HR Manager

High Light Electric•Colton, CA

18d

About The Position

The HR Manager serves as the highest internal HR authority at Mendoza Companies, reporting directly to Ownership. This role leads all people operations functions across the Mendoza Companies ecosystem — including compliance, culture, hiring, performance management, policy enforcement, benefits, and HR systems — spanning California-based operations, Nevada, and remote employees across multiple entities. As Mendoza Companies scales toward Mission 2040, disciplined HR infrastructure is not optional — it is essential. This role exists to protect the company legally, strengthen the culture operationally, and build a leadership pipeline that enables the organization to grow without Ownership dependency in day-to-day people decisions. This role currently inherits a team of HR staff operating without senior leadership. The HR Manager is expected to step in immediately, establish authority, and build the systems and team trust required to operate at a high level from day one. This is not a generalist support role. This is a decision-making seat. The person in this chair leads, moves fast, makes sound calls, and protects the Mendoza name through every people decision they make.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field — required.
PHR (Professional in Human Resources) or SHRM-CP (SHRM Certified Professional) — one required, or demonstrated commitment to obtain within 12 months of hire.
Bilingual — English and Spanish, written and verbal — required.
Ability to travel to job sites, company offices, and out-of-state locations (Nevada) as needed.
Valid driver's license and reliable transportation required.
California employment law expertise — required.
HR compliance — California, with ability to expand as the organization grows into Arizona and Nevada.
Union environment experience; CBA interpretation and grievance support.
PIP design, progressive discipline execution, and termination documentation.
Recruitment, structured screening frameworks, and job description development.
Employee handbook development, policy writing, and policy enforcement.
Benefits administration — open enrollment, carrier coordination, and employee support.
Workers' compensation administration and leave management (FMLA/CFRA/PDL).
I-9 and E-Verify compliance and audit readiness.
HRIS administration — BambooHR proficiency; platform evaluation experience a plus.
AI tools familiarity and interest in developing AI-assisted HR workflows.
Training certification tracking and workforce development coordination.
Remote and distributed workforce management.

Nice To Haves

California HR compliance certification or demonstrated working knowledge of California-specific employment law.
OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 — preferred given construction and field site environment.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop all HR staff; establish accountability and operational cadence across the HR team.
Own all hiring activity; execute field and lower-level decisions independently; coordinate management-level hires with Ownership for final approval.
Initiate and manage all PIPs, corrective actions, and terminations; own the full progressive discipline framework and documentation standards across all entities.
Maintain compliance across California and Nevada labor law, multi-state regulations, I-9/E-Verify, FMLA/CFRA/PDL, workers' compensation, prevailing wage, and unemployment claims.
Interpret CBA language, advise Ownership on union matters, and support grievance resolution.
Develop, update, and enforce the employee handbook, all company policies, and job descriptions across all entities.
Administer employee benefits, manage open enrollment, and coordinate with carriers and vendors.
Cascade and enforce the Mendoza Way Culture Standards conduct and document cultural alignment evaluations across all entities and locations.
Administer BambooHR; lead HRIS platform evaluation and any transition; develop and implement AI-assisted HR workflows for calibrations, re-interviews, and training.
Design and execute onboarding and offboarding for all employees; manage training certification tracking and all HR needs for remote and out-of-state workforce.