Human Resources Operations Manager

Work from Home (WFH) - Remote work must be performed while residing in San Diego, CA

CIAT Campus Locations: San Diego, CA and Albuquerque, NM

Reports to: VP of People & Culture

Status: Exempt

Employment Type: Full-Time

Summary:

The Human Resources (HR) Operations Manager plays a key leadership role within the Human Resources team, overseeing day-to-day HR operations and ensuring consistent, compliant, and employee-centered HR practices. This position leads team members, oversees payroll and benefits administration, and serves as the first escalation point for employee inquiries. The HR Operations Manager is responsible for ensuring smooth HR processes, data accuracy, and a positive employee experience across the organization.

Responsibilities:

Team Leadership

• Supervise, mentor, and develop team members, fostering a culture of accountability, service, and growth
• Partner with the VP of People & Culture to ensure cohesive communication and alignment across all HR functions
• Build and maintain healthy and professional relationships with all team members
• Act as a mentor and a resource for HR team members on day-to-day processes, policies, and systems
• Share best practices and help develop training materials and reference guides for HR team

Operations Oversight

• Manage accurate and timely execution of onboarding, offboarding, employee changes, and HRIS data management
• Oversee documentation and compliance in personnel files, benefits administration, and timekeeping processes
• Ensure payroll changes are processed accurately and timely in coordination with accounting when necessary
• Manage annual open enrollment and benefits renewals, working closely with brokers and carriers to ensure high-quality employee experiences

Employee Relations & Policy Enforcement

• Provide guidance and coaching to managers on day-to-day employee relations matters
• Conduct or support investigations and documentation of employee concerns in collaboration with the VP
• Ensure consistent policy interpretation and application across all departments

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure adherence to all state and federal labor laws, including wage and hour, benefits, and leave compliance across multiple states
• Partner with others on internal audits, reporting, and compliance initiatives
• Support data integrity within the HRIS and manage periodic audits for accuracy
• Oversees the completion of audits including but not limited to: worker’s compensation, 401(k) plan audit and NDT testing and others

Onboarding & Recruiting Support

• Partner with team members and management to ensure smooth onboarding for new hires, including orientation, system access, and compliance documentation
• Collaborate with hiring managers to streamline recruiting and selection processes
• Support creation and execution of training plans for new hires to ensure successful integration into CIAT’s culture and operations

Exit & Offboarding

• Oversee and manage employee separations, ensuring compliance with state and federal laws
• Track exit feedback, and provide data and recommendations to the VP for process improvement
• Ensure proper completion of final pay, benefits continuation, and retrieval of company assets, in partnership with IT
• Document all offboarding activities in personnel files for compliance purposes

HR Process Improvement

• Streamline HR workflows and ensure operational efficiency and consistency
• Develop and maintain HR metrics, dashboards, and process documentation
• Identify opportunities to improve employee experience through technology, automation, and communication

Culture & Communication

• Promote CIAT’s culture of fairness, consistency, and respect in all HR interactions
• Partner with team members to support employee learning and engagement initiatives
• Model CIAT’s values, professionalism and HR compliance standards, supporting a collaborative and learning-focused HR team environment
• Follow communication guidelines to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction and professionalism
• Adhere to CIAT’s compliance requirements to ensure all Federal, State, accreditation, and institutional policies and procedures are being met
• Embody CIAT’s?mission, vision, purpose and values

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational, Psychology or related field (or equivalent experience), and PHR or SHRM-CP certification are preferred
• At least 6 years of HR experience, preferably in generalist roles
• Minimum of 2 years in a management role, demonstrating the ability to manage and develop HR teams
• Experience in managing HR functions across multiple states and a remote workforce is preferred
• Experience overseeing payroll, benefits administration, onboarding, and offboarding processes
• Experience in higher education
• Strong consultation skills and proven track record in HR roles
• Expert knowledge of California and Federal labor laws and comfort with HR systems/technology are all a must
• Strong knowledge of employment laws and HR best practices
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Ability to influence leaders to align people processes and practices with business objectives.
• Proficiency with HRIS systems, preferred with Paylocity, Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook).
• Ability to be flexible and willing to take on a variety of assignments, depending on the specific HR needs
• Strong organizational skills with the proven ability to prioritize
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to effectively convey information and interact with students, colleagues, and others
• Self-motivated with a strong work ethic; dedicated to quality, quantity, results and timeliness
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs and exercise independent judgment
• Excellent analytical skills, problem resolution skills and general business acumen
• Proficient skills in MS Office software products, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Project and ability to learn additional software products
• Exhibits a high degree of flexibility in adapting to a rapidly changing environment
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues, academic departments, and administration to support student success, achieve institutional goals and contribute to a positive and inclusive culture
• Position may require work responsibilities outside of normal business hours to accommodate business needs and deadlines
• Flexible working longer hours to meet deadlines, if needed
• Able to handle sensitive information with a high degree of confidentiality
• Possess high ethical standards, being an example of professionalism to others
• Must be able to embody CIAT’s mission, vision, purpose and values

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday. Occasional weekend and evening hours may be required. Although this typically involves working during business hours, on occasion the person in this role may be asked to work early in the morning or evenings.

Supervisory Responsibility

This position oversees at least two (2) HR employees.