Payroll Lead

Remote, US Remote February 22, 2026 Full Time

About Central

What is Central?

Central eliminates back-office work for startups.

While HR/payroll platforms give you software to figure it out, Central actually does all the work using AI agents and human experts: payroll, benefits, compliance, accounting, taxes, and more.

That's 10+ hours back every month. Thousands of founders trust Central, including high-growth companies like Magic Patterns, Wordware, and Bitesight.

Learn more and start for free at centralhq.com.

Why Central?

Founders start companies to solve problems and build something that matters. Not to become HR managers.

Yet here we are in 2025. Despite countless $10B+ 'solutions', founders are still drowning in back-office bullshit.

Why? Because every platform was built for HR professionals, not founders.

Today, every founder still has to: Register in multiple states. Set up workers' comp. Categorize expenses. Decipher government letters. Pay invoices. Update addresses. Manage equity. Troubleshoot insurance. Answer PTO questions. The list never ends.

What a waste of time. But what's worse is the constant anxiety: What am I missing? Did I do this right? Will I get fined?

What founders need isn't another tool they have to learn and manage, but something that actually does the work. All of it.

As an early member, you'll have a seat at the table and help Central scale to serve thousands of companies and founders.

Our culture

Central is a high-performance sports team with an extremely high bar and 3 core values:

  1. Think clearly

  2. Show high agency

  3. Craft magic

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Who you are

  • Founder or Strategic operator with 5+ years of experience in consulting, banking, VC, or PE, along with some startup experience, now looking to own and scale a business unit.

  • Strong project management background — you can design, run, and improve complex workflows.

  • Metrics-driven leader who develops a high-performing team and holds them accountable.

  • Plus: HR / Payroll / Tax exposure or certification (e.g., SHRM, CPP, EA)

What you will do

  • Own the success of Central’s Payroll & HR business unit, including retention, customer satisfaction, and efficiency.

  • Build and optimize processes that make operations scalable, reliable, and efficient while removing any bottlenecks.

  • Run migrations and activation for new customers, ensuring a seamless user and operations experience

  • Partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, and Ops to shape strategy and execution as well as coming up with ideas for product enhancements.

  • Lead customer escalations and complex payroll/HR cases when needed, ensuring world-class service.

  • Stay ahead of regulatory and compliance requirements, ensuring processes meet high standards

What we offer

  • Competitive salary and equity

  • Comprehensive benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k (US employees only)

  • Unlimited PTO and sick leave

  • Remote work

  • 2-4 off-sites per year

Note for US Roles: We do not provide visa sponsorship. You must be authorized to work in the U.S.

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