Work from Home (WFH) - Remote work must be performed while residing in California

CIAT Campus Locations: San Diego, CA and Albuquerque, NM

Reports to: VP of People & Culture

Status: Exempt

Employment Type: Full-Time

Summary

The Human Resources (HR) Manager plays a key leadership role within the Human Resources team, overseeing day-to-day HR operations while also driving effective, compliant, and employee-centered HR practices across the organization. This position leads and develops the HR team, partners closely with leadership, and serves as a key resource for managers on employee relations, performance management, and organizational needs.

The HR Manager ensures smooth HR processes, data accuracy, and a positive employee experience, while also contributing to broader HR initiatives and continuous improvement efforts.

Responsibilities:

Team Leadership

Supervise and mentor team members, fostering a culture of accountability, service, and growth
Partner with the VP of People & Culture to ensure cohesive communication and alignment across all HR functions
Build and maintain healthy and professional relationships with all employees
Lead the day-to-day processes, policies, and systems
Help develop best practices and training materials for HR team

Operations Oversight

Manage accurate and timely execution of onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, and HRIS data management
Oversee documentation and compliance in personnel files, benefits administration, and timekeeping processes
Oversee payroll-related processes, ensuring accuracy and timely coordination with accounting.
Manage annual open enrollment and benefits renewals, working closely with brokers and carriers to ensure high-quality employee experiences

Employee Relations & Policy Enforcement

Provide guidance and coaching to managers on day-to-day employee relations matters
Conduct or support investigations and documentation of employee concerns in collaboration with the VP and Generalist
Support consistent policy interpretation and application across all departments
Serve as a trusted advisor to managers by providing guidance on performance management, employee development, and workplace concerns

Compliance & Risk Management

Ensure adherence to all state and federal labor laws, including wage and hour, benefits, and leave compliance across multiple states
Lead and partner with others on internal audits, reporting, and compliance initiatives
Support data integrity within the HRIS and manage periodic audits for accuracy
Oversees the completion of audits including but not limited to: worker’s compensation, 401(k) plan audit and NDT testing and others

Onboarding & Recruiting Support

Partner with team members and management to ensure smooth onboarding for new hires, including orientation, system access, and compliance documentation
Collaborate with hiring managers to streamline onboarding
Support creation and execution of training plans for new hires to ensure successful integration into CIAT’s culture and operations
Provide oversight and partnership to recruiting efforts by collaborating with the Talent Acquisition team and hiring managers to ensure alignment in hiring practices and onboarding experience

Exit & Offboarding

Oversee employee separations, ensuring compliance with state and federal laws
Track exit feedback, and provide data and recommendations to the VP and Generalist for process improvement.
Ensure proper completion of final pay, benefits continuation, and retrieval of company assets, in partnership with IT
Document offboarding activities in personnel files for compliance purposes

HR Process Improvement

Ensure operational efficiency and consistency
Maintain HR metrics, dashboards, and process documentation
Identify trends and provide recommendations to leadership to improve retention, engagement, and operational effectiveness

Culture & Communication

Promote CIAT’s culture of fairness, consistency, and respect in all HR interactions
Partner with team members to support employee learning and engagement initiatives
Follow communication guidelines to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction and professionalism
Adhere to CIAT’s compliance requirements to ensure all Federal, State, accreditation, and institutional policies and procedures are being met
Embody CIAT’s?mission, vision, purpose and values

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational, Psychology or related field (or equivalent experience), and PHR or SHRM-CP certification are preferred
At least 6 years of progressive HR experience, with strong in generalist experience
Minimum of 2 years in a management role, demonstrating the ability to manage and develop HR teams
Experience advising managers and leaders on employee relations, performance management, and organizational effectiveness
Expert knowledge of California and Federal labor laws and comfort with HR systems/technology are all a must.
Experience in managing HR functions across multiple states and a remote workforce is preferred
Experience overseeing payroll, benefits administration, onboarding, and offboarding processes
Experience in higher education
Strong consultation skills and proven track record in HR roles
Strong knowledge of employment laws and HR best practices
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities
Ability to influence leaders to align people processes and practices with business objectives
Proficiency with HRIS systems, preferred with Paylocity, Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook)
Ability to be flexible and willing to take on a variety of assignments, depending on the specific HR needs
Strong organizational skills with the proven ability to prioritize
Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to effectively convey information and interact with students, colleagues, and others
Self-motivated with a strong work ethic; dedicated to quality, quantity, results and timeliness
Demonstrated bility to anticipate needs and exercise independent judgment
Excellent analytical skills, problem resolution skills and general business acumen
Proficient skills in MS Office software products, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Project and ability to learn additional software products
Exhibits a high degree of flexibility in adapting to a rapidly changing environment
Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, academic departments, and administration to support student success, achieve institutional goals and contribute to a positive and inclusive culture
Position may require work responsibilities outside of normal business hours to accommodate business needs and deadlines.
Flexible working longer hours to meet deadlines, if needed
Able to handle sensitive information with a high degree of confidentiality
Possess high ethical standards, being an example of professionalism to others
Must be able to embody CIAT’s mission, vision, purpose and values

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday. Occasional weekend and evening hours may be required. Although this typically involves working during business hours, on occasion the person in this role may be asked to work early in the morning or evenings.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position oversees at least two (2) HR employees.

Salary Range

The starting salary range for the HR Manager is $90,000-$105,000 yearly/DOE. We base salary offers on a variety of considerations, such as education, experience, equity and other business and organizational needs.

California Institute of Applied Technology

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