About the Opportunity

A growing, multi-state professional services firm is seeking an experienced HR & Operations Manager to serve as the backbone of its people operations. This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives on variety, takes pride in keeping complex systems running smoothly, and brings both heart and precision to everything they do.

You'll own the full spectrum of HR, compliance, payroll support, and office administration across 16 states and growing — making this an ideal fit for someone who loves solving puzzles, staying ahead of regulatory changes, and being the go-to person everyone counts on.

What You'll Do

Multi-State Tax & Licensing Compliance

• Manage business license tax renewals across all office locations
• Handle business tax applications including employee/employer income, local, unemployment, and workers' compensation taxes
• Prepare and submit monthly, quarterly, and annual filings and payments across multi-state tax agencies
• Respond to notices, audits, and unemployment claims

HR Compliance & Policy Administration

• Maintain and update the firm handbook to reflect current wage and hour laws across all states of employment
• Ensure timekeeping compliance including timesheet corrections, overtime and meal penalty audits, and state-specific payroll policy updates within Paychex
• Administer PTO tracking and provide payroll support

Employee Relations & Lifecycle Management

• Lead employee onboarding and track training progress through personnel files
• Provide day-to-day HR coaching, field employee complaints, and navigate personnel issues with professionalism and care
• Prepare and manage Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs)
• Draft termination letters, severance agreements, and offboarding checklists
• Maintain accurate, complete personnel files

Insurance & Benefits Administration

• Oversee office insurance administration including renewals, Certificates of Insurance (COIs), audits, and carrier requests
• Manage health insurance administration — open enrollment, additions/terminations, monthly bill audits, and responses to carrier investigations

Culture & Engagement

• Plan company events and lead employee engagement initiatives that strengthen team connection

Who You Are

• A trusted confidant. You handle sensitive information with the highest level of discretion — people trust you because you've earned it.
• Exceptionally organized. You manage dozens of moving parts across multiple states without dropping a ball.
• A clear communicator. Whether you're coaching a manager through a tough conversation or responding to a state agency, your communication is confident and precise.
• Proactive, not reactive. You anticipate compliance deadlines, flag issues before they escalate, and always have a plan.
• A natural multitasker. You can pivot from an onboarding call to a tax filing to an employee concern — all before lunch — and still keep your cool.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in HR operations, compliance, or office management — ideally in a multi-state environment
• Strong working knowledge of wage and hour laws, payroll tax requirements, and employment regulations
• Experience with Paychex or similar payroll/HRIS platforms
• Familiarity with business licensing, workers' compensation, and unemployment tax processes
• A people-first mindset paired with sharp attention to detail

Salary: 90k/year.

Must be based in Emeryville CA , hybrid role policy 3 days in the office and 2 days remote.