About Central
What is Central?
Central is the first payroll & benefits back-office for startups that works like a teammate and proactively handles everything needed to run a compliant business.
Unlike traditional payroll/HR software that forces you to do all the work, Central actually handles multi-state registrations, insurance, HR tasks, government mail, and everything else related to hiring & paying people.
Learn more at centralhq.com
Why Central?
We’re on a mission to kill business bullshit so startups can fly.
Building a company is still way too hard. Founders still have to register in multiple states to run payroll, set up workers’ compensation, pay various payroll-related taxes, deal with intimidating government mail, update addresses across state filings, and troubleshoot with insurance companies.
Imagine a world where ambitious founders have more time to solve the world’s most difficult problems—from preventing medical mistakes in hospitals to building next-generation night vision to curing brain cancer. That’s what founders on Central are doing.
Currently, hundreds of companies run on Central, and we’re growing rapidly. We’ve raised a huge seed/A from YC and some of the best investors in the world (not announced yet, happy to share in private).
As a founding member, you’ll have a seat at the table and help Central scale to serve thousands of companies.
Our culture
Central is a high-performance sports team with an extremely high bar and 3 core values:
-
Think clearly
-
Show high agency
-
Craft magic
———
-
Who you are
3+ years of payroll tax compliance experience, preferably within a payroll provider, PEO, or multi-state employer environment. -
Excellent written and verbal English communication skills — you can break down complex payroll tax and compliance topics into plain English.
-
Strong organizational skills, keen attention to detail, with an ability to manage multiple deadlines, track detailed casework, and follow through on every commitment with high-quality work.
-
Bias for action and comfort making decisions in ambiguous situations while keeping customer experience front and center.
-
Proven experience preparing, filing, and reconciling federal, state, and local payroll tax returns in multiple states (941, 940, state withholding, SUI, SDI, etc.).
-
Familiarity with payroll tax systems and tools (e.g., Gusto, ADP, Rippling, Trinet) or experience in an embedded payroll tech environment (e.g., Salsa, Zeal, Check)
-
You’re at the top of your peer group at every role
What you will do
-
Prepare, file, and reconcile federal, state, and local payroll tax returns across all 50 states on behalf of Central customers.
-
Monitor filing calendars and ensure all deposits are made on time — federal (941, 940), state withholding, SUI, SDI, and other jurisdiction-specific liabilities.
-
Register new businesses with federal, state, and local tax agencies as needed.
-
Resolve payroll tax notices — research issues, correspond with agencies, and guide customers through the process.
-
Translate tax jargon into plain English so founders and operators understand what’s happening and what to expect.
-
Draft letters, complete forms, file amendments, and submit responses to agencies.
-
Partner with Central’s product, engineering, and compliance teams to identify and fix root causes of recurring issues, improve automation, and enhance compliance.
-
Stay up to date with changes in payroll tax laws and regulations across jurisdictions and flag trends that could impact customers.
-
Work cross-functionally to improve processes, reduce notice volume, and document internal workflows for scalability.
-
Leverage spreadsheets and internal tools to analyze payroll/tax data, identify discrepancies, and reconcile filings and payments.
What we offer
-
Competitive salary and equity
-
Comprehensive benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k (US employees only)
-
Unlimited PTO and sick leave
-
Remote work
-
2-4 off-sites per year
Note for US Roles: We do not provide visa sponsorship. You must be authorized to work in the U.S.