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ICON builds robotic systems for multi-story building construction. The company has raised over $550 million in venture funding, holds over $360 million in government contracts across the Army, Air Force, DARPA, and NASA, and launched its next-generation Titan system in March 2026. The company is scaling from approximately 500 employees toward 1,000 and beyond.
The Manager, Payroll Operations owns end-to-end payroll operations for ICON, spanning multiple states and international jurisdictions. This is a hands-on role in the near term: you will personally process payroll cycles while standardizing processes, then build the team and automation infrastructure to transition into an oversight model as the function scales.
Key responsibilities include:
**Payroll Processing & Operations:** Execute the full multi-state payroll cycle end-to-end, including off-cycle runs, retroactive pay, terminations, bonuses, commissions, and equity events. Administer payroll for a significant hourly and field-based workforce, managing time and attendance integration, shift differentials, overtime, meal and rest premiums, and prevailing wage or certified payroll requirements. Design and document standardized payroll calendars, processing checklists, and approval workflows. Coordinate international payroll delivery through in-country providers or employer of record arrangements.
**Compliance & Controls:** Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour, tax, and reporting requirements across all jurisdictions. Build and operate internal controls over payroll, including segregation of duties and change auditing. Own payroll tax filings, amendments, agency notices, and year-end processes including W-2 and 1099 issuance. Partner with Legal and People Operations on wage and hour questions and pay practice changes.
**Systems, Reporting & Cross-Functional Partnership:** Own payroll system configuration and roadmap, including earning and deduction codes, pay groups, costing, and integrations with HRIS, time tracking, benefits, and the general ledger. Partner with Accounting on payroll journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations, and with Finance on labor cost reporting by department, project, and contract. Deliver recurring and ad hoc payroll reporting to People Operations, Finance, and leadership. Evaluate and select payroll vendors and tools, manage relationships and service levels, and lead system implementations or migrations.
**Team Leadership & Scaling:** Build the payroll team as volume justifies it, defining roles, hiring, onboarding, and developing staff. Establish procedures, documentation, and automation to absorb headcount doubling without proportional manual effort increases. Set and report operational metrics for payroll accuracy, on-time delivery, and issue resolution.
**Requirements:**
- 6+ years of progressive payroll experience, including prior supervisory, lead, or people management responsibility
- Demonstrated experience owning multi-state payroll processing and associated tax registration, filing, and compliance work
- Experience supporting a workforce with a significant hourly population, including time and attendance integration and overtime and wage and hour compliance
- Experience on an established payroll team within a mature organization, with exposure to defined controls, audit requirements, and documented processes
- Willingness to personally process payroll in the near term while building toward an oversight model
- Advanced proficiency with payroll and HRIS platforms and spreadsheet-based reconciliation and reporting
- Based in Austin, TX or able to relocate; this role is on-site at ICON's Austin campus
**Preferred Skills & Experience:**
- Hands-on Workday Payroll processing and configuration experience
- International or global payroll experience, including in-country providers or employer of record models
- Experience scaling a payroll function through rapid headcount growth, including system implementation or migration
- CPP or FPC certification
- Exposure to government contracting environments, certified payroll, or prevailing wage reporting
- Experience in manufacturing, construction, logistics, or another environment with field-based and shift-based labor
