Human Resources (HR) Director

We are looking for an experienced Human Resources Director to lead a broad HR function supporting multiple business units in Cerritos, California. This position oversees employee relations, payroll administration, benefits, compliance, recruiting strategy, and workforce support across a complex operating environment. The role also partners closely with senior leadership to guide policy decisions, manage organizational risk, and ensure consistent, legally compliant people practices throughout the company.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop several functional teams across human resources, payroll, safety, driver hours compliance, and risk and insurance operations.
• Direct the full employee lifecycle, including hiring, onboarding, disciplinary actions, separations, and severance-related matters.
• Manage HR programs for multiple entities and oversee weekly payroll activities to support accurate and timely employee compensation.
• Maintain and update employee policies, handbooks, and onboarding processes while supporting a steady volume of new hires each week.
• Guide recruiting and retention initiatives, including incentive-based programs designed to improve hiring outcomes and employee stability.
• Oversee benefits administration, annual renewal planning, open enrollment activities, and vendor relationships for healthcare, payroll, and timekeeping services.
• Ensure compliance with employment regulations, wage and hour requirements, garnishments, prevailing wage obligations, and other HR, payroll, and safety standards.
• Prepare and monitor departmental budgets, approve related invoices, and maintain secure handling of confidential employee records and documentation.
• Coordinate required workplace trainings, legal posting requirements, bilingual employee communications, and responses to external agencies or third-party administrators.
• Support employment-related legal matters by working with counsel, preparing records for case review, and assisting with depositions, investigations, and program rollouts tied to organizational changes.
• Proven experience leading a human resources function at the director level within a multi-entity or operationally complex organization.
• Strong knowledge of employee relations, HR administration, compensation and benefits, payroll oversight, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams and providing leadership to managers and specialists in HR-related disciplines.
• Working knowledge of employment law, wage and hour practices, garnishment procedures, benefits administration, and prevailing wage requirements.
• Ability to communicate clearly with employees, leadership, vendors, and external agencies, including support for formal communication in Spanish when needed.
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain strong controls around confidential records.
• Experience partnering with executive leadership on workforce planning, risk management, policy implementation, and urgent employee matters.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills with the ability to manage budgets, vendor relationships, investigations, and competing priorities effectively.