Payroll Manager

Pressed Cafe; Nashua (NH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Pressed Cafe is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to own the full weekly payroll across multiple entities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This hands-on leadership role is based at our Home Office in Nashua, NH, reporting to the Chief People Officer.

You will drive accurate, timely payroll, manage compliance with wage laws, and lead a small team to improve workflows, system usage and data integrity across the organization.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive payroll experience, including multi-entity, multistate payroll.
• Experience leading a payroll team and ensuring accuracy, timeliness and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Own the full weekly payroll cycle across multiple entities and locations.
• Manage hours, overtime, tips, deductions, garnishments and PTO with controls.
• Maintain and improve payroll processes, deadlines and reporting.
• Lead, coach and develop payroll staff for accuracy and efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with MA/NH wage and hour laws and year-end payroll activities.
• Collaborate with Finance, Ops and HR for system improvements.

Skills

Payroll management

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Attention to detail

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Finance/Business

CPP designation

Tools

iSolved

Excel

Job description

At Pressed Cafe, we believe exceptional food and drink start with quality ingredients and a passion for hospitality. Our all-day menu features Mediterranean-inspired dishes made with fresh, local ingredients, paired with great coffee and fast, friendly service.

Pressed Cafe is an emerging, high-growth premium fast-casual restaurant company with a strong regional presence and exciting expansion plans. With multiple locations today and an aggressive development pipeline, we are building the infrastructure to scale significantly over the next several years.

As a founder-led organization, we remain deeply committed to hospitality, culture, and delivering exceptional guest experiences.

At the heart of everything we do is our mission: Great People, Great Food, Great Coffee.

About the Role

Pressed Cafe is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to take full ownership of our payroll function. This is a full-time, in-person role based at our Home Office in Nashua, New Hampshire, reporting to the Chief People Officer.

This is a hands‑on leadership role. You will process weekly payroll directly and be accountable for accurate, timely and compliant weekly payroll across multiple legal entities and locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

We are looking for a functional leader who can assess the department, set priorities and drive meaningful improvements independently. You will identify what needs to change, develop practical solutions and lead execution through completion. The Chief People Officer provides strategic alignment and support. You own the department's operating rhythm, performance and continuous improvement.

Success means running a dependable payroll operation today while building the capacity to support a larger, more complex business.

What You’ll Do

END-TO-END PAYROLL OPERATIONS

• Own the full weekly payroll cycle across multiple legal entities, including preparation, reconciliation, review, approval controls and submission.
• Ensure accurate processing of hours, overtime, tips, compensation changes, deductions, garnishments, paid time off and other payroll transactions.
• Ensure final pay is issued within Massachusetts and New Hampshire statutory deadlines for every separation.
• Establish clear deadlines and submission standards for managers and internal partners. Address recurring issues at their source.
• Resolve payroll discrepancies promptly and give employees clear, responsive support.
• Maintain documented procedures and reliable backup coverage for every critical payroll activity.

DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP & ACCOUNTABILITY

• Set department priorities, allocate responsibilities and hold the team accountable for accuracy, service and deadlines.
• Evaluate how work is distributed. Implement a structure that improves efficiency, strengthens controls and builds depth across the team.”
• Develop team members through clear expectations, coaching, cross‑training and performance feedback.
• Process weekly payroll directly as a core part of the role while leading the team. Troubleshoot complex payroll issues personally.
• Anticipate workload, staffing and system needs as the business expands.

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT & CHANGE

• Assess current workflows, identify gaps and build a prioritized improvement roadmap.
• Lead departmental changes from recommendation through implementation, training and measurement.
• Reduce manual work, duplicate entry and avoidable corrections through better processes and effective use of technology.
• Improve timekeeping, tip processing workflows, data handoffs and payroll reporting.
• Bring forward well-developed recommendations that define the issue, proposed solution, resources required and expected outcome.
• Make decisions within your authority. Escalate material risks promptly with a clear recommendation.

SYSTEMS & DATA INTEGRITY

• Own the day-to-day effectiveness of our payroll system, currently iSolved, and the workflows that feed payroll.
• Own the TipHaus tip management workflow, ensuring tip pools, distributions and tip reporting reconcile accurately to payroll.
• Serve as the primary payroll contact for system providers and manage issues through resolution.
• Lead payroll configuration improvements, testing and implementation in coordination with appropriate partners.
• Maintain strong data quality, appropriate system access and clear approval responsibilities.
• Partner on future HR systems and integrations to ensure reliable payroll data and scalable processes.

CONTROLS, COMPLIANCE & RECONCILIATION

• Establish and maintain documented payroll controls, including separation of preparation, review and approval responsibilities.
• Keep payroll practices current with federal, state and local requirements, including Massachusetts and New Hampshire wage and hour law.
• Own year-end payroll readiness, reconciliations and accurate W‑2 processing.
• Partner with Finance on payroll funding, general ledger reconciliation, labor reporting and audit support.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and safeguard confidential employee and compensation information.

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL PARTNERSHIP & SERVICE

• Establish clear working expectations with Operations, HR and Finance.
• Hold managers accountable for timely, accurate timekeeping and payroll inputs. Escalate repeated issues appropriately.
• Provide practical training and guidance that helps managers prevent payroll errors.
• Communicate payroll deadlines, changes and issues clearly and consistently.
• Deliver concise updates to the Chief People Officer on department performance, material risks and improvement progress.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Weekly payroll is accurate, timely and supported by consistent review controls.
• Department priorities and improvement initiatives move forward with clear ownership and follow-through.
• Recurring errors are investigated and corrected at their source.
• Team members understand their responsibilities and provide reliable backup coverage.
• Managers understand and meet payroll submission expectations.
• Leadership receives timely visibility into risks, decisions and results.
• Payroll processes and systems support additional employees, locations and legal entities.

What You Bring

• At least 8 years of progressive payroll experience, including payroll management or equivalent responsibility for leading a payroll function.
• Demonstrated success managing high-volume, multi-entity, multistate payroll on a weekly schedule.
• Experience supporting a large hourly workforce. Restaurant, hospitality or other tipped workforce experience strongly preferred.
• Strong technical knowledge of payroll calculations, overtime, tip reporting, deductions, tax administration and reconciliations.
• A record of independently identifying operational problems and implementing measurable improvements.
• Experience leading, developing and holding a payroll team accountable.
• Strong payroll systems expertise. Hands‑on iSolved experience strongly preferred.
• Advanced Excel skills and the ability to reconcile large data sets and investigate discrepancies.
• Excellent judgment, organization and attention to detail, with the ability to meet firm deadlines.
• Availability to flex your schedule around payroll deadlines, holidays, year-end activities and urgent payroll matters.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation preferred.
• Relevant education or an equivalent combination of training and professional experience.

HOW YOU LEAD

• You own the outcome. You take responsibility for the department's performance and follow issues through resolution.
• You initiate improvement. You recognize what needs attention, build a plan and move it forward.
• You combine leadership with execution. You develop the department while staying close to the work.
• You build accountability. You set clear expectations and address missed commitments directly and constructively.
• You anticipate risk. You identify issues early and bring solutions before they become payroll disruptions.
• You lead with service. You understand that accurate pay is fundamental to employee trust.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.