Sr. HR Specialist

We are seeking a Senior HR Specialist to join our team. Based in our Oakland headquarters, this critical generalist role reports directly to the HR Director and provides HR oversight and administration for all three of our firm's offices.

The ideal candidate is a proactive HR professional who enjoys being "on the ground" with their team. This role requires the ability to travel between our East Bay offices (Oakland and Walnut Creek) at least once or twice a month to ensure consistent support and engagement across locations.

Essential Job Duties

• Direct Supervision: Manage, coach, and oversee legal secretaries in the Oakland and Walnut Creek offices, ensuring high-quality support for our attorneys.
• Workflow Coordination: Monitor staffing levels and distribute work effectively across offices in coordination with the HR Director.
• Performance & Compliance: Review and approve timecards and time-off requests for legal secretaries and paralegals, ensuring strict adherence to California wage-and-hour laws.
• Employee Relations: Serve as the first point of contact for staff concerns, providing guidance on firm policies and escalating serious issues to the HR Director when necessary.

Payroll, Benefits & Leave Administration

• HRIS Expertise: Maintain all employee and attorney data within ADP Workforce Now, managing the full lifecycle from hire to status changes and compensation adjustments.
• Benefits & 401(k): Lead the annual Open Enrollment process and serve as the firm’s internal expert for benefits questions and 401(k) eligibility/audits.
• Leave of Absence: Administer and track all statutory and non-statutory leaves (FMLA, CFRA, PDL, etc.) for the entire firm.

Talent Acquisition & Onboarding

• Recruiting: Manage full-cycle recruiting for staff and paralegal positions firm-wide, including job description development and background screening.
• Onboarding: Lead comprehensive orientation sessions to welcome and integrate new hires into the Donahue Fitzgerald culture.
• Internal Communication: Create a monthly HR newsletter to keep all three offices informed on benefits, wellness, and policy updates.

Qualifications

• High school diploma/GED required; Bachelor’s degree in HR or Business preferred.
• HR Certification (PHR/SHRM-CP) highly regarded
• 4 years of progressive HR experience and 2 years of supervisory experience (legal or professional services environment preferred).
• Expert-level understanding of California labor and wage-and-hour laws, as well as federal regulations (ERISA, ADA, FLSA).
• Required proficiency in ADP Workforce Now and MS Office. Familiarity with Document Management Systems (NetDocs/iManage) is a plus.
• Prior experience managing full-cycle recruitment for staff positions with expertise in candidate sourcing, writing job descriptions.
• Proven experience administering health and welfare plans.
• Experience managing 401k plan administration, including eligibility tracking, employee education, and supporting annual plan audits.
• Knowledge of the California leaves including FMLA/CFRA, PDL and Healthy Families Act
• Ability to travel between the Oakland and Walnut Creek offices at least 1–2 times per month.
• Exceptional discretion, strong negotiation skills, and a "can-do" attitude.
• Proven experience in managing and resolving complex interpersonal and team conflicts, using empathy and assertiveness to address issues quickly and effectively
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and adapting to frequent change with strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Builds trust, helping to create a positive, collaborative work environment that fosters open communication and mutual respect

Working Conditions

• Primarily based in Oakland, 5 days a week (Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).
• Office environment requiring frequent computer use and the ability to move about the office to interact with attorneys and staff.