Senior Manager, Payroll & People Operations

About Starbird

At Starbird, we’re not just serving crispy, crave-worthy chicken — we’re redefining what fast casual can be. We believe food should be fresh, flavorful, and feel-good — and the same goes for how we treat our people. As a rapidly scaling restaurant brand expanding corporate and franchise locations, our people systems must be as strong as our food and hospitality. We are building operational infrastructure that is compliant, data-driven, scalable, and designed for long-term growth.

Your Role

The Sr. Manager, Payroll & People Operations is the central nervous system of the team and operational engine of the People & Culture function. This role owns the pay and HRIS systems and pay execution, related compliance programs, benefits administration, and workforce data infrastructure that support a complex, multi-location California workforce. You will directly manage the HRIS Data Lead and together you will help ensure data and compliance integrity across all people systems. This is a build-and-scale role — not a maintenance role, in a rapidly growing people and culture team. Success requires operational rigor, strong internal controls, comfort in ambiguity, and the ability to balance compliance precision with employee experience.

Who You Are

• A seasoned People Operations leader with deep expertise in payroll, HR systems and compliance
• Doggedly determined trouble-shooter who consistently looks for ways to overcome challenges and achieve client success
• Highly analytical and detail-oriented, with strong data and process discipline
• Comfortable operating in high-growth, fast-paced environments
• A continuous improvement mindset — always refining systems and eliminating risk
• Strategic enough to see the big picture; tactical enough to execute flawlessly
• A trusted partner to leaders, employees, Finance, Legal, and IT
• Calm under pressure and steady during operational change
• A decisive problem-solver who identifies issues early and deploys practical solutions
• Highly ethical and able to manage confidential information with discretion

What You’ll Do

General Management

• Oversee People systems and vendors that support hiring and the employee lifecycle (e.g., ATS, HRIS, onboarding/offboarding, payroll, benefits administration, workers compensation), ensuring reliability, clean handoffs, and strong user experience
• Design, document, and rigorously test critical People processes and internal controls, with a strong focus on auditability, relevant controls where applicable, and long-term scalability
• Manage People and Culture dashboards shared company wide, and all reporting for the department – weekly, quarterly and annual
• Oversee and directly manage the HRIS Lead ensuring role and goal clarity and daily, weekly, monthly objectives to ensure data, compliance and reporting
• Oversee general people/culture tools and troubleshoot company-wide employee questions/concerns/issues as first line defense
• Escalate larger scale challenges to general management when needed
• Manage a steady, trusted partnership with Finance, Tech, and other operational areas during moments of operational change, or ambiguity, balancing rigor with empathy and speed

Payroll Operations

• Own end-to-end biweekly payroll for exempt and non-exempt team members
• Ensure compliance with California wage & hour laws (overtime, meal/rest, split shifts, etc.)
• Reconcile Harri and Paylocity data for system accuracy
• Reconcile benefits and 401K deductions and contributions accurately
• Manage PTO and sick leave accrual accuracy and reconciliations
• Oversee payroll audits, corrections, garnishments, and special compensation plans
• Serve as primary liaison to payroll vendors and troubleshoot system issues
• Train the employee base and managers on payroll processes and accountability

Benefits Administration

• Administer health, welfare, retirement, and wellness programs
• Work in partnership with HRBPs to manage open enrollment planning and execution
• Ensure ERISA compliance and accurate eligibility tracking
• Partner with Head of Department, brokers and vendors on renewals and plan design
• Resolve employee benefit escalations with professionalism and empathy
• Oversee ACA tracking and reporting compliance

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with Federal, California, and city-specific employment regulations
• Oversee timely and ongoing required compliance training (harassment prevention, workplace violence, safety) partnering with L&D when appropriate
• Ensure employee personnel file compliance and conduct periodic audits completeness and compliance
• Manage annual and ongoing compliance audits
• Monitor regulatory changes and implement updates proactively
• Maintain and update Employee Handbook for annual rollout each February
• Partner with HRBPs to translate policy into operational execution

People Systems & Infrastructure

• Own and optimize all People systems (Paylocity, Harri, benefits platforms, workers’ comp system and vendors)
• Ensure complete HRIS data integrity, reporting accuracy, and audit readiness
• Design scalable people operations workflows across the full employee lifecycle
• Document and maintain SOPs and internal controls for all People operations processes
• Partner with Finance and Legal on compliance-relevant reporting and controls

Workers’ Compensation & Leave Management

• Manage workers’ compensation vendor relationships and in partnership with HRBPs in field, the ongoing case administration
• Oversee injury reporting, claim tracking, and return-to-work programs
• Ensure compliance with FMLA, CFRA, PDL, ADA, and related leave laws
• Coordinate interactive process and reasonable accommodations
• Monitor trends and implement preventative risk strategies
• Partner with Operations to reduce workplace injuries and claims exposure

Onboarding & Offboarding

• Ensure seamless system setup, benefit enrollment, 401K enrollment and training compliance
• Partner with HRBPs to manage structured offboarding, final pay compliance (California timelines), exit interviews and documentation
• Act as lead driving onboard and offboard cross-functional team SOP

*Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
• PHR/SPHR certification preferred
• 7+ years of progressive and complex payroll and systems operations experience
• Advanced compensation and pay management of hourly workforce
• Proven, progressive experience managing and developing programs and people
• Deep expertise in California employment law and multi-location compliance
• Advanced knowledge of wage & hour, FMLA, ADA, ERISA, OSHA, Workers’ Compensation
• Advanced technical skills. Proficiency in computer applications and systems including Office Suite and Google Suite (with strong emphasis on Excel), project management tools (Asana, Jira), Human Resource Information Systems (Paylocity, other) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems as they relate to all things talent
• Advanced Excel skills and comfort working with large data sets
• Strong experience with Paylocity (highly preferred) and ATS systems management, systems migrations and auditing
• Demonstrated success building scalable processes in high-growth environments
• Exceptional project management and organizational skills
• Proven ability to partner cross-functionally with executive leadership
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality
• Startup or growth-stage experience preferred

Salary

$130,000 - $150,000