People & Employment Compliance Specialist

SUGARED + BRONZED•Santa Monica, CA

9d•$80,000 - $120,000

About The Position

This is a hands-on generalist role for someone who is equal parts practical HR operator and careful legal thinker. We're hiring a People & Employment Compliance Specialist to support the day-to-day employment, compliance, and employee-relations work that keeps a multi-state, multi-studio team running smoothly. You'll work directly with our People and Legal leadership on real, varied employment matters from your first week — owning routine work end-to-end while gaining exposure to investigations, labor relations, and multi-state compliance strategy. It's a high-trust, high-autonomy role with a clear path to grow as we expand. We're open to two kinds of candidates: an experienced HR or employee-relations professional with strong employment-law fluency, or a junior employment attorney looking to build broad in-house experience. Bar admission is preferred but not required. You'll partner closely with our People and Legal leadership, owning routine matters end-to-end and getting meaningful exposure to investigations, labor relations, and multi-state compliance.

Requirements

2–5 years in employment law, HR compliance, or employee relations — in-house, at a firm, or in a multi-location/retail/services environment. We weigh a junior attorney and a seasoned HR generalist equally.
Working knowledge of federal and multi-state employment law (wage-and-hour, leave, ACA, anti-retaliation, anti-discrimination); California experience is a strong plus.
Sound judgment about what to handle independently versus escalate, paired with strong organization and follow-through.
Clear, neutral, precise writing across a range of registers — from a policy notice to an internal summary memo.
Discretion and comfort handling confidential, high-stakes personnel matters.
Familiarity with HRIS/payroll systems (Rippling a plus) and standard document tooling.

Nice To Haves

J.D. and active bar admission (CA preferred), or SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP / PHR/SPHR certification.
Experience supporting workplace investigations and/or labor relations.
Experience in a multi-location, licensed, and/or unionized workforce.

Responsibilities

Serve as a first point of contact for recurring employment questions from People Support, studio leadership, and operations — wage-and-hour, meal and rest breaks, overtime, final pay, and PTO/sick-leave accrual.
Apply federal, state, and local requirements that vary by work location, and help ensure consistency as employees transfer between studios.
Support benefits-eligibility and classification questions, including ACA full-time determinations and measurement periods.
Help maintain occupational-licensing compliance for service providers — tracking active credentials, renewals, and applicable requirements across jurisdictions.
Distinguish routine questions you can resolve independently from those that warrant escalation, and route the latter appropriately.
Draft, revise, and reconcile handbook and policy language across jurisdictions (leave, benefits, scheduling, uniforms, and more), keeping state-specific addenda aligned with the master handbook.
Prepare clear, accurate employee-facing letters and notices using neutral, legally sound language.
Maintain organized records and acknowledgment trails so the company's policies and decisions are well documented.
Support workplace investigations from intake through closeout: organizing timelines, identifying relevant documents, and keeping a clean, well-structured record.
Draft neutral, professional communications to employees throughout a matter.
Recognize sensitive situations early and partner with leadership and counsel on the right approach.
Prepare concise internal summaries for leadership and outside counsel, and track open items and deadlines to closure.
Provide research and administrative support on labor-relations matters, working under the direction of leadership and counsel.