Summary/objective:
Under the direction of the Vice President, Human Resources, the Human Resources Director oversees and administers a broad range of HR functions, including recruitment, compliance, compensation, benefits, leave administration, HRIS administration, payroll coordination, and employee data management. Provides leadership and guidance to the HR team and partners with management to support organizational needs and operational objectives while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and company policies.
Essential functions: (to include supervisory responsibilities – if applicable)
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
Leadership and Team Development
· Provides leadership and direction to the HR team, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and operational priorities.
· Partners closely with the Employee Relations Director and Safety/Workers’ Compensation/Training Director to ensure coordinated and effective HR support across the organization.
· Develops and mentors team members, fostering accountability, professional growth, and strong decision-making capabilities.
· Oversees the distribution of work and team performance, ensuring priorities are met and resources are effectively utilized.
· Establishes expectations and ensures timely resolution of employee and operational issues through appropriate delegation and follow-through.
· Drives team involvement in planning, process improvement, and problem-solving initiatives.
· Evaluates team performance, identifies development opportunities, and supports succession planning within the department.
Recruitment & Selection
· Partners with leadership to support strategic hiring and workforce planning decisions across General & Administrative (G&A) and Post-Harvest operations.
· Oversees and ensures consistency in the end-to-end hiring process, including job postings, candidate selection, in collaboration with HR team members.
· Collaborates with Employee Relations to ensure a smooth and compliant onboarding experience, maintaining alignment with company standards and business needs.
· Reviews I-9s to ensure compliance with I-9 Employment Eligibility internal audit requirements.
· Develops, maintains, and administers the Company's job description program, partnering with management to create, review, and update job descriptions to ensure positions accurately reflect organizational structure, duties, qualifications, reporting relationships, compensation practices, and compliance requirements.
Compensation and Organizational Administration
· Reviews and administers job classification, compensation, and organizational structure changes, ensuring alignment with business needs, collective bargaining agreements, company policies, contractual obligations, and applicable employment laws.
· Partners with management to evaluate positions, reporting relationships, and workforce needs, providing recommendations regarding organizational structure and staffing.
· Leads coordination and execution of collective bargaining agreements annual wage increases across multiple employee populations, ensuring alignment with company policies.
· Partners closely with Payroll to ensure accurate and timely implementation of all pay-related changes.
Benefits Administration
· Oversees administration of employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement, and other company-sponsored benefits.
· Administers benefit enrollments, changes, and terminations in accordance with plan provisions and eligibility requirements.
· Coordinates benefit administration related to new hires, layoffs, leaves of absence, qualifying events, and terminations.
· Oversees administration of the Company's 401(k) plan, including eligibility, enrollment, payroll deduction administration, vendor coordination, participant communications, and compliance with plan requirements.
· Oversees benefits-related reconciliation processes, including medical and Group Term Life (GTL), ensuring accuracy of vendor billing and validation prior to payment.
· Serves as a resource to employees regarding benefit programs and coordinates with benefit vendors to resolve enrollment, eligibility, and coverage issues.
Leaves of Absences & Accommodations
· Oversees the administration of all leave of absence programs, including FMLA, CFRA, PDL, and other applicable leaves, ensuring compliance from initial request through return to work.
· Oversees the interactive process under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), including evaluation of reasonable accommodations, coordination with management, and documentation of decisions.
· Ensures accurate determination of leave eligibility, designation, and tracking, including intermittent and reduced schedule leave.
· Partners with management to assess leave and accommodation requests, balancing compliance requirements with operational needs.
· Maintains appropriate communication with employees on leave and facilitates a smooth and timely return-to-work process.
· Ensures all leave and accommodation processes are documented and administered in compliance with applicable laws and company policies.
HRIS Administration
· Oversees the accuracy and maintenance of employee data and HRIS configuration, executing system setup based on approved organizational changes.
· Manages HR system updates related to:
o New hires, terminations, and status changes
o Compensation adjustments and organizational changes
o Compliance-driven updates (e.g., legal, regulatory, or contract changes)
· Ensures consistency and accuracy in the application of collective bargaining agreements and internal policies across all employee transactions.
