Director of Human Resources

Servant•San Fernando, CA

11h

About The Position

The Director of Human Resources is the senior internal authority on people strategy, risk management, and organizational effectiveness. This role balances hands-on leadership with strategic ownership, acting as a trusted advisor to executive leadership while still operating close to the business.

Requirements

12–18+ years progressive HR leadership
Experience in distribution, warehousing, or operational environments
Deep California and multi-state labor law expertise
Comfort operating in gray areas while managing legal and people risk
Comfort serving as the organization’s internal authority on people-related risk
Proven executive advisory capability
Synthesizes people, legal, and financial risk into clear recommendations
Exceptional judgment in high-risk, high-ambiguity situations
Proven ability to balance business needs, legal compliance, and employee experience
Handles confidential information with discretion and restraint
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust across a diverse employee population including owners, managers, and frontline employees
Calm, concise executive presence with ability to maintain composure during conflict, investigations, and executive tension

Nice To Haves

HR certification (SPHR/SHRM-SCP) preferred

Responsibilities

Provide overall leadership and direction for the HR function, including structure, roles, and capability development.
Build and maintain a high-performing HR team through coaching and performance management.
Set priorities and allocate resources to ensure HR efforts align with business objectives.
Establish standards for HR decision-making, service delivery, and risk management.
Mentor HR team members and serve as a role model for judgment, professionalism, and discretion.
Translate business strategy into scalable people programs.
Lead workforce planning, succession planning, and organizational design.
Advise ownership on risk, compliance, and people-related financial exposure.
Own high-risk investigations, executive issues, and sensitive terminations.
Partner directly with legal counsel; determine when escalation is required.
Proactively identify compliance gaps and mitigation strategies.
Design, evaluate, and recommend compensation and incentive structures.
Oversee benefits strategy, renewals, funding models, and cost containment.
Provide decision-ready analysis to ownership.
Oversee payroll, HRIS, leave administration, and vendor relationships.
Ensure processes scale with growth, acquisitions, or restructuring.
Own HR audit readiness and governance.
Provide strategic oversight of the workers’ compensation program, including claims trends, cost drivers, return-to-work strategy, and loss mitigation.
Partner with brokers, carriers, and legal counsel on complex claims, litigation, and settlements.
Advise leadership on risk exposure, experience modification (MOD) factors, and proactive cost-containment strategies.
Own OSHA compliance strategy, including policies, training programs, audit readiness, and regulatory response.
Lead investigations of serious incidents and coordinate corrective action plans.
Ensure safety practices scale appropriately across locations and operational environments.
Serve as the primary internal owner for P&C insurance programs, including workers’ compensation, EPLI, and liability coverage.
Lead annual insurance renewals, broker relationships, and coverage evaluations.
Provide executive-level recommendations on coverage structure, limits, and risk tolerance.
Coach leaders on performance, accountability, and behavior alignment.
Champion company values and culture across locations.
Lead training, engagement, and communication strategies.
Make final recommendations on terminations, investigations, and corrective action.
Select and manage HR vendors within approved budgets.
Redesign HR programs and policies, subject to executive sign-off.
Act as internal decision-maker on compliance and risk matters.
Authorized to manage broker relationships, recommend carriers and coverage structures, and lead renewals within approved financial parameters.
Acts as the company’s internal authority on employment-related risk and insurance strategy, subject to executive sign-off on material financial decisions.