Senior Payroll Analyst

Ayar Labs; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Ayar Labs in San Jose, CA, is seeking a Senior Payroll Analyst to own full-cycle payroll for the US and international teams, including equity administration.

You will partner with HR, Finance, and Legal to ensure accurate payroll, stock transactions, and compliance, while supporting audits and financial reporting.

The role requires attention to detail, multi-state payroll experience, and proficiency with Carta and equity platforms.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration or equivalent.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in payroll processing, accounting, and stock/equity administration.
• Experience with multi-state US payroll using ADP.
• Experience with equity administration in Carta or comparable platforms.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for CA and other US states.
• Administer equity plans ( Grants, vesting, exercises, releases) and reconcile equity activity.
• Support audits and prepare schedules; ensure compliance with payroll regulations.
• Generate monthly journal entries for payroll and stock compensation; maintain disclosures.

Skills

Payroll processing

Equity administration

ADP

GAAP

Excel skills

Education

BS in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Carta

Shareworks

E*TRADE Equity Edge

NetSuite

Job description

Ayar Labs is shattering AI data bottlenecks by moving data at the speed of light. As pioneers of co-packaged optics (CPO), we are using light instead of electricity to move data faster, further, and with a fraction of the energy needed to fuel the explosive growth of AI models.

Backed by industry giants like NVIDIA, AMD and Intel and manufactured in partnership with the world’s leading semiconductor ecosystem, Ayar Labs’ co-packaged optics solution is key to unleashing next-generation AI scale-up architectures. As part of our finance team, you will help support the employees who are defining the paradigm shift that defines the future of global AI computing architecture.

The Senior Payroll Analyst role owns full-cycle payroll processing for our multi-state and global teams, along with the accounting and administration of our equity program — including journal entries, account reconciliations, and day-to-day management of our Carta equity plan. This role calls for someone who is exacting about the details — payroll and equity errors are costly and hard to unwind — while also understanding how each transaction connects to our financial statements, tax filings, and audits. You will also help prepare supporting schedules for annual audits and take on ad-hoc projects as they come up.

Essential Functions

• Payroll & Accounting
  • Perform all duties associated with processing semi-monthly payroll for employees in CA and other US states
  • Review Taiwan payroll processed by local accounting firm
  • Maintain, update, process employee payroll data, calculating wages and deductions, managing payroll calendars and schedules, processing wage garnishments, processing stock income reporting
  • Reconcile payroll sub-ledgers to resolve variances in a timely manner
  • Review payroll tax remittance and required government reporting
  • Review and process state payroll-related filings, questionnaires, inquiries
  • When payroll issues arise, prepare comprehensive recommendation for corrective actions and resolve complex payroll discrepancies
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state and local payroll regulations
  • Document payroll procedures and policies, considering best practices for public technology companies
  • Ensure W2s are generated and issued on a timely basis
  • Respond to employee payroll inquiries in a timely manner
  • Prepare monthly journal entries to payroll, benefits, stock compensation and others
  • Reconcile balance sheet accounts and provide detailed analysis of all discrepancies
  • Assist in annual audits relating to financial statements, 401K and others
  • Understand how payroll and equity transactions affect our financial statements, tax filings, and other downstream systems, flagging potential issues before they become compliance problems
• Equity Administration
  • Administer and maintain equity compensation plans (stock options, RSUs)
  • Process equity transactions including grants, vesting, exercises, releases, and cancellations
  • Maintain and update equity plan databases and employee records
  • Track vesting schedules and ensure timely and accurate processing
  • Ensure compliance with tax, legal, and regulatory requirements (e.g., withholding, reporting)
  • Partner with HR, Finance, Legal, and external brokers on equity-related activities
  • Reconcile equity activity between internal systems, brokers, and transfer agents
  • Prepare and deliver regular and ad hoc reports for finance, accounting, and leadership teams
  • Respond to employee inquiries on equity awards, vesting, and exercises
  • Support audits, internal controls, and equity plan documentation
  • Other payroll, general accounting and stock administration duties as requested

Basic Requirements

• BS degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration (or equivalent experience)
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in payroll processing, accounting, and stock/equity administration
• Prior experience processing multi-state US payroll using ADP
• Prior experience processing or reviewing international payroll
• Hands‑on experience administering equity plans in Carta (or a comparable platform such as Shareworks or E⋆TRADE Equity Edge), including grants, vesting, exercises, and releases
• A high degree of accuracy and attention to detail, combined with the judgment to see how an individual transaction affects the bigger picture — financial statements, tax filings, and audits
• Strong knowledge of federal, state and local wage and hour laws and payroll tax regulations
• Knowledge of equity compensation structures (stock options, RSUs) and the taxation, accounting, and regulatory requirements behind them (e.g., ASC 718)
• Moderate understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Advanced MS Excel skills, including VLOOKUP and pivot tables
• Strong analytical and reporting skills, with the ability to identify root causes of discrepancies rather than just correcting symptoms
• Ability to work cross‑functionally with HR, Finance, and Legal, and to communicate clearly and confidentially with employees on pay and equity matters
• Strong ability to maintain strict confidentiality
• Organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and transactions at once
• Comfortable using AI tools and assisting in applying them to automate manual payroll and accounting processes

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience processing payroll in a public company setting preferred
• Prior experience with other systems such as NetSuite are a plus
• Optional: CEP (Certified Equity Professional) or similar certification preferred
• Exposure to global equity plans and multi-country tax compliance
• Experience improving or automating payroll/equity workflows (e.g., system implementations, process redesign, or AI-assisted tools)

Salary range: $120,000 - $140,000

Ayar Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is strongly committed to all policies which will afford equal opportunity employment to all qualified persons without regard to age, sex, national origin, race, color, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. It is the policy of Ayar Labs to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. Veterans are more than welcome and encouraged to apply.