Sr. Director of People & Culture

SQA Services•Palos Verdes Estates, CA

1d•$172,000 - $212,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a newly created role, the first strategic people leader in the company's history. The Sr. Director of People & Culture will build a function with full executive support and the mandate to shape it from the ground up. Reporting directly to the CEO and sitting on the executive team, this role will lead the people side of the company's next chapter. The individual will partner closely with leadership to build the practices, structure, and culture that allow SQA to scale without losing its core strengths, focusing on performance management, leadership development, and engagement tailored for future growth.

Requirements

Ten or more years of progressive HR leadership, including three or more years building a broad HR function.
PHR or SPHR certification.
Senior level experience across employee relations, talent, compensation, compliance, and organization change, with sound judgment on when to bring in specialists.
Direct experience advising a CEO and executive team as a strategic partner.
Experience supporting a sizable global contractor or subcontractor population, including worker classification.
Track record building people practices in a growing company moving from informal to structured.
Strong employee relations and investigation experience, including sensitive issues and partnership with counsel.
Experience leading a small HR team and managing outside vendors and partners.
Experience supporting a multi-state, distributed, or hybrid workforce.
Track record developing managers and turning programs into measurable results.
Candidate must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder) to comply with ITAR regulations.

Nice To Haves

Experience in professional services, a technical environment, or another client facing business.
Experience working within EOS or a comparable operating system.
Experience selecting and implementing an HRIS or other core people technology.

Responsibilities

Build and lead the HR function across the full employee lifecycle, including talent acquisition, onboarding, employee changes and separations, employee relations, performance management, learning and leadership development, succession and career development, employee engagement and culture, workforce planning, HR operations, systems, and compliance.
Establish scalable HR policies and guardrails and select and implement HR systems suited to SQA's growth.
Own employee relations and maintain compliant and investigative practices across a multi-state and global workforce, including wage and hour, leave, worker classification, employment eligibility and recordkeeping, ITAR and agency matters, partnering with counsel on employment risk for the employees and contractor population.
Establish and oversee scalable HR practices for SQA's large, distributed workforce, addressing employee relations, compliance, workforce administration, and client/supplier-site requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
Serve as a credible, approachable resource for employees at every level, and a strategic partner to the executive team, building trust to give culture and engagement initiatives traction.
Implement and sustain talent development, performance management, and rewards practices.
Design a performance management process that clarifies expectations and supports fair, consistent decisions.
Own the job leveling framework and connect it to career paths and succession planning.
Lead SQA's global talent acquisition approach, including workforce priorities, recruiting processes, selection standards, candidate experience, offer practices, and measures of recruiting effectiveness for both corporate and contractor population.
Lead workforce planning with Finance and business leaders to align hiring with growth priorities.
Own employee learning and development, building training, upskilling, and reskilling programs for corporate staff and contractors.
Build manager development focused on coaching, feedback, and accountability.
Help leaders translate TRADE values (Trust, Respect, Accountability, Dedication, Excellence) into consistent, observable practices.
Build connection and engagement practices suited to SQA's hybrid environment, including the Chairman's Roundtable and pulse surveys.
Partner with the CEO and executive team to strengthen leadership effectiveness.
Report directly to the CEO and actively participate in the executive committee.
Advise the CEO on organization, leadership, talent, and culture with candid, evidence-based counsel.
Partner on organization design, workforce priorities, and major initiatives with clear decision rights.
Lead change and turn insight into action.
Guide organizational change with clear communication, manager preparation, and defined escalation paths.
Own survey, exit, and reputation signals as ongoing inputs to action.
Use people and business data to shape decisions and connect HR priorities to business performance.
Assess organizational culture, surface underlying challenges, and lead changes to strengthen trust, accountability, and engagement.