Director, HR Operations

Position Summary: The Director, HR Operations leads and continuously evolves Calbee America’s core HR operational functions, including payroll, benefits administration, leave of absence, workers’ compensation, HR systems, compliance, and employee records. This role ensures operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and a seamless, people-first employee experience across Calbee’s multi-site U.S. workforce.

As Calbee’s Senior HR Operations leader, the Director designs scalable HR infrastructure, modernizes service delivery through technology and process optimization, and provides strategic oversight of HR programs that support business growth, workforce stability, and company culture. This role partners closely with HR leadership, Finance, Legal, IT, plant leadership, and external vendors to deliver best-in-class HR operations across corporate and manufacturing environments. You will manage a team of People Operations Professionals.

Key Responsibilities:HR Program & Project Management:

• Lead cross-functional HR projects and enterprise initiatives including annual compensation cycles, merit and bonus planning, and pay program implementation.
• Manage HR technology projects including system upgrades, new module implementations, integrations, and automation enhancements.
• Oversee design and rollout of employee wellness programs and engagement initiatives that support workforce health, productivity, and retention.
• Develop project plans, timelines, budgets, and stakeholder communication strategies to ensure successful execution of HR initiatives.
• Partner with HR leadership, Finance, IT, and external vendors to align project outcomes with business objectives.
• Establish project governance, track progress against milestones, and remove barriers to delivery.

People Operations & Service Delivery:

• Design and optimize HR programs and workflows across the employee lifecycle from onboarding through offboarding.
• Build scalable HR operations that support growth across corporate and plant environments.
• Establish HR service delivery models and service standards to ensure consistent employee support across all U.S. sites.
• Lead change management, training, and communications for new HR programs and system rollouts.
• Translate business needs into people operations strategies aligned with organizational priorities.

Payroll, Time & Attendance:

• Oversee end-to-end payroll operations for all U.S. locations, ensuring accurate and timely processing for exempt and non-exempt employees.
• Oversee time and attendance systems, configurations, pay rules, schedules, and compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour regulations.
• Ensure alignment between timekeeping, payroll, and HRIS systems to maintain data integrity and reduce manual processing.
• Partner with Finance on payroll accounting, reconciliations, tax filings, and year-end reporting activities.
• Manage payroll and timekeeping vendor relationships, contracts, and service-level performance.
• Drive continuous improvement in payroll and timekeeping processes, controls, audits, and employee self-service tools.

Benefit Strategy & Administration:

• Lead strategy, design, and administration of employee benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, and 401(k).
• Oversee annual open enrollment planning, communications, and vendor coordination.
• Serve as executive-level liaison with brokers and benefit providers to ensure competitive offerings and high-quality employee service.
• Ensure compliance with benefits-related regulations including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, and HIPAA.
• Evaluate benefit trends and recommend enhancements to support talent attraction and retention.

Leave of Absence & Workers’ Compensation:

• Provide strategic oversight of all leave programs including FMLA, CFRA, ADA accommodations, paid state leaves, and company leave policies.
• Direct workers’ compensation administration, vendor partnerships, claim oversight, and return-to-work programs.
• Partner with HR Business Partners and plant leaders to ensure consistent, compliant case management practices.
• Monitor program metrics, identify risk areas, and implement improvements to reduce exposure and improve employee experience.

HR Systems & Data Governance:

• Serve as executive owner of HRIS and HR technology platforms (Dayforce strongly preferred).
• Ensure HR data integrity, security, and process consistency across all locations.
• Lead system enhancements, integrations, automation, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Develop workforce analytics, dashboards, and compliance reporting to support leadership decision-making.

Compliance, Risk & Governance:

• Ensure accurate and compliant employee records management across multi-state operations.
• Maintain audit readiness for I-9, EEO-1, ACA, wage & hour, and other regulatory requirements.
• Lead HR audits, internal compliance reviews, and policy governance.

HR Operations Budget & Vendor Management:

• Own HR operations budgets including payroll processing, benefits administration, HR technology, and vendor services.
• Lead broker, payroll, and HR technology, RFPs and contract negotiations.
• Establish service-level agreements and monitor vendor performance.

Key Focus Areas:

• Enterprise HR & Payroll Leadership
• People-First Service Delivery
• Operational Excellence & Automation
• Risk & Compliance Management
• Data-Driven Workforce Strategy

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 7-10 years of progressive HR / People Operations experience, including leadership of payroll, timekeeping, benefits, and HR systems.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-site, multi-state HR operations (manufacturing environment preferred).
• Strong HRIS and HR technology expertise (Dayforce strongly preferred).
• Deep knowledge of wage & hour laws, payroll taxation, employment compliance, and benefits regulations.
• Proven success designing scalable HR programs and leading process transformation.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• SHRM-SCP or SPHR preferred.

While the ideal candidate will be located in the San Francisco Bay Area, this role may be performed remotely with approximately 20% travel to plant locations. Candidates must reside in one of the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, or Washington.

Calbee North America is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, citizenship, ancestry, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or familial status or any other legally protected status.

Salary : $130,000 - $150,000