Payroll Accounting Manager

About Xaira Therapeutics

Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification. Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London.

About the Role

As the Payroll Accounting Manager, reporting directly to the Corporate Controller, you are responsible for overseeing all aspects of payroll administration and the accounting activities that support it — ensuring employees are paid accurately, on time, and in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations, while also ensuring payroll transactions are properly recorded, reconciled, and audit-ready in the general ledger. This role manages payroll processes, maintains payroll systems, ensures compliance with tax and labor laws, administers payroll-related benefits and deductions, owns the payroll accounting close cycle, and partners closely with Human Resources, Accounting, and external payroll providers. This is a hands-on, high-impact role where you will have the unique opportunity to create scalable systems, establish best practices, and drive the development of a robust payroll and payroll-accounting infrastructure that positions Xaira for long-term success.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Administration

Manage the end-to-end payroll process for all employees, including regular payroll, bonuses, and off-cycle payments.

Ensure timely and accurate processing of multi-state payroll.

Review payroll registers and perform comprehensive reconciliations across US and UK jurisdictions prior to finalization.

Maintain payroll calendars and ensure all deadlines are met.

Process new hires, terminations, salary adjustments, promotions, and other payroll changes.

Administer Leave of Absence (LOA) payroll calculations, ensuring accurate pay, benefit deductions, statutory leave payments, and return-to-work payroll adjustments in compliance with company policies and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

Respond to employee payroll inquiries professionally and confidentially. Resolve payroll discrepancies promptly.

Compliance

Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local payroll regulations and tax requirements.

Maintain compliance with wage and hour laws, garnishments, tax levies, and court orders.

Coordinate payroll tax filings and year-end reporting, including Forms W-2 and related tax documents.

Support payroll audits and maintain complete payroll documentation.

Payroll Accounting & Financial Reporting

Prepare and post payroll journal entries, including wages, taxes, benefits, accruals, and off-cycle adjustments.

Own reconciliation of all payroll-related balance sheet accounts (payroll liabilities, accrued PTO, benefits payable, garnishments payable, etc.), identifying and resolving variances timely.

Serve as the primary payroll-accounting owner during month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close — preparing close schedules, accrual entries, and supporting flux analysis for payroll-related accounts.

Partner with Accounting to ensure payroll costs are properly classified and allocated (department, entity, cost center) within NetSuite or other ERP systems.

Prepare and maintain payroll account reconciliation packages, roll-forward schedules, and supporting documentation for internal and external audits.

Support internal and external financial audits, including preparation of payroll-related audit schedules and responses to auditor inquiries.

Employee Expense Reimbursements

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