Payroll and Benefits Manager

Location and Employment Details

This full-time position is based onsite at the New York headquarters, located at 55 5th Ave #1701, New York, NY 10003. The role is embedded within the People department.

About Avoca

Avoca is revolutionizing customer engagement for home service companies through AI-powered conversational agents that manage inbound calls efficiently, boosting revenue faster and more consistent than traditional call centers. As a Series B startup with $125M in funding from top-tier investors and a valuation of $1B, Avoca has expanded rapidly, growing tenfold in 2025 to over 130 employees across NYC and Santa Barbara locations. Operating in a trillion-dollar market, Avoca is shaping the leading platform for AI-driven customer interactions with prominent home service brands.

Role Overview

As Avoca expands towards 300+ global employees and contractors, this critical new role focuses on owning payroll, benefits, equity, and compliance functions. The manager will maintain flawless operational fundamentals, ensuring accurate payroll processing, seamless benefits administration, meticulous equity management, and compliant filings across multiple jurisdictions. This position reports to the People Operations Lead and is vital for building scalable processes and controls to accommodate rapid growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage comprehensive payroll processes for employees and contractors in the U.S. and internationally.
• Handle employee compensation updates including onboarding, terminations, adjustments, and off-cycle payments across various currencies and time zones.
• Administer equity workflows via Carta, overseeing grant issuance, vesting schedules, exercises, terminations, and addressing employee equity inquiries.
• Ensure multi-state and international compliance including tax registrations, statutory filings, worker classifications, wage and hour laws, and equity-related regulatory mandates.
• Oversee benefits administration involving enrollments, qualifying life events, vendor liaison, employee consultations, and compliance procedures.
• Continuously monitor changing regulations as the company grows into new regions to proactively identify and mitigate risks.
• Coordinate monthly payroll and equity reconciliations with finance teams for all entities and lead annual compliance tasks such as W-2s, 1099s, and overseas equivalents.
• Serve as the primary contact for payroll, equity, and compliance-related employee and stakeholder queries.
• Develop and implement scalable procedures and checks supporting two to threefold growth in workforce size and geographical reach.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years managing payroll, equity administration, and compliance, ideally within startups scaling across multiple U.S. states and at least one international market.
• Practical experience with payroll systems like Rippling and equity management solutions such as Carta, or similar HRIS tools.
• Proven ability to establish controls, workflows, and documentation from scratch, not just maintain existing systems.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and a meticulous approach to reconciliations, audits, and payroll accuracy.
• Strong communication skills demonstrating empathy and clarity when addressing sensitive issues related to payroll, equity, or compliance.
• Preferred: CPP certification, experience with global payroll operations, or in-depth knowledge of international equity and regulatory compliance.

Desired Qualities

• Detail-oriented, efficient, and entrusted with handling confidential information.
• Customer-focused with a sense of urgency and care for employee inquiries concerning payroll, equity, and compliance.
• Skilled at creating order by developing clear, repeatable processes from ambiguous situations.
• Proactive with risk identification and comfortable raising concerns promptly.
• Enthusiastic about collaborating physically with a dedicated team; the role requires being on-site five days per week.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive base salary ranging from $120,000 to $140,000, determined by experience, skills, and qualifications.
• Equity participation as part of the total compensation package.
• Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Company-sponsored 401(k) plan through Vestwell.
• Flexible paid time off along with U.S. federal holidays.
• Company-wide off-site events fostering team culture.
• Daily provided lunch in the office through Parkday, with dinner covered for late work hours.
• Commuter benefits and late-night rideshare services for convenience.
• Availability of standing desks and tailored workspace accommodations upon request.
• Provision of all essential tools and software required to perform the role effectively.

Equal Opportunity

The company promotes equal employment opportunities to all candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability.

Compensation Range

The anticipated salary band for this position is $120,000 to $140,000 annually.