Payroll & T&E Lead | Equity & Growth at Energy Startup

Valar Atomics; Inglewood (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

Free meals onsite

Ownership & autonomy

Rapid career growth

Direct collaboration with leaders

Job summary

Valar Atomics, a high-growth energy company, is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to oversee end-to-end payroll and employee expense management. You will ensure timely compensation, maintain compliance, and partner with HR, Finance, and leadership to optimize processes.

This role requires multi-state payroll expertise, strong tax knowledge, and the ability to drive process improvements. Join a team focused on autonomy, ownership, and impactful work in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance/Business Administration or related field.
• 5+ years of payroll experience in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Solid understanding of federal and state payroll tax laws and wage/hour regulations.
• Experience administering a corporate T&E program.
• Proficiency with a major payroll system and Excel.
• Highly organized and discreet when handling confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing across multiple states with accuracy and timeliness.
• Maintain payroll records and ensure compliance with wage/hour laws and tax regulations.
• Oversee payroll tax filings, reconciliations, W-2s and year-end close activities.
• Partner with HR on hires, terminations, leaves, comp adjustments, and benefits deductions.
• Serve as primary contact for payroll inquiries and issue resolution.
• Improve payroll processes, systems, and controls for efficiency.
• Administer the T&E program, including policy governance and reimbursements.
• Ensure expenses comply with policy and IRS rules; address exceptions.
• Manage relationships with T&E platform vendors and card programs.
• Produce T&E reporting and analytics to monitor spend and budgeting.
• Educate staff on policy and keep it updated as needed.
• Support system implementations and integrations related to payroll and expenses.

Skills

Payroll processing

Multi-state payroll

Tax compliance

Discretion & confidentiality

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Business Admin

Tools

ADP

Workday

Rippling

Ramp

Job description

Valar Atomics, a high-growth energy company, is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to oversee end-to-end payroll and employee expense management. You will ensure timely compensation, maintain compliance, and partner with HR, Finance, and leadership to optimize processes.

This role requires multi-state payroll expertise, strong tax knowledge, and the ability to drive process improvements. Join a team focused on autonomy, ownership, and impactful work in a fast-paced startup environment.