Human Resources Manager
About Gorilla Circuits
Gorilla Circuits is a leading manufacturer of printed circuit boards (PCB) and printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA), serving customers in the aerospace, defense, medical, industrial, and commercial industries. As an ITAR-registered manufacturer certified to AS9100 and ISO 9001 standards, we are committed to quality, innovation, and continuous improvement.
About the Role
We're looking for a strategic, hands-on Human Resources Manager to continue building, enhance, and lead our HR function. This is not a role for someone looking to run an existing playbook — you'll be the top HR leader in the organization, responsible for enhancing the systems, policies, and processes, while also staying close enough to the work to execute alongside your team. You'll have a generalist and admin support reporting to you, but this role is fundamentally an individual builder role: you're expected to shape the department's direction, not just manage its day-to-day.
You'll serve as a trusted partner and advisor to leadership, translating business priorities into HR strategy, and standing up the infrastructure — from compliance frameworks to performance systems to employee relations protocols — that lets the company scale.
What You'll Do
Strategic HR Leadership
- Own HR strategy end-to-end: assess current-state gaps and build the processes, policies, and infrastructure needed to support a growing manufacturing workforce
- Partner directly with executive leadership as the primary HR advisor on workforce planning, organizational design, and business-critical people decisions
- Lead HR initiatives from concept to implementation — you're expected to identify what's missing and build it, not wait for direction
Department Leadership
- Serve as the senior HR presence in the organization; direct and develop a generalist and admin support role to execute day-to-day transactional work
- Enhance existing and establish new scalable, repeatable processes across the employee lifecycle (recruiting, onboarding, performance, offboarding)
- Set the standard for HR operations, compliance rigor, and employee experience going forward
- Delegate effectively — determine what should be owned at the generalist/admin level versus what requires your direct involvement, and build your team's capability to take on more over time
- Mentor and coach direct reports, investing in their growth so the department has bench strength, not just task coverage
- Build a high-performing, well-trained HR team capable of executing at a high level with appropriate autonomy
Employee Relations & Compliance
- Manage complex employee relations matters, develop your HR team to lead best-in-class workplace investigations, and coach managers through performance and corrective action processes
- Ensure compliance with federal, state (especially California), and local employment law; build and maintain HR policies proactively rather than reactively
- Support audits and regulatory requirements as the ITAR/AS9100 environment demands
HR Operations
- Oversee benefits administration, leave management, HRIS maintenance, and payroll coordination, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality
- Build reporting and metrics that give leadership visibility into workforce trends
Talent & Culture
- Drive recruiting strategy, employee development programs, and performance review processes to build a high-performing workforce
- Champion a strong workplace culture through engagement, communication, and recognition initiatives aligned to company values
This Role Is For You If...
- You've built HR functions or processes from scratch before — not just administered ones that already existed
- You think within a systems framework and want to design how things should work, not just keep things running
- You're comfortable being the most senior HR voice in the room, while still being hands-on enough to do the work yourself when needed
- You enjoy developing people — training, mentoring, and coaching a team to become excellent, not just delegating tasks and hoping for the best
- You want ownership over the direction of a department, not just a seat within one
What You'll Bring
- 10+ years of progressive Human Resources experience, including direct experience building or significantly overhauling HR functions, policies, or processes
- Demonstrated experience leading HR as the senior-most function owner, ideally with a small team reporting to you
- Strong knowledge of California employment law and HR best practices
- Experience within an organization consisting of 500 employees or more
- Experience supporting a manufacturing, engineering, or industrial environment strongly preferred
- Experience with HRIS and payroll systems (Paylocity preferred)
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, with the judgment to operate autonomously
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent work experience
- PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification is a plus
Compensation
Salary Range: $140,000 – $175,000 annually
Pay: $140,000.00 - $175,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
