, HR, and IT.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience transitioning payroll off a PEO model onto an in-house HR technology/payroll platform.
• Experience supporting payroll through a period of rapid headcount growth or commercial launch

Our most important asset is our people and we offer competitive benefits including health and retirement, PTO, and stock option plans.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Cabaletta Bio is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other basis protected by applicable law.