Payroll and Benefits Manager

About Avoca

Avoca is transforming how home service companies engage with their customers. Our AI-powered conversational agents handle every high-value inbound call, from booking jobs, qualifying leads, and driving higher revenue, all at a speed and consistency unmatched by human call centers.

We’re a Series B startup backed by Kleiner Perkins, Meritech Capital, General Catalyst, and other top-tier investors, with $125M raised and a $1B valuation. We grew 10x in 2025 and have scaled to 130+ employees in under two years across our NYC headquarters and Santa Barbara office.

In a $1T+ market where 85% of missed calls go to competitors, we’re building the category-defining platform for AI-driven customer engagement, serving the largest brands in home services. With high-energy, in-office teams in both locations, every hire here has an immediate and visible impact.

As Avoca scales to 300+ employees and contractors globally, we need a dedicated owner for payroll, benefits, equity, and compliance. This role will ensure the fundamentals are flawless — accurate payroll, smooth benefits administration, clean equity tracking, and compliant filings across jurisdictions — while building scalable processes and controls for continued growth. This is a new role reporting to the People Operations Lead.

• Own end-to-end payroll for U.S. and international employees and contractors
• Manage employee compensation changes, including new hires, terminations, compensation adjustments, and off-cycle payments across currencies and time zones
• Administer Carta equity workflows, including grants, vesting, exercises, terminations, and employee equity questions
• Own multi-state and international compliance, including tax registrations, statutory filings, worker classification, wage and hour requirements, and equity-related regulatory requirements
• Own benefits administration, including enrollments, qualifying life events, vendor coordination, employee questions, and compliance-related benefits processes
• Monitor regulatory changes as Avoca expands into new states and countries, proactively identifying risks before they become issues
• Reconcile payroll and equity with Finance monthly across all entities, and lead year-end compliance activities including W-2s, 1099s, and international equivalents
• Serve as the primary point of contact for questions related to payroll, equity, and compliance
• Build scalable processes and controls that can support 2-3x growth in headcount and geographic footprint

• 5+ years of experience owning payroll, equity administration, and related compliance, ideally at a startup scaling across multiple states and countries
• Direct experience managing payroll and worker-classification compliance across multiple U.S. states and at least one international market
• Hands‑on experience with Rippling and Carta, or comparable payroll, HRIS, and equity administration systems
• Strong process-building instincts — you’ve created controls, workflows, and documentation from the ground up, not just operated within existing systems
• Advanced Excel skills and a detail-oriented control mindset for reconciliations, audits, reporting, and payroll accuracy
• Clear, calm, and empathetic communication style when supporting employees through sensitive payroll, equity, or compliance questions
• Bonus: CPP certification, global payroll experience, or deeper exposure to international equity and compliance requirements

• You’re meticulous, fast-moving, and trusted with sensitive details
• You’re customer-obsessed and treat employees’ payroll, equity, and compliance questions with urgency, clarity, and care
• You build order out of ambiguity by creating clear, repeatable processes
• You’re proactive about risk and comfortable escalating issues early
• You’re energized by working in person with a high-ownership team; this role is expected to be in office 5 days/week

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Company-sponsored 401(k) through Vestwell
• Flexible PTO plus U.S. federal holidays
• Company-wide off-sites
• Daily in-office lunch through Parkday
• Dinner covered when working late
• Commuter benefits and late-night…