Manager, Payroll & Accounting

About Us

Position Title: Manager, Payroll & Accounting

Department: Finance & Accounting

Reports To: Senior Director, Accounting

Location: Princeton, NJ or South San Francisco, CA – On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs)

Job Overview

Kardigan is seeking a skilled and detail-oriented Manager, Payroll & Accounting to take ownership of the company’s payroll operations while supporting payroll-related accounting functions.  This is an exciting opportunity for a professional with extensive payroll expertise and working knowledge of accounting processes to have a meaningful impact on financial operations within a growing organization.  The ideal candidate will play a critical role in ensuring accurate payroll execution, compliance with regulatory requirements, the successful transition of payroll in-house from TriNet to ADP, driving process improvements, and working alongside key internal teams to enhance overall business performance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Payroll Leadership:

• Oversee all aspects of the company’s payroll operations, ensuring timely and accurate processing of payroll in compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, company policies, and industry standards.

• Lead the implementation and transition of payroll from TriNet to ADP, collaborating with internal stakeholders and external advisors to ensure a smooth rollout.

• Maintain accurate payroll records, tax filings, and employee pay processing while booking payroll-related general ledger entries to ensure accurate financial reporting.

• Ensure compliance with medical insurance, retirement plans (including 401k payroll accounting), workers’ compensation, and payroll-related reporting requirements.

• Prepare and support payroll-related portions of year-end audits and workers’ compensation audits.

• Partner with HR to ensure payroll aligns with benefits, employee data, and compliance obligations.

Accounting & Compliance:

• Record, reconcile, and analyze payroll-related accounting entries including wages, taxes, benefits, insurance premiums, and 401k contributions.

• Support general ledger payroll postings, accruals, and reconciliations to ensure payroll costs and liabilities are accurately reflected in the accounting system.

• Collaborate with the accounting team on month-end and year-end close processes specifically related to payroll.

• Assist with compliance reporting and audit requirements connected to payroll and employee benefits.

• Provide accurate documentation and responses for payroll-related audits (external financial audits, internal audits, and regulatory reviews).

• Assist the accounting team with ad-hoc accounting projects and support other areas in accounting.

System Integration & Optimization

• Work with IT and finance teams to maintain and optimize ADP and its integration with the general ledger system (NetSuite experience a plus).

• Identify opportunities to improve payroll and accounting processes, enhance reporting, and ensure scalability as the company grows.

Business Partnership & Operational Excellence

• Collaborate with HR, FP&A, and other cross-functional teams to ensure accuracy in payroll and financial reporting.

• Provide payroll-related insights and recommendations to drive operational efficiency and informed decision-making.

• Develop, enhance, and implement payroll policies, procedures, and controls to improve accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency.

Qualifications and Preferred Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; CPP certification, or relevant advanced degree preferred.

• 7+ years of progressive payroll experience, including direct responsibility to payroll-related accounting functions.

• Proven experience leading or participating in payroll system implementations strongly preferred.

• Strong knowledge of payroll compliance, regulations, and reporting requirements across federal, state, and local levels.

• Experience with payroll-related accounting entries (wages, taxes, benefits, 401k, insurance premiums, accruals, reconciliations); broader GL experience a plus but not required.

• Experience supporting payroll-related aspects of audits (financial, year-end, workers’ compensation).

• Hands-on experience with payroll systems (ADP strongly preferred) and ERP/accounting systems (NetSuite a plus).

• Ability to design, implement, and improve payroll processes and internal controls in a growing organization.

• Familiarity with medical insurance compliance, 401k administration, and payroll-related benefit programs.

• You are a self-starter who can plan, organize and take the initiative to meet job objectives and deadlines independently.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex financial and payroll information to non-financial stakeholders.

• Experience in small-to-mid-sized biotech or life sciences organizations preferred.