Payroll & Stock Plan Administration Manager

About Carlsmed

Our mission is to improve outcomes and decrease the cost of healthcare for spine surgery and beyond. The Carlsmed aprevo® personalized surgery platform is designed to improve the standard of care for spine surgery one patient at a time.

Position Description

As Payroll & Stock Plan Administration Manager, you will be responsible for the administration, compliance, and operational execution of Carlsmed’s payroll and equity compensation programs in a newly public company environment. This role plays a critical part in ensuring accurate payroll processing, timely execution of equity transactions, and compliance with tax, regulatory, and plan requirements.

This position requires a highly organized and experienced professional who can operate with a high degree of independence while maintaining strong internal controls and audit-ready processes. The ideal candidate is proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing recurring deadlines while partnering cross-functionally with Accounting, HR, Legal, Payroll providers, and external service partners. This role owns employee payroll operations, executive and Board equity administration, and public-company reporting obligations while helping scale payroll and equity processes as the Company continues to grow.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll operations, ensuring accurate and timely processing of multi-state payroll in compliance with company policies, tax regulations, and internal controls.
• Work in partnership with HR to ensure system synchronization and data accuracy across payroll, HR and equity platforms, supporting strong internal controls, audit readiness, and compliance.
• Partner with HR to meet all regulatory deadlines, including EEO-1 and California Pay Data Reporting, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with applicable requirements.
• Administer equity compensation programs, including stock options, RSUs, and ESPP, ensuring accurate and timely processing of grants, vesting, exercises, issuances, forfeitures, and transfers.
• Prepare and validate payroll inputs including non-exempt timecards, compensation changes, bonuses, commissions, and equity-related payroll events, ensuring proper approvals and reconciliation with HR systems.
• Reconcile payroll, equity transactions and related general ledger accounts and resolve discrepancies between payroll providers, equity platforms and internal records.
• Support stock-based compensation accounting and payroll-related accounting by preparing supporting schedules and documentation for month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes.
• Ensure compliance with payroll tax requirements and equity-related tax reporting, including coordination of Forms 3921, 3922, 6039 reporting, and applicable payroll withholding for equity events.
• Manage ESPP deduction and refund transactions, including enrollments, contribution changes, offering rollovers, purchase activity, and disposition reporting.
• Prepare and support required equity-related tax and regulatory filings, including Forms 3921, 3922, 6039 reporting, and applicable 1099 reporting.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee payroll and equity inquiries, providing guidance and education while managing payroll and stock plan communications.
• Partner cross-functionally with HR, Legal, Payroll, Finance, and external service providers to ensure compliant, audit-ready equity administration and documentation.
• Create and maintain desktop procedures and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for payroll and stock plan administration processes, ensuring documentation supports internal controls and audit readiness.
• Contribute to general accounting responsibilities as needed, including balance sheet reconciliations and audit schedules.
• Support payroll and HRIS system enhancements or implementations, including testing, data validation, and coordination with HR, Finance, and external vendors to ensure accurate payroll and equity integrations.
• Coordinate with HR and benefits providers to support payroll-related benefits administration, including 401(k) contributions, reconciliations, and compliance with plan requirements.

Qualifications

• 6-10 years of experience in payroll administration, stock plan administration, or related accounting/finance roles
• Strong, hands-on experience with multi-state (especially California) pay laws and regulations, including wage and hour requirements and pay reporting obligations.
• Experience managing multi-state payroll in a mid-sized or high-growth company environment
• Hands-on experience administering equity compensation programs, including stock options, RSUs, and/or ESPP
• Experience working with equity administration platforms (e.g., Fidelity, Computershare, Shareworks, Carta)
• Working knowledge of payroll tax regulations, equity-related tax reporting requirements, and public-company compliance standards
• Knowledge of GAAP and familiarity with stock-based compensation accounting concepts and supporting public-company close processes

• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage highly sensitive and confidential information and ability to work independently while partnering cross-functionally in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Experience supporting HRIS or payroll system implementations, upgrades, or integrations preferred.
• Working knowledge of payroll-related benefits administration, including 401(k) contribution processing and reconciliations.

Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to build relationships across functions
• Ability to perform high quality work with speed
• Excellent attention to detail, organizational, and problem-solving skills

• Highly organized with strong time management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• Proficiency in equity administration platforms and related reporting tools
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and data validation
• Experience working with HRIS and payroll systems (e.g., ADP, Workday, UKG, or similar).
• Understanding of payroll-related benefits processing including retirement plan contributions and deductions.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism

Equal Opportunity Employer

Carlsmed is an equal opportunity employer.  All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.  Carlsmed  is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know.

Compensation

We are pleased to provide a competitive salary and benefits. Our benefits reflect our investment in the overall health and well-being of our employees and their families. including paying 100% of monthly healthcare, dental & vision insurance premiums, a 401(k) plan with employer matching and unlimited PTO. The expected pay range is: $120,000 - $150,000 annually. Compensation may vary based on related skills, experience, and relevant key attributes.