Manager, People Operations & Payroll

FTC Solar is a fast-growing, global provider of solar tracker systems, software, and engineering services. Our trackers significantly increase energy production at utility-scale solar installations while delivering industry-leading ease of installation and cost of ownership. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, we operate across the United States, India, Europe, and Australia, supporting customers on some of the largest solar projects in the world.

We are looking for a Manager, People Operations & Payroll to own the operational backbone of our global HR function. This role runs the systems, data, and processes that keep a multi-country workforce compliant, paid accurately, and well supported — spanning US multi-state payroll oversight, HRIS ownership, compensation administration, workforce reporting, leave administration, and coordination of our international Employer of Record relationships.

You will report directly to the CHRO and work alongside a lean, global HR team, with direct supervisory responsibility for our US payroll and benefits function. This is a hands-on role for an experienced HR operations professional who is equally comfortable auditing a payroll register, building a headcount report for the executive team, and administering a merit cycle.

• Supervise US multi-state payroll processing end to end, including salaried and non-exempt hourly populations, reviewing and approving each payroll run before it processes
• Audit payroll inputs and outputs — timekeeping, overtime, deductions, taxes, garnishments, off-cycle payments — to catch errors before they reach employees
• Manage and develop payroll/benefits support resources, setting clear standards, review cadences, and documentation requirements
• Serve as escalation point and backup for payroll processing to eliminate single points of failure
• Oversee benefits administration, including enrollments, life events, invoicing reconciliation, and annual open enrollment execution

• Own the HRIS as system administrator: data integrity, access controls, workflows, integrations with payroll and benefits platforms
• Produce recurring and ad hoc workforce reporting — headcount, attrition, span of control, compensation — for the CHRO, executive team, and board materials
• Maintain the enterprise headcount and org data model, ensuring changes (hires, terminations, transfers, reorganizations) are captured accurately and on time

• Lead the global performance management cycle (goal-setting, reviews, calibration, and feedback).
• Enhance tools, frameworks, and processes to support organizational performance and talent development.
• Train managers and leaders to drive a fair, consistent, and high-performance culture.
• Integrate performance insights into HR dashboards and analytics.

• Oversee U.S. HR compliance and support compliance efforts in global jurisdictions.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation across employment practices, payroll, benefits, and data privacy.
• Track regulatory changes and update policies and processes.
• Ensure HR data practices comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other global privacy frameworks.

• Administer annual merit, bonus, and equity cycles, including tooling, timelines, manager enablement, and reconciliation with Finance
• Maintain compensation data and support benchmarking, band placement, and offer analysis

• Administer leave of absence programs (FMLA, ADA accommodations, state leave laws) with rigorous documentation and timelines
• Coordinate day-to-day operations with international Employer of Record partners across multiple countries, keeping onboarding, payroll changes, and terminations compliant and on schedule
• Maintain the HR compliance calendar — federal/state filings, postings, audits, ACA, EEO-1 — and support internal audit and SOX-related controls as needed
• Partner with Legal and Finance on sensitive workforce actions, ensuring documentation, data, and process gates are handled with precision and confidentiality

• 8–12 years of progressive HR…