· Maintains employee records (electronic and physical) in compliance with company standards and regulatory requirements.
· Leads user acceptance testing (UAT) and validation of HRIS, payroll, benefits, and compliance-related system changes, working closely with Information Technology and business stakeholders to ensure accurate implementation and functionality.
· Spearheads HR-related projects and cross-functional initiatives, including system implementations, process improvements, and organizational change efforts.
Payroll Administration & Coordination
· Coordinates with Payroll to ensure accurate and timely processing of bi-weekly payroll for G&A employees.
· Responsible for HR-related payroll setup, including:
o Employee onboarding and status changes
o Pay codes, earnings, deductions, and benefit setups
· Supports payroll by providing necessary data for:
o Mileage, per diem, and other variable pay components
· Partners with Payroll to research and resolve discrepancies or employee inquiries.
· Ensures compliance with company policies and alignment between HR systems and payroll processes.
Policy
· Develops and recommends new approaches, policies, and procedures to effect continual improvements in the efficiency of the department and services performed.
· Evaluates and revises internal processes and policies to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
· Reviews, develops, and updates company policies and procedures in response to operational needs, regulatory changes, and organizational objectives.
Compliance
· Monitors and ensures the organization's compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and recommended best practices; reviews and modifies policies and practices to maintain compliance.
· Maintains knowledge of trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in human resources, talent management, and employment law; applies this knowledge to communicate changes in policy, practice, and resources to upper management.
Oversees the development and maintenance of documentation to support consistency, compliance, and knowledge transfer across HR functions.
· Ensures HR processes, forms, and systems are updated in alignment with applicable labor laws and regulatory requirements.
· Oversees and ensures timely and accurate completion of all required regulatory reporting, including Affordable Care Act (ACA) and EEO-1.
· Maintains, files, and safeguards confidential employee records, including personnel, medical, benefits, and other employment-related files, in accordance with company policy, record retention requirements, and applicable laws.
· Gathers the retrieval of employment records in response to audits, litigation, subpoenas, government inquiries, and other authorized requests.
General Responsibilities
· Maintains regular and reliable attendance.
· Performs other duties as assigned.
Additional functions:
Serves as backup to employee relations matters and compliance.
Competencies:
· Leadership
· Communication – Written and Verbal
· Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
· Project Management
· Analytical Thinking
· Active Listening
Work environment:
· Mostly indoor work with occasional visits to the fields.
· Full-time, Monday through Friday with occasional work on Holidays.
Physical requirements:
See separate physical requirements document for this role.
Travel required:
· Occasional overnight travel to Company operations within the Southern District may be required.
Required education and experience:
Education and Certifications
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
Experience
- Minimum of five (5) years of progressive Human Resources experience.
- Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory responsibilities.
- Experience managing leave of absence and accommodation programs and applying applicable federal, state, and company requirements.
- Experience with benefits administration, reconciliation, auditing, and data analysis.
Knowledge and Skills
- Bilingual and biliterate in English and Spanish.
- Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulations, including California and Arizona.
- Knowledge of employee benefit laws and compliance requirements, including ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA, Workers' Compensation, Medicare, Social Security, and Department of Labor regulations.
- Comprehensive knowledge of Human Resources principles, practices, and procedures.
- Understanding of business operations, financial concepts, and accounting fundamentals.
Technical Proficiency
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel.
- Experience working with Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) and payroll systems.
Preferred education and experience:
- Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), or SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) preferred.
· An understanding of contract language including collective bargaining agreements and benefits is preferred.
· Knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics GP is a plus.
Additional eligibility requirements:
Knowledge of Microsoft Great Plains a plus.
Affirmative Action/EEO statement:
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer - The Company assures equal employment opportunity with respect to recruiting, hiring, training, compensation, transfers, and promotions. All Company practices will be administered without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, and medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, age (40 and over), ancestry, color, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), denial of FMLA leave, disability, marital status, medical condition (cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal or local law in terms and conditions of employment. Information provided on this application will not be used for any discriminatory purpose.
Other duties:
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Pay range: $130,000 - $150,000
Pay: $130,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
