Payroll Manager

Job description

Are you ready to build America’s energy future? Form Energy is an American manufacturing and energy technology company. We’re revolutionizing energy storage with cost-effective, multi-day technology designed to keep the electric grid secure and reliable, even during extended periods of stress. By strengthening the electric system and reimagining what’s possible, we’re giving clean energy a whole new form! In recent years, Form Energy has earned a number of accolades, including being named by TIME as a “Best Invention”, MIT Technology Review as a “Top Climate Tech Company To Watch”, and Fast Company as “One of the Next Big Things In Tech”. We are making rapid progress on our mission of delivering energy storage for a better world, and our team is growing just as rapidly to meet demand. We have signed contracts with leading electric utilities across the United States and production of our iron-air batteries is underway at our first high-volume manufacturing facility in West Virginia. Working for Form Energy is more than just a job, it’s a chance to be part of something extraordinary. And now - right as we significantly scale up battery manufacturing - might be the most exciting moment in the company’s history to join. We are assembling a team of highly talented and driven individuals across the country. Driven by our core values of humanity, excellence, and creativity, our team is determined to deliver on our mission and transform the energy landscape for the better. Feeling energized to make a meaningful impact on the world? Then keep reading - you’ve come to the right place. ROLE DESCRIPTION Form Energy is hiring a Payroll Manager to lead, develop, and oversee the payroll team and end-to-end payroll operations. This role ensures absolute payroll accuracy, multi-state tax compliance, strategic vendor governance, and continuous process optimization. This role reports into our Senior Director, Talent, Systems and Total Rewards. As part of our People Systems team, you will bring deep expertise in manufacturing payroll environments (managing complex shift differentials, labor distribution, and hourly tracking) along with an advanced understanding of payroll tax regulations to mitigate risk and partner effectively with HR, Finance, and Leadership. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape and be part of the growth of a fast-moving company with breakthrough technology and an incredible mission! This is a hybrid role, which will require working onsite from either our office in Weirton, WV or Somerville, Massachusetts 3 days per week. Relocation assistance is available. WHAT YOU'LL DO: - End-to-End Payroll Operations & Support: Oversee the execution of payroll across a diverse workforce, including complex, shift-based manufacturing employees and exempt engineering and infrastructure teams. Manage time-clock integrations, labor distributions, and strict wage-and-hour compliance (FLSA) for both overtime/shift differentials, while serving as the primary escalation point for employee inquiries and establishing internal customer service SLAs. - Financial Alignment & Advanced Tax Management: Own the payroll-to-accounting lifecycle, including month-end closing, journal entries, and reconciling payroll accounts against the General Ledger. Monitor and apply multi-state, local, and workers’ compensation tax updates, and manage adjustments for complex compensation structures like health/retirement benefits and equity tracking. - Compliance, Risk & Vendor Governance: Act as the primary relationship owner and escalation point for our payroll vendor (ADP) to maximize system capabilities and performance KPIs. Direct the preparation of quarterly/annual tax filings and serve as the lead interface for internal and external payroll audits. - Process Transformation & Executive Analytics: Partner with HR and Finance leadership to design and implement seamless automation workflows, system integrations, and scalable payroll process mapping. Deliver predictive analytics and executive-level reporting to advise senior leadership on strategic resource planning and operational trends. WHAT YOU'LL BRING: - 8 years of experience in accounting, finance, HR, or related fields, including direct people management. Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) highly preferred. - Minimum of 3–5 years of experience managing payroll in a manufacturing or production environment. Deep understanding of complex time-tracking (FLSA compliance, shift differentials, overtime rules, piece-rate, and multi-facility setups). - Advanced, practical understanding of payroll tax laws, including multi-state taxation, reciprocal agreements, local tax jurisdictions, and year-end reconciliation. - Advanced expertise in ADP systems required, alongside experience managing complex vendor relationships and service-level agreements (SLAs). - Excellent communication and organizational skills - Ability to be onsite 3 days per week, schedule may occasionally vary depending on necessity to support the workforce. WHERE YOU'LL WORK: This is a hybrid role, which will require working onsite from either our office in Weirton, WV or Somerville, Massachusetts 3 days per week. Relocation assistance is available. #LI-Hybrid Humanity is a cornerstone of Form Energy’s culture, and we make sure our compensation and benefits reflect that. Form Energy offers competitive salaries, stock options, and a holistic benefits package to ensure all employees have what they need to thrive while working here. When it comes to you and your family’s health, we cover 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums for full-time employees - and 80% of healthcare premiums for dependents. This starts from day one. We also offer at least 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents (up to 20 weeks for birthing parents), and generous vacation policies to give employees time to recharge when needed. To build America’s energy future, we need everyone at the table. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply to our open jobs. If you may require reasonable accommodations to participate in our interview process, please contact accommodations@formenergy.com. Requests for accommodations will be treated with discretion. Form Energy is committed to maintaining the privacy of our applicants. Please be aware that we will never solicit sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or bank account details during the recruiting or hiring process.