California HR & Employment Compliance Consultant
Short-Term Consulting Engagement | Compliance Audit & Remediation Plan
About the Engagement
We are seeking an experienced HR and employment compliance consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of our company's current HR practices, policies, documentation, and employment compliance processes.
The primary objective is to identify compliance gaps, assess areas of risk, and provide a practical, prioritized remediation plan that management can use to bring our HR practices into alignment with applicable California and federal requirements.
This is a hands-on compliance audit engagement. We are looking for an experienced professional who can independently assess our current practices, identify potential issues, explain the risks clearly, and recommend specific corrective actions.
Company
We are a growing California-based manufacturing and e-commerce company with employees working in office, manufacturing, and operational roles.
The consultant should be comfortable working with a small-to-mid-sized employer where HR responsibilities may be distributed across management, payroll, accounting, and operations.
Scope of Work
The consultant will review applicable areas of our HR and employment compliance program, including, as appropriate:
1. Employee Classification & Compensation
- Exempt vs. non-exempt classifications
- Employee vs. independent contractor classification
- Job descriptions and classification consistency
- Wage and hour compliance
- Minimum wage and overtime requirements
- Double-time requirements
- Reporting-time pay
- Split-shift considerations
- Required wage statements
- Payroll practices and deductions
- Timekeeping practices
2. Work Schedules & Alternative Workweek
- Review of current work schedules
- Review of any Alternative Workweek Election documentation
- Verification that schedules and practices align with applicable requirements
- Review of meal and rest period practices
- Timekeeping and payroll treatment of meal periods
- Identification of any potential wage-and-hour exposure
3. Employee Handbook & Policies
Review existing policies and employee handbook materials for compliance and completeness, including as applicable:
- Anti-discrimination and harassment
- Workplace conduct
- Reasonable accommodation
- Pregnancy accommodation
- Paid sick leave
- Vacation/PTO
- Holidays
- Attendance
- Meal and rest periods
- Timekeeping
- Wage and hour policies
- Expense reimbursement
- Remote work
- Electronic communications and technology
- Social media
- Confidentiality
- Discipline and termination
- Complaint and reporting procedures
4. Required California Notices & Disclosures
Review whether required employee notices, postings, acknowledgments, and disclosures are current and properly administered.
5. Leave & Accommodation Compliance
Review processes relating to applicable:
- Paid sick leave
- Family and medical leave
- Pregnancy disability leave
- CFRA
- FMLA, where applicable
- Jury duty and other protected leave
- Disability accommodation
- Religious accommodation
- Interactive process requirements
6. Workplace Safety & Related HR Compliance
Review the HR-related aspects of:
- OSHA compliance
- Injury and illness prevention processes
- Workplace violence prevention requirements, where applicable
- Safety training documentation
- Employee injury reporting procedures
- Workers' compensation procedures
7. Hiring & Onboarding
Review:
- Job applications
- Offer letters
- New-hire paperwork
- Required disclosures
- I-9 procedures
- E-Verify, if applicable
- Background checks, if applicable
- New-hire reporting
- Required California hiring notices
- Personnel file practices
8. Personnel Records & HR Administration
Review:
- Personnel files
- Payroll records
- Timekeeping records
- Medical/accommodation records
- I-9 records
- Record retention practices
- Access and confidentiality controls
9. Termination & Separation Practices
Review:
- Termination procedures
- Final pay practices
- PTO/vacation payout
- Required notices
- Separation documentation
- Unemployment response procedures
- Exit documentation
10. California-Specific Compliance
The consultant should have demonstrated knowledge of California employment requirements, including applicable requirements under California wage-and-hour laws, Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Orders, Labor Code requirements, FEHA, CFRA, California paid sick leave laws, and other applicable state requirements.
The consultant should identify areas where legal counsel should be consulted rather than providing legal advice outside their scope of practice.
Deliverables
The primary deliverable should be a written HR Compliance Audit Report containing:
- Executive summary of overall compliance status
- Identified compliance gaps
- Risk assessment for each finding
- Recommended corrective action
- Priority level for each item
- Recommended timeline for remediation
- Identification of items requiring employment-law counsel
- Recommended updates to policies, forms, procedures, or documentation
- List of missing or outdated documents
- Recommended ongoing HR compliance calendar
Where practical, findings should be categorized as:
- Critical / Immediate Action
- High Priority
- Moderate Priority
- Low Priority / Best Practice
The consultant should distinguish between:
- Confirmed compliance deficiencies
- Potential areas of risk requiring additional review
- Recommended best practices
- Issues requiring review by qualified legal counsel
Preferred Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional HR, HR compliance, or employment compliance experience
- Strong knowledge of California employment requirements
- Experience conducting HR compliance audits
- Experience with California wage-and-hour compliance
- Experience with small and mid-sized employers
- SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or equivalent experience preferred
- Experience working with manufacturing, distribution, or operational workforces preferred
- Experience reviewing Alternative Workweek Elections preferred
- Strong written documentation and reporting skills
- Ability to independently identify compliance gaps and provide practical recommendations
Experience working alongside employment attorneys or HR legal counsel is highly desirable.
Engagement Structure
This is intended to be a short-term consulting engagement focused on conducting an initial comprehensive compliance audit.
The engagement may include:
- Initial management interview
- Document and policy review
- Employee classification and payroll/timekeeping review
- Compliance gap analysis
- Management presentation of findings
- Written compliance audit report
- Prioritized remediation roadmap
- Optional follow-up assistance implementing corrective actions
Estimated engagement: 20–50 hours, depending on the scope and complexity of the company's current documentation and practices.
Candidates may propose either:
- Hourly consulting rates, or
- A fixed fee for the defined audit scope
We are particularly interested in candidates who can perform a thorough, independent assessment of our current HR and employment compliance practices and produce a clear, actionable report that management can use to identify, prioritize, and address compliance improvements.
This is a short-term consulting engagement for an independent contractor and is not a payroll employee position. The initial engagement is expected to focus on conducting a comprehensive compliance audit and delivering a written assessment and prioritized remediation plan.
The audit is expected to be conducted primarily in person, as we believe an on-site review and direct observation of our workplace, processes, documentation, and management practices will provide the most thorough assessment. However, we are open to a hybrid consulting arrangement for specific portions of the engagement where remote work is practical and appropriate. Any remote or hybrid work will be limited to clearly defined areas and must be discussed, communicated, and mutually agreed upon in advance.
Candidates should be comfortable working independently, asking detailed questions, reviewing sensitive and confidential company information, and communicating findings directly to company management. We are looking for a consultant who can provide an objective assessment of our current compliance posture—not simply review existing documents—and who can clearly distinguish between immediate compliance concerns, potential areas of risk, and recommended best practices.
Pay: $100.00 - $150.00 per hour
Application Question(s):
- How many years of experience do you have conducting HR or employment compliance audits?
- What are the three highest-risk areas you would initially examine when auditing a California employer?
- What specific documents and records would you request during the first week of a comprehensive HR compliance audit?
Work Location: In person
