HR Generalist - People & Compliance

HOKALI is a California-based EdTech company delivering after-school programs, extracurriculars, day camps, ELOP, recess, and aftercare to more than 240 partner schools and districts. Our frontline team of instructors and Site Directors is the heart of what we do, and we need a hands-on HR professional who keeps them compliant, supported, and engaged.

We are looking for a hands-on HR Generalist who owns the day-to-day people operations for our US workforce. This is not an advisory-only role: you will handle employee relations directly, sit down with staff in difficult conversations, and make sure every process complies with California labor law. You will also be the main driver of culture for a distributed, mostly part-time team.

Location: Remote within California ( Los Angeles area or San Francisco Bay Area preferred ), with regular travel (~25–30%) across both regions. Because our largest school operations are concentrated in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, regular in-person presence across both hubs is a core part of this role:

- If based in Los Angeles (preferred): You will visit local LA school sites as needed and travel to the San Francisco Bay Area approximately one week per month (with company-provided accommodation at the HOKALI House).
- If based in the SF Bay Area: You will visit local Bay Area school sites 1–2 days per week , with occasional travel to Los Angeles as needed.

Responsabilities

Compliance and California Labor Law

- Ensure compliance with California and federal employment law, including wage and hour rules, meal and rest breaks, overtime, final pay timing, paid sick leave, and leave laws (CFRA, FMLA, PDL).
- Manage worker classification (exempt vs. non-exempt, employee vs. contractor under AB5) and flag risk proactively.
- Help reduce PAGA exposure through clean policies, accurate timekeeping, and documentation.
- Maintain required postings, notices, trainings (including harassment prevention), and personnel files.
- Support workers' compensation claims, EDD inquiries, and agency correspondence.

HR Administration and Payroll Support

- Support and review payroll in partnership with Finance: make sure new hires, changes, and terminations are documented and reach payroll accurately and on time in TriNet.
- Run onboarding and offboarding end to end, including I-9s, background checks, and fingerprinting/clearances required for school sites.
- Administer benefits enrollment and answer employee questions on pay, benefits, and leave.
- Keep HR data clean and audit-ready in our systems (TriNet, Airtable).

Employee Relations

- Act as the first point of contact for employee issues and complaints.
- Conduct investigations, document findings, and recommend outcomes.
- Prepare and deliver verbal and written warnings and performance improvement plans, in partnership with managers.
- Manage terminations from start to finish: documentation, legal review when needed, the conversation itself, and compliant final pay.
- Coach Site Directors and managers on handling performance and conduct issues correctly.

Culture and Engagement

- Build and run culture initiatives for a distributed, largely part-time workforce: recognition, communication, and feedback loops.
- Visit school sites regularly to connect with staff and understand their reality.
- Track retention and engagement, identify drivers of turnover, and propose concrete fixes.
- Support recruiting and seasonal hiring peaks as needed.

Type: Full-time, exempt
Salary range: $75,000 – $95,000 per year, depending on experience

Requirements

- 3-6 years of HR generalist experience in California, ideally with hourly or frontline workforces (education, childcare, hospitality, or retail is a plus).
- Solid, practical knowledge of California employment law: wage and hour, PAGA, AB5, leave laws, and termination requirements.
- Working knowledge of payroll processes; PEO experience (TriNet preferred) is a strong plus.
- Proven experience delivering warnings, running investigations, and handling terminations directly.
- Comfortable having difficult conversations with empathy and firmness.
- Highly organized, documentation-driven, and comfortable working in a fast-moving startup.
- Willing to travel to school sites across California.
- PHR, SHRM-CP, or CA-specific HR certification preferred.

Benefits

- Medical, dental, and vision insurance through TriNet
- 401(k) plan with company match
- Paid time off, paid holidays, and paid sick leave
- Pre-tax commuter benefits (transit and parking)
- Cell phone and internet stipend
- Annual professional development budget, including support for SHRM, PHR, or California HR certifications