Head of Equity Administration

Fireworks • San Mateo, CA

1d • $230,000 - $260,000

About The Position

Fireworks is seeking a highly experienced Head of Equity Administration to own and scale its global equity administration function in preparation for significant growth and potential public-company readiness. This leader will be responsible for the end-to-end administration, governance, controls, reporting, and employee experience associated with equity programs. The role requires close collaboration with Legal, Finance, Accounting, Tax, People, Payroll, Compensation, and senior leadership to build the necessary infrastructure, processes, and controls for a complex late-stage private company and future public company. The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in equity compensation, strong operational judgment, systems experience, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to navigate organizational change.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive experience in stock administration, equity compensation, legal operations, compensation, finance, or a related field, with substantial direct ownership of equity administration.
• Significant experience supporting a late-stage private company, public company, IPO process, or major capital-markets transaction.
• Deep knowledge of equity compensation vehicles and administration, including stock options and RSUs.
• Strong understanding of equity-related securities, tax, payroll, accounting, and governance considerations.
• Experience with ASC 718 and equity-related financial reporting and controls.
• Familiarity with public-company requirements such as Section 16, Rule 10b5-1 plans, insider trading controls, and SOX environments.
• Demonstrated experience with equity administration platforms such as Morgan Stanley at Work/Shareworks or Fidelity, Carta, ETRADE, Computershare, or similar systems.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to manage complex datasets and reconciliations.
• Exceptional attention to detail, judgment, organization, and discretion.
• Strong executive communication skills and the ability to partner effectively across Legal, Finance, Accounting, Tax, Payroll, HR, and Compensation.
• Proven ability to build processes and controls in a rapidly scaling environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience administering equity programs for a global employee population strongly preferred.
• CEP designation or similar equity compensation credential.
• Experience leading equity administration through an IPO.
• Experience implementing or migrating equity administration platforms.
• Experience establishing SOX-compliant equity processes and controls.
• Experience launching an ESPP or other public-company equity programs.
• Experience managing equity programs across multiple international jurisdictions.

Responsibilities

• Own the day-to-day and strategic administration of the company’s equity compensation programs, including stock options, RSUs, restricted stock, and other equity-based awards.
• Manage the complete equity lifecycle, including grants, vesting, exercises, releases, cancellations, terminations, repurchases, transfers, and settlement.
• Maintain accurate equity records, capitalization data, participant information, and supporting documentation.
• Oversee equity administration platforms, workflows, integrations, and vendor relationships.
• Establish scalable policies, procedures, controls, and service-level standards for equity administration.
• Serve as a key functional leader in IPO-readiness efforts related to equity compensation and capitalization.
• Assess current processes and implement the systems, controls, governance, and documentation required to operate effectively as a public company.
• Partner with Legal, Finance, Accounting, Payroll, Tax, Compensation, Internal Audit, external counsel, auditors, and other advisors on IPO preparation and ongoing compliance.
• Support preparation for public-company equity administration requirements, including Section 16 processes, insider-related workflows, trading-window administration, Rule 10b5-1 plans, and related controls, as applicable.
• Develop processes to support future employee stock purchase plans and other public-company equity programs, where relevant.
• Ensure equity administration processes comply with applicable securities, tax, payroll, accounting, and corporate governance requirements.
• Partner with Accounting on stock-based compensation reporting, reconciliations, audit support, and financial close processes.
• Partner with Tax and Payroll on equity-related tax withholding, reporting, settlement, mobility, and international compliance.
• Support compliance with applicable requirements including ASC 718, Section 409A, securities regulations, and relevant international equity rules.
• Design and maintain strong internal controls, including controls supporting future SOX compliance.
• Lead regular reconciliations among the equity administration platform, general ledger, payroll systems, HR systems, and capitalization records.
• Oversee equity administration across multiple jurisdictions and ensure local operational requirements are appropriately supported.
• Partner with Legal, Tax, and external advisors to address country-specific securities, tax, payroll, exchange-control, and reporting obligations.
• Establish scalable processes for internationally mobile employees and cross-border equity issues.
• Maintain global equity compliance calendars and operational documentation.
• Partner with Legal and executive leadership on equity governance, board and compensation committee approvals, grant processes, and plan administration.
• Maintain accurate records of board-approved equity activity and ensure timely execution of approved grants.
• Support preparation of equity-related materials for the Board and Compensation Committee.
• Monitor share utilization, equity plan reserves, dilution, burn rate, and other relevant equity metrics in partnership with Finance and Compensation.
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees and executives regarding equity compensation.
• Develop clear, scalable communications and educational materials to help employees understand their equity.
• Establish efficient processes for employee inquiries, transactions, and issue resolution.
• Partner with People and Compensation teams on equity communications associated with hiring, promotions, refresh grants, liquidity events, and other programs.
• Build and lead a high-performing equity administration function capable of supporting the company through IPO and beyond.
• Develop operating metrics, service standards, control frameworks, and reporting for the function.
• Evaluate team structure, technology, vendor relationships, and outsourcing opportunities as the company scales.
• Act as the company’s subject-matter expert on equity administration and contribute to broader compensation and corporate-governance initiatives.

Benefits

• Solve Hard Problems: Tackle challenges at the forefront of AI infrastructure, from low-latency inference to scalable model serving.
• Build What’s Next: Work with bleeding-edge technology that impacts how businesses and developers harness AI globally.
• Ownership & Impact: Join a fast-growing, passionate team where your work directly shapes the future of AI—no bureaucracy, just results.
• Learn from the Best: Collaborate with world-class engineers and AI researchers who thrive on curiosity and innovation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed