Payroll Operations Manager
Designer Fund is a venture fund and design partner that invests in early-stage technology companies where design is central to value creation. It supports founders with product and brand design, hiring, fundraising, and access to a design-focused community.
Maintainer signals as of 8/14/2026
About Designer Fund
Designer Fund invests in early-stage startups from pre-seed through Series A that use design to improve health, sustainability, and prosperity. The fund provides capital, design strategy, product and brand guidance, design hiring support, fundraising assistance, investor introductions, and access to the Designer Fund Collective of founders, advisors, and design leaders. Its portfolio includes technology companies serving sectors such as financial infrastructure, healthcare, developer tools, collaboration, climate technology, and productivity.
Skills
Candidate Availability
Required and preferred rules are kept separate and reflect the wording in the original posting.
About the Role
You will manage the full payroll function for a growing workforce across the United States, including both corporate employees and frontline operations employees. You'll oversee payroll processing, records maintenance, compliance, and financial reporting while helping shape and scale payroll operations in a rapidly expanding organization.
Requirements
- 5+ years of payroll experience, including managing complex, multi-state payrolls
- Experience supporting unionized workforces and California payroll strongly preferred
- Proficiency with payroll and HRIS systems such as Workday, ADP, or similar platforms
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
- Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, payroll tax regulations, and payroll compliance requirements
- Familiarity with collective bargaining agreement (CBA) administration and payroll-related union requirements is a plus
- Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with professionalism and discretion
- Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and partner effectively with cross-functional stakeholders
Responsibilities
- Oversee end-to-end bi-weekly and semi-monthly payroll processing for employees across multiple states, entities, and employee populations
- Collaborate closely with Operations, People Operations, and Finance teams to ensure accurate inputs and timely processing
- Administer payroll-related provisions of employee agreements and collective bargaining agreements, including union dues, pay differentials, and seniority-based pay adjustments
- Partner with Finance to allocate payroll costs accurately across cost centers and locations
- Collaborate with People Operations to gather, validate, and maintain employee data required for payroll processing
- Ensure payroll practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations
- Serve as a primary point of contact for payroll-related questions from employees, managers, and operational teams
- Exercise the highest degree of confidentiality regarding all payroll information and employee privacy initiatives
Benefits
- Free medical plans
- 401K matching
