HR Manager

Local Foreigner • New York City, NY

10d • Onsite

About The Position

Local Foreigner is a boutique consultancy specializing in high-end curated travel. The HR Manager owns the company’s full people function for employees and remote contractors, overseeing systems, policies, relationships, and processes that support the team. This hands-on role combines strategic planning with day-to-day HR administration in a small, growing company. The HR Manager partners with leadership on workforce planning, organizational development, and talent management, and builds thoughtful, consistent, well-documented people processes that can evolve as the company grows.

The role leads the employee lifecycle from recruiting through offboarding; oversees policies, compliance, compensation, benefits, payroll, employee relations, and records; and serves as a trusted, confidential resource to employees, contractors, and managers. The position is New York-based and in-office, with remote-work arrangements described in the benefits section.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of progressive HR experience, including full-cycle recruiting, employee relations, and compliance.
• Experience managing a PEO relationship, such as Justworks or a similar provider.
• Familiarity with core employment law and compliance fundamentals.
• Demonstrated discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential and sensitive employee matters.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to coach managers and communicate effectively across organizational levels.
• Proactive, resourceful, and process-oriented approach, with experience building or improving HR documentation, policies, and workflows.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple confidential matters and deadlines simultaneously.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and HRIS/PEO platforms.
• Positive, people-first attitude, genuine care for team culture, and alignment with Local Foreigner’s brand ethos.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a fast-paced, small-business environment.
• Experience supporting a remote, international contractor workforce.
• Experience with Atlassian products, such as Jira Service Management and Confluence.

Responsibilities

• Own the full employee and contractor lifecycle, including recruiting, offers, onboarding, documentation, time off, and offboarding.
• Draft, maintain, and administer internal HR policies, contractor policies, and the employee handbook; communicate, apply, review, and update policies as needed.
• Develop and maintain the annual HR plan, including initiatives, compliance requirements, benefits and compensation cycles, employee programs, and other priorities.
• Maintain HR systems and provide accurate reporting and data to support leadership decisions, including organizational, compensation, and headcount information.
• Lead the annual company-wide performance and compensation review process, coordinate reviews, support managers with performance conversations, conduct market benchmarking, and support raise recommendations and compensation communications.
• Partner with leadership on workforce planning, organizational development, and talent management, including headcount planning, open-role tracking, hiring projections, and improvement of people practices.
• Support talent development and retention by identifying development opportunities with managers and leadership and strengthening the employee experience.
• Serve as a trusted, confidential resource for employees, contractors, and managers on performance, development, workplace questions, and concerns.
• Lead employee relations matters, including performance improvement plans, corrective action, and conflict resolution, and coach managers on performance and people-related situations.
• Own HR compliance and risk management, including travel participation waivers, employment verification, required notices and records, and coordination with outside counsel on employment matters.
• Maintain accurate, confidential employee and contractor records, including personnel files, agreements, compensation information, organizational data, and required documentation.
• Own the relationship with the company’s PEO, including platform management, vendor coordination, employee administration, and issue resolution.
• Manage benefits administration, including health, dental, vision, and 401(k) plans; lead annual open enrollment and support employees with benefits questions, changes, and issue resolution.
• Manage employee payroll, reviewing information for accuracy and timely processing.
• Manage payments for Philippines-based contractors, including reviewing invoices, confirming approved rates and time, and coordinating and processing payments accurately and on time.
• Oversee annual collection of WBEN tax forms with support from the Administrative Coordinators.
• Manage companywide PTO, remote-work, and leave processes, including holiday and floating-holiday scheduling, time-off tracking, and employee communications, with support from the Administrative Coordinator.
• Support employee engagement, wellness, and culture initiatives, including administration of the employee engagement budget and policy and coordination of company outings, team lunches, and other employee experiences.
• Partner with and oversee the Administrative Coordinators on day-to-day HR administration and execution, ensuring recurring people processes are completed efficiently and consistently.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR processes, documentation, systems, and workflows and build practical, scalable infrastructure that strengthens the employee experience and supports company growth.

Benefits

• Employee medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Retirement and profit-sharing plan (401(k)).
• 15 days of paid time off, 11 annual holidays, and 4 religious floating holidays.
• Remote Fridays after six months of employment.
• Up to 20 additional one-off remote workdays per year, subject to manager approval and business needs.
• Training and development opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager