Human Resources Director

SEIU Local 2015 – Director of Human Resources

Location: California – Statewide Support
Department: People & Culture
Reports To: Head of People & Culture
Status: Full-Time | Exempt

About SEIU Local 2015

SEIU Local 2015 is the largest union of long-term care workers in California, representing more than half a million home care, skilled nursing facility, and assisted living center workers across the state. Our members are united in their commitment to caring for California’s older adults and people with disabilities while building worker power and stronger communities.

Our mission is to unleash the collective power of long-term care workers, their families, and their communities to advance economic and social justice. We are committed to building an anti-racist organization grounded in equity, justice, and cross-difference solidarity.

To learn more, visit seiu2015.org .

About the Role

SEIU Local 2015 is seeking a strategic, accomplished, and equity-centered Director of Human Resources to lead the organization’s Human Resources function and strengthen the people, systems, policies, and practices that support our mission.

Reporting to the Head of People & Culture, the Director of Human Resources serves as a senior organizational leader and trusted advisor to executive leadership, department heads, managers, and the Executive Board. This position translates organizational priorities into a comprehensive Human Resources strategy that supports a complex, statewide, unionized workforce; strengthens organizational effectiveness; ensures legal and contractual compliance; and advances a high-performing, accountable, and inclusive workplace culture.

The Director holds primary leadership responsibility for labor and employee relations, Human Resources operations and governance, workforce planning, performance management, compensation and benefits oversight, HR systems and analytics, policy development, compliance, and the development of a strong and responsive Human Resources team. The position also partners across People & Culture to support recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, leadership capability, succession planning, engagement, and organizational change.

The ideal candidate combines deep Human Resources and labor-relations expertise with executive presence, sound judgment, operational discipline, and a people-centered leadership approach. The successful candidate will be able to move fluently between long-term strategy and urgent workplace matters, establish trusted partnerships across the organization, and build sustainable systems that promote consistency, equity, transparency, and accountability.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Human Resources Leadership & Executive Partnership

- Serve as a strategic advisor to the Head of People & Culture, executive leadership, department leaders, and the Executive Board on workforce strategy, labor relations, organizational design, talent, culture, risk, and change management

- Develop and execute multi-year Human Resources strategic and operational plans aligned with SEIU Local 2015’s mission, values, priorities, and long-term organizational goals

- Translate organizational strategy into clear people priorities, measurable objectives, implementation plans, service standards, and accountability measures

- Assess the workforce implications of organizational growth, restructuring, leadership transitions, regulatory developments, bargaining priorities, and other major initiatives

- Provide timely, evidence-based recommendations that balance mission, employee experience, contractual obligations, operational needs, equity, and organizational risk

- Represent Human Resources in executive and organization-wide planning discussions and, when appropriate, before the Executive Board

- Build strong cross-functional partnerships and position Human Resources as a trusted, responsive, and solutions-oriented organizational partner

- Promote disciplined decision-making, clear ownership, effective communication, and consistent follow-through across Human Resources programs and services

Labor Relations & Employee Relations Leadership

- Provide executive leadership for labor and employee relations within a complex, unionized workplace

- Oversee the interpretation and consistent administration of collective bargaining agreements, side letters, memoranda of understanding, organizational policies, and established practices

- Advise senior leaders and managers on grievances, investigations, performance concerns, corrective action, workplace conflict, accommodations, leaves, and other complex employment matters

- Ensure workplace investigations are prompt, impartial, thorough, well documented, and resolved through fair and defensible recommendations

- Oversee grievance administration, arbitration preparation, labor-management meetings, information requests, and contractual timelines

- Partner with leadership and legal counsel to prepare for collective bargaining and develop negotiation priorities, proposals, risk assessments, and implementation strategies

- Identify patterns and root causes across grievances, investigations, discipline, turnover, attendance, and other workforce indicators

- Develop proactive strategies that reduce escalation, strengthen manager effectiveness, and promote a constructive labor-management relationship

- Ensure employee relations practices reflect consistency, due process, sound judgment, confidentiality, equity, anti-racism, and organizational values

Human Resources Operations, Governance & Compliance

- Lead the planning, development, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of Human Resources policies, programs, procedures, and service-delivery practices

- Establish governance frameworks, decision rights, internal controls, documentation standards, and escalation protocols that promote consistency, accountability, transparency, and compliance

- Ensure compliance with applicable federal, California, and local employment laws, labor requirements, collective bargaining agreements, and organizational policies

- Maintain strategic oversight of Title VII, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, the National Labor Relations Act, wage-and-hour requirements, disability and religious accommodations, protected leaves, workplace safety, and other employment obligations

- Partner appropriately with legal counsel on high-risk matters, privileged advice, regulatory inquiries, administrative claims, litigation, and significant policy decisions

- Oversee required records, notices, audits, reporting, and document-retention practices related to Human Resources and employment compliance

- Evaluate organizational risk and recommend preventive, corrective, or policy action based on legal, contractual, operational, cultural, and reputational considerations

- Establish clear service expectations and processes for responding to employees, managers, leaders, union representatives, and organizational partners

- Regularly assess Human Resources workflows and remove barriers that delay decisions, reduce accuracy, or create inconsistent employee experiences

Talent Strategy, Workforce Planning & Organizational Effectiveness

- Lead organization-wide workforce planning in partnership with executive leaders, department heads, Recruitment, Learning and Development, and Finance

- Develop strategies to address staffing capacity, workforce capabilities, critical roles, succession risk, internal mobility, leadership pipelines, and future organizational needs

- Provide executive oversight of recruitment, selection, onboarding, retention, performance management, leadership development, succession planning, and career-development practices

- Promote equitable and inclusive hiring, advancement, development, compensation, and retention practices aligned with SEIU Local 2015’s mission and values

- Partner with leaders to clarify organizational structures, roles, decision-making authority, staffing models, and performance expectations

- Develop and strengthen performance-management systems that promote clear expectations, meaningful feedback, employee development, accountability, and consistent documentation

- Guide organizational change initiatives, including stakeholder assessment, workforce-impact planning, communication, manager preparation, and implementation support

- Build manager capability through coaching, consultation, tools, training, and clear standards for people leadership

- Use workforce data and employee feedback to identify organizational strengths, emerging risks, and opportunities to improve effectiveness and culture

Total Rewards, Benefits & Employee Programs

- Provide strategic oversight of compensation, benefits, leave, wellness, recognition, and other employee programs

- Ensure compensation and benefits practices are equitable, competitive, financially responsible, contractually compliant, and aligned with organizational values

- Partner with Finance, organizational leadership, vendors, brokers, and consultants to evaluate program design, cost, utilization, employee experience, and organizational impact

- Oversee compensation analysis, job architecture, classification practices, salary administration, pay-equity reviews, and recommendations for program improvement

- Assess benefits offerings and recommend strategies that strengthen employee well-being, accessibility, retention, and organizational sustainability

- Provide executive oversight of employee engagement, workplace safety, health and wellness, and related organizational initiatives

- Ensure employees and managers receive accurate, timely, and understandable information regarding compensation, benefits, leaves, policies, and employment programs

- Monitor trends, regulatory developments, and market practices that may affect total rewards and employee programs

HR Systems, Analytics & Process Improvement

- Provide executive leadership for the Human Resources Information System and related people platforms, ensuring data integrity, access controls, effective administration, and appropriate system governance

- Establish meaningful workforce metrics, dashboards, and reporting practices that support executive decision-making and organizational accountability

- Monitor indicators such as staffing levels, vacancies, time to fill, retention, turnover, employee relations activity, grievances, leave trends, performance outcomes, demographics, and internal advancement

- Translate workforce data into clear insights, risk assessments, and practical recommendations for leaders

- Strengthen systems and workflows across the employee lifecycle to improve accuracy, timeliness, compliance, service quality, and the employee experience

- Lead or sponsor Human Resources technology implementations, upgrades, integrations, audits, and process-modernization initiatives

- Ensure confidential personnel and workforce data are appropriately protected, retained, and used

- Establish mechanisms for evaluating Human Resources programs and measuring progress against strategic priorities and service standards

Budget, Vendor & Resource Management

- Develop, manage, and monitor the Human Resources departmental budget in alignment with organizational priorities and fiscal expectations

- Evaluate expenditures, staffing, vendors, consultants, technology, and program investments for effectiveness, sustainability, and return on investment

- Partner with Finance to forecast Human Resources costs and provide accurate budget updates, variance explanations, and recommendations

- Oversee contracts and relationships with Human Resources vendors, brokers, consultants, legal partners, and service providers

- Establish clear deliverables, performance expectations, timelines, and accountability for external partners

- Identify opportunities to improve services, reduce unnecessary costs, consolidate resources, and strengthen organizational value

Human Resources Team Leadership & Development

- Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a high-performing Human Resources team grounded in service, accountability, collaboration, accuracy, and respect

- Establish clear roles, priorities, performance expectations, decision authority, service standards, and measures of success

- Build team capability through regular coaching, feedback, professional development, cross-training, and succession planning

- Foster a collaborative environment in which team members share information, resolve issues, and take ownership of outcomes

- Evaluate team structure and capacity and recommend changes needed to support organizational growth, service quality, or strategic priorities

- Promote ethical leadership, confidentiality, consistency, and sound professional judgment throughout the Human Resources function

- Model SEIU Local 2015’s values and contribute to a People & Culture team that is trusted, responsive, and aligned

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

- Ten to twelve or more years of progressively responsible Human Resources experience, including significant senior leadership accountability for organization-wide Human Resources strategy, operations, programs, and staff

- Demonstrated success serving as a senior Human Resources leader and trusted advisor to executives, department leaders, managers, and governing bodies

- Significant Human Resources leadership experience in a unionized workplace, including labor relations, collective bargaining agreement administration, grievances, workplace investigations, corrective action, and performance management

- Experience developing and executing multi-year Human Resources strategies, operational plans, policies, governance frameworks, and measurable organizational priorities

- Demonstrated leadership across several Human Resources disciplines, such as employee and labor relations, Human Resources operations, talent management, workforce planning, compensation, benefits, compliance, HR systems, analytics, organizational development, and change management

- Strong working knowledge of applicable federal, California, and local employment and labor laws and the ability to translate complex requirements into practical organizational guidance

- Proven ability to assess complex employment, contractual, organizational, financial, cultural, and reputational risks and provide clear, balanced recommendations

- Experience leading organizational change, workforce transitions, restructuring, or other complex people initiatives

- Experience developing and using workforce metrics, dashboards, and analysis to support executive decision-making

- Demonstrated success building, leading, coaching, and holding accountable a high-performing Human Resources team

- Experience managing departmental budgets, vendors, consultants, projects, and competing organizational priorities

- Exceptional executive communication, consultation, facilitation, negotiation, coaching, and relationship-building skills

- Ability to communicate complex Human Resources, labor, and employment matters clearly to technical and nontechnical audiences

- Strong judgment, integrity, discretion, and the ability to protect confidential and highly sensitive information

- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, geographically distributed, mission-driven organization with changing priorities and high expectations

- Demonstrated commitment to equity, anti-racism, organizational justice, and the mission and values of SEIU Local 2015

An equivalent combination of relevant education, professional development, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities will be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in human resources, labor relations, business administration, organizational development, public administration, or a related field

- Senior Human Resources certification, such as SPHR, SHRM-SCP, or an equivalent professional credential

- Advanced or specialized training in employment law, labor relations, collective bargaining, compensation, benefits, organizational development, investigations, or change management

- Experience working in a labor union, nonprofit, advocacy, community-based, or other values-driven organization

- Experience supporting a statewide, geographically dispersed, multi-site, or hybrid workforce

- Experience presenting to or partnering with an Executive Board, board of directors, or comparable governing body

- Experience leading collective bargaining strategy or serving as a member of a management bargaining team

- Experience overseeing HRIS optimization, implementation, data governance, or technology modernization

- Experience developing job architecture, compensation frameworks, pay-equity analyses, succession plans, or leadership-development strategies

- Active engagement in Human Resources professional networks and ongoing professional development

Core Competencies

The successful Director of Human Resources will demonstrate:

Strategic & Organizational Leadership

Ability to connect mission and organizational strategy to clear workforce priorities, sustainable systems, measurable outcomes, and accountable execution.

Labor & Employee Relations Expertise

Ability to lead complex labor and employee relations matters with consistency, sound judgment, contractual discipline, fairness, and respect.

Executive Presence & Influence

Ability to establish credibility, communicate candidly, navigate competing perspectives, and influence responsible decisions at the highest levels of the organization.

Operational Excellence & Governance

Ability to build reliable Human Resources systems, standards, controls, workflows, and service practices that improve compliance, consistency, responsiveness, and trust.

Judgment & Risk Management

Ability to evaluate complex facts, distinguish material risk from preference, anticipate consequences, and make timely and defensible recommendations.

Equity-Centered Leadership

Commitment to identifying and removing inequitable practices, promoting anti-racism and inclusion, and embedding fairness and accessibility throughout the employee lifecycle.

Communication & Coaching

Ability to translate complex information into clear guidance, prepare leaders for difficult decisions, and develop stronger management practices through coaching and feedback.

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Ability to use reliable workforce data, trends, and evidence to define priorities, measure impact, improve systems, and inform executive decisions.

Change Leadership

Ability to lead through uncertainty, prepare stakeholders for change, manage implementation risks, and sustain adoption across a complex organization.

Team Development & Accountability

Ability to establish clear expectations, develop talent, address performance, build succession capacity, and create a culture of shared ownership and follow-through.

Success in This Role

Success will be demonstrated through measurable and sustainable outcomes, including:

Labor & Employee Relations

- Timely, consistent, and well-documented resolution of investigations, grievances, and complex employee relations matters

- Reduced recurrence and escalation of preventable workplace concerns

- Consistent administration of collective bargaining agreements, policies, legal requirements, and established practices

- Improved labor-management communication, follow-through, and issue resolution

Talent & Workforce Effectiveness

- Stronger workforce planning and staffing alignment across departments

- Improved retention in critical, difficult-to-fill, and leadership roles

- Meaningful progress in succession planning, internal development, leadership readiness, and management capability

- Equitable trends in recruitment, promotion, compensation, development, performance management, and retention

Human Resources Operations & Systems

- Accurate, timely, and decision-ready Human Resources reporting and workforce analytics

- Improved adoption, reliability, governance, and use of HRIS and people systems

- More consistent, responsive, and efficient Human Resources services across the organization

- Reduced compliance and operational risk through clear policies, controls, documentation, audits, and accountability

Leadership & Organizational Impact

- Increased executive, manager, employee, and union confidence in Human Resources as a credible and strategic partner

- Stronger cross-functional alignment and clarity regarding people-related decisions, responsibilities, and processes

- Positive movement in employee experience, engagement, trust, accountability, and organizational culture indicators

- Successful implementation of major organizational and workforce initiatives

Team Leadership & Fiscal Stewardship

- Clear priorities, strong performance, professional growth, and healthy retention within the Human Resources team

- Effective succession and cross-training that reduce operational dependency and improve service continuity

- Responsible budget management and demonstrated organizational value from Human Resources investments

- Consistent modeling of ethical leadership, confidentiality, equity, accountability, and SEIU Local 2015’s values

Work Environment & Travel Requirements

This position operates in a fast-paced, complex, and mission-driven environment and supports leaders, employees, departments, and offices throughout California. The role requires the ability to manage strategic priorities while responding effectively to urgent, sensitive, and rapidly changing organizational needs.

Statewide travel may be required for leadership meetings, collective bargaining, investigations, hearings, trainings, organizational events, and other business needs. Travel may occasionally extend for multiple days.

The position may require long or irregular hours, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, or holidays, based on bargaining schedules, employee relations matters, organizational activities, or operational priorities.

The role regularly requires extended periods of sitting, working at a computer, reviewing detailed documents, attending meetings, and communicating by telephone or video conference. The position may occasionally require lifting or carrying materials weighing up to 15 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

This job posting describes the primary responsibilities of the role but is not intended to include every activity, duty, or responsibility that may be assigned.

Commitment to Equity

SEIU Local 2015 is committed to building an anti-racist organization and advancing equity, justice, inclusion, and solidarity across differences. We strongly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds and communities to apply.

Equal Opportunity Employer

SEIU Local 2015 is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to maintaining an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Don’t Meet Every Qualification?

Please apply anyway. Research shows that women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, people with disabilities, and candidates from other historically underrepresented communities may be less likely to apply unless they meet every listed qualification.

SEIU Local 2015 values relevant experience, transferable skills, community knowledge, and demonstrated ability—not only formal educational credentials. If you are excited about this opportunity, possess relevant skills or experience, and share our commitment to economic and social justice, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this role or another opportunity with SEIU Local 2015.