Director of Human Resources

Role Overview

• Provide overall leadership and direction for the HR function, including structure, roles, and capability development.
• Build and maintain a high-performing HR team through coaching and performance management.
• Set priorities and allocate resources to ensure HR efforts align with business objectives.
• Establish standards for HR decision-making, service delivery, and risk management.
• Mentor HR team members and serve as a role model for judgment, professionalism, and discretion.
• Translate business strategy into scalable people programs.
• Lead workforce planning, succession planning, and organizational design.
• Advise ownership on risk, compliance, and people-related financial exposure.
• Own high-risk investigations, executive issues, and sensitive terminations.
• Partner directly with legal counsel; determine when escalation is required.
• Proactively identify compliance gaps and mitigation strategies.
• Design, evaluate, and recommend compensation and incentive structures.
• Oversee benefits strategy, renewals, funding models, and cost containment.
• Provide decision-ready analysis to ownership.
• Oversee payroll, HRIS, leave administration, and vendor relationships.
• Ensure processes scale with growth, acquisitions, or restructuring.
• Own HR audit readiness and governance.
• Provide strategic oversight of the workers’ compensation program, including claims trends, cost drivers, return-to-work strategy, and loss mitigation.
• Partner with brokers, carriers, and legal counsel on complex claims, litigation, and settlements.
• Advise leadership on risk exposure, experience modification (MOD) factors, and proactive cost-containment strategies.
• Own OSHA compliance strategy, including policies, training programs, audit readiness, and regulatory response.
• Lead investigations of serious incidents and coordinate corrective action plans.
• Ensure safety practices scale appropriately across locations and operational environments.
• Serve as the primary internal owner for P&C insurance programs, including workers’ compensation, EPLI, and liability coverage.
• Lead annual insurance renewals, broker relationships, and coverage evaluations.
• Provide executive-level recommendations on coverage structure, limits, and risk tolerance.
• Coach leaders on performance, accountability, and behavior alignment.
• Champion company values and culture across locations.
• Lead training, engagement, and communication strategies.
• Make final recommendations on terminations, investigations, and corrective action.
• Select and manage HR vendors within approved budgets.
• Redesign HR programs and policies, subject to executive sign-off.
• Act as internal decision-maker on compliance and risk matters.
• Authorized to manage broker relationships, recommend carriers and coverage structures, and lead renewals within approved financial parameters.
• Acts as the company’s internal authority on employment-related risk and insurance strategy, subject to executive sign-off on material financial decisions.

Requirements

• 12–18+ years progressive HR leadership; HR certification (SPHR/SHRM-SCP) preferred
• Experience in distribution, warehousing, or operational environments
• Deep California and multi-state labor law expertise
• Comfort operating in gray areas while managing legal and people risk
• Comfort serving as the organization’s internal authority on people-related risk
• Proven executive advisory capability
• Synthesizes people, legal, and financial risk into clear recommendations
• Exceptional judgment in high-risk, high-ambiguity situations
• Proven ability to balance business needs, legal compliance, and employee experience
• Handles confidential information with discretion and restraint
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust across a diverse employee population including owners, managers, and frontline employees
• Calm, concise executive presence with ability to maintain composure during conflict, investigations, and executive tension

Benefits

Medical, Dental, Vision Paid Life and AD&D Insurance Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) Retirement Plans Paid Time Off Paid Sick Paid Holidays Employee Discounts