Senior Manager, Payroll and Equity

POSITION OVERVIEW Bicara Therapeutics is seeking a proactive and detailed-oriented Senior Manager, Payroll and Equity to join our growing Accounting Team. This individual will report to the Director, Accounting and will be responsible for timely and compliant processing for all US multi-state payroll and equity cycles, including semi-monthly payrolls, special/off-cycle payrolls and equity grants as well as partner with cross-functional teams to support global payroll. This role is based in our Boston office and follows a hybrid schedule, with three in-office days each week. RESPONSIBILITIES: - Own end-to-end processing for semi-monthly and/or bi-weekly payroll across all U.S. states, including exempt and non-exempt employees. - Prepare and process special payrolls, including stock option exercises. - Maintain compliance with state and local tax registrations, withholding requirements, SUI rates, and year-end filings (W-2, ACA). - Maintain payroll system accuracy, including earnings codes, deductions, tax configurations, and pay rules. - Own year-end payroll activities, including review of forms 3921/3922, W-2, as well as fringe benefit reporting, 401k limits, and ensuring accuracy of state tax rates. - Partner with HR and Finance to ensure accurate new hire setup, terminations, leave of absence pay, equity income, and bonus processing. - Manage multi-state nexus tracking and proactively flag new jurisdictional obligations as headcount expands. - Review and approve monthly EOR invoices; reconcile EOR payroll registers against HR records and Finance cost centers. - Oversee payroll tax filings, payments, corrections, and resolve tax issues. - Review payroll for non-US employees. - Partner with legal, tax, and Finance to assess entity readiness, payroll vendor selection, and local statutory requirements. - Document payroll procedures, approval workflows, and data flows for each new hub; create scalable runbooks. - Manage and optimize ADP drive continuous improvement initiatives. - Produce accurate payroll funding requests, journal entries, and accruals for the Finance team on a timely basis. - Build and maintain payroll dashboards and audit reports; lead internal and external payroll audits. - Enforce and document strong internal controls around payroll data access, approval authority, and change management. - As we continue to grow, act as project manager for payroll system integrations (HRIS, GL, expense). QUALIFICATIONS - 8+ years of progressive payroll experience, including hands-on ownership of multi-state U.S. payroll for 100–500+ employees for overtime-eligible and exempt employees. - Demonstrated experience working with international Employer of Record (EOR) vendors and reviewing EOR payroll outputs for accuracy and compliance. - Experience standing up or significantly expanding payroll operations in at least one international jurisdiction. - Strong command of payroll taxation — including imputed income, equity compensation, supplemental wages, and fringe benefits. - Proficiency with a major payroll platform (ADP Workforce Now, Paylocity, Rippling, Workday, or equivalent) and Excel/Google Sheets. - Exceptional attention to detail with a demonstrated track record of payroll accuracy and on-time delivery. - CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) or GPA (Global Payroll Association) certification. - Prior experience at a biotech, life sciences, or other high-growth technology company. - Experience with equity administration platforms (e.g., Carta, Shareworks) and processing equity-related payroll events. - Experience supporting payroll integrations with NetSuite, Workday, or similar ERP/HRIS platforms. COMPANY OVERVIEW Bicara Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering bifunctional antibodies for targeted tumor modulation. Founded in 2020, we've built a global team of over 100 employees headquartered in Boston, with a clear focus on advancing our lead asset, ficerafusp alfa, or FICERA - a potentially first-in-cla