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:

1. Think clearly

2. Show high agency

3. Craft magic

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• 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.