Payroll Manager presso CHAOS Industries

CHAOS Inc. is a global technology company delivering next-generation capabilities to the defense and critical industrial sectors. Founded in 2022 by a seasoned leadership team, CHAOS has quickly become the place where world-class multi-disciplinary engineers come to build mission-critical technologies. CHAOS has a mission-focused culture, dedicated to solving the toughest technical challenges. Its unique agile engineering approach enables rapid prototyping, while deep partnerships with defense and industry ensure real-world solutions.

Role Overview:

• As CHAOS continues to grow as a global organization so does the need for a standalone hire for payroll. We will soon have three separate entities with varying payroll needs operating in numerous states within the U.S. and at least one location internationally (UK). This role is highly cross functional with HR and our core accounting team. 
• This role will continue to set the foundation for the growing payroll function.
• There is one major implementation that is on our roadmap from our current PEO to bringing the payroll function completely in house. Additionally, this involves implementing an HRIS system.

Responsibilities: 

• Compensation and status changes
  • Overseeing end-to-end payroll processing, including salary calculations, deductions and benefits administration List specific areas of accountability.
  • Process bi weekly, semi monthly, and monthly payroll batches across multiple entities.
    • Process timesheets within a newly implemented HRIS.
  • Employee status changes; merit increases, promotion, etc.
  • Facilitate the integration of our 401k plan to HRIS system.
  • Maintain confidentiality and data security standards for all employee and payroll related information
• HRIS and data management
  • Oversee integration of payroll with HR, benefits, and timekeeping systems to ensure data consistency.
  • Support system upgrades and implementation projects related to payroll modules.
• Onboarding and offboarding
  • Partner with HR to ensure new hires are accurately set up in payroll, benefits, and tax elections.
  • Manage payroll impacts of offboarding, including final paychecks, accrued PTO payouts, and benefit deductions.
  • Coordinate with HR and Finance to ensure a seamless employee experience during transitions.
• Benefits and leave administration
  • Administer payroll deductions for health and retirement benefit plans.
  • Ensure timely updates for open enrollment, new hires, and qualifying life events.
  • Work with HR to track employee leave of absence (FMLA, parental, disability) and ensure correct pay/benefit continuation.
• Compliance and reporting
  • Provide reporting and analysis on headcount, compensation, and payroll costs to HR and Finance.
  • Support audits and external reporting (workers’ comp, 401k nondiscrimination testing, etc.).
• Employee support and communication
  • Act as a trusted resource for employee questions regarding pay and deductions.
  • Partner with HR to communicate payroll/benefits changes (open enrollment, new policies, review cycle updates).
  • Help develop FAQs, process guides, and knowledge base content for employees and managers.
• Strategic HR partnership
  • Collaborate with HR on payroll trends, compensation equity, and workforce costs.
  • Participate in cross-functional projects (PEO transitions, HR technology implementations, vendor evaluations).

Minimum Requirements:

• High proficiency in payroll software and systems; prior experience implementing and working within the Rippling system.
• Minimum education:
  • Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, human resources or another related field or equivalent work experience
• In depth knowledge of payroll processes, US and UK payroll laws and compliance.
• Multistate payroll processing, laws, compliance.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy in managing complex payroll calculations in multiple states and countries.
• Ability to meet strict payroll deadlines and manage multiple priorities. 
• Exceptional communication skills across all levels of the organization.

Preferred Requirements:

• Professional certifications such as; CPA. SCHRM, CPP
• Strong understanding of accounting principles and practices related to payroll.
• Prior experience working in a start up/high growth company
• Foundation builder within the payroll function; single person department growing into multiple direct reports.
• Ability to work independently and at times with ambiguous directives.

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Your medical, dental and vision benefits will be 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: life, FSA, HSA, 401k (+ Company match), and more
• Our Perks: free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance + (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Company Size: 150 employees and counting!
• More About Us: We're building the next generation of aerospace, defense and critical industry technologies with a seasoned team of mission-focused individuals. We were founded in June 2022 and our goal is to become the platform where world-class engineers come to solve critical, real-world problems. We use agile engineering approaches which enable rapid prototyping, deep partnerships with the defense industry ensuring real-world application, and our newly-invented Coherence platform (through which we’ve made a fundamental breakthrough) improves sensor performance and decision-making in real-time. As of April 2025 we have raised $490M (including a $275M Series C at a $2B valuation) from some of the most prominent VC funds and investors including Accel, NEA, 8VC, and Valar. With a managing team that includes Epirus’ founding members (responsible for building a $1.5B company from scratch) + key drivers from Palantir (instrumental in Palantir’s growth to $1B in revenue), we are well-positioned to become one of the fastest growing companies to date!

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

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