Associate Director, Human Resources

CIRM; South San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 136,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits

Job summary

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) seeks an Associate Director, HR to lead and mature the HR function, partnering with the Senior Director and leadership team. Responsible for policy development, payroll and benefits oversight, and compliance with state and federal laws across a hybrid work environment.

This role focuses on compensation, performance management, and workforce planning, while promoting diversity and inclusion and delivering high levels of service to

Qualifications

• Experience in HR management and policy implementation.
• Experience with compensation, wage structure, and job leveling.
• Knowledge of employment law and harassment prevention.
• Ability to collaborate with senior leadership and stakeholders.
• Strong recordkeeping and compliance across HR programs.

Responsibilities

• Supports the Senior Director in initiating and supervising HR programs and policies.
• Communicates policy changes and ensures proper compliance.
• Oversees compensation, wage structure, and position leveling for hires and promotions.
• Manages payroll, benefits changes, and related issues.
• Interfaces with staff to provide excellent HR service and guidance.
• Maintains job descriptions and onboarding/offboarding processes.
• Drives performance evaluation processes and merit-based recommendations.
• Advises leadership on workforce planning and retention strategies.
• Partner with managers to implement diversity and inclusion goals.
• Oversees training, ethics, and harassment prevention programs.
• Acts as Cal/OSHA contact and coordinates workers' compensation activities.
• Supports leave administration and reasonable accommodations.

Skills

Human Resources Management

Benefits Administration

Performance Management

Compensation & Position Leveling

Employment Law

Laws against sexual harassment

Communication Processes

Classifying employees

Job description

Background

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is a state agency created by California voters to accelerate stem cell and gene therapies for people with unmet medical needs. Since 2004, Californians have entrusted CIRM with $8.5 billion to accelerate promising discoveries through clinical trials, train a regenerative medicine workforce, strengthen the state’s biotechnology economy, and expand access to transformative treatments. Today, CIRM is pioneering new models of therapy development and accelerating medical breakthroughs that change lives — in California and around the world. For more information, visit www.cirm.ca.gov.

General Statement

Under the general direction of the Senior Director, Human Resources (HR), the Associate Director is responsible for assisting the Senior Director with the administration, coordination, development, and evaluation of the HR function for CIRM. The incumbent works with the CIRM Leadership Team, CIRM Team Members, and Control Agencies when necessary, to assist the Senior Director in administering a progressive HR program for both employees and potential retirees. Participates in initiatives to enhance HR offerings, the employee experience, and identify areas to drive greater efficiency.

Job Functions

• Supports the Senior Director in initiating, managing, and supervising all aspects of human resource issues, programs, and policies of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
• Communicates changes in CIRM personnel policies and procedures and ensures proper compliance is followed.
• Ensures compensation, wage structure, and position leveling are maintained and in compliance.
• Performs salary equity analysis as necessary and sets hiring salary for new and promotional salaries.
• Responsible for oversight of CIRM’s Transactions Unit, ensuring all payroll and benefit changes and issues are dealt with efficiently and effectively.
• Interfaces with all CIRM team members on related human resources issues and provides excellent customer service when dealing with such matters.
• Maintains the work structure by updating job requirements and job descriptions for all positions.
• Responsible for onboarding and offboarding employees through appropriate processes.
• Retains historical human resource records by designing a filing and retrieval system and keeping past and current records.
• Supports the Senior Director and the HR Manager in initiating and driving the annual performance evaluation process, making recommendations to the Senior Director on merit awards, annual raises, and change in responsibilities for all positions.
• Advises the Senior Director and other senior staff to address long-term workforce planning and problem resolution for CIRM to maximize the Institute’s recruitment and retention of high-performing staff.
• Supports the Senior Director by partnering with senior staff and managers to implement effective management strategies.
• Makes recommendations to the Senior Director regarding improvement of CIRM's policies, procedures, and practices on personnel matters.
• Consults with internal and external legal counsel when appropriate.
• Ensures legal compliance by monitoring and implementing applicable human resource federal and state requirements, maintaining records, and representing the organization at applicable hearings.
• Supports the CIRM Employee Assistance Program (EAP) on behalf of the state, utilizing the interpretation and application of these provisions.
• Support employee leaves and workplace accommodations—including FMLA, CFRA, ADA, and the Reasonable Accommodation program—ensuring proper interpretation, application, and compliance with all state and federal provisions.
• Supports HR staff regarding the Conflict-of-Interest and provides assistance to the Legal Unit in this area. These responsibilities include performing a biennial review of the Conflict-of-Interest Code by analyzing proposed changes to the Code with the Legal Unit, reviewing filers' disclosure categories based on current duty statements and positions, proposing code changes to management, and ensuring the Fair Political Practices Commission's and Office of Administrative Law’s procedures are properly followed during the revision process. The COI role sends assuming/leaving office and annual filing notices to State of Incompatible Activity (for Form 700) filers.
• Supports HR staff in Diversity and Inclusion by being an advocate and catalyst for change, and an institutional resource focused on infusing Diversity and Equity into all programs and activities, tracking progress toward these goals, and communicating progress to an engaged community within CIRM.
• Supports HR staff by overseeing the creation and providing all mandated and other training related to Human Resources including, but not limited to: Ethics, Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, etc.
• Serves as the Cal/OSHA contact for the department, completing annual reviews and forms as required and ensuring all interpretation and application of the law is applicable to the workplace.
• Serves as the SCIF and Workers' Compensation Coordinator, managing all
  workplace injuries and grievances, completes mandatory reporting, and posts required employee notices; acts as the primary negotiator with the State SCIF coordinator and testifies at hearings when necessary.
• Participates in Human Resources projects with the Senior Director as directed.
• Other duties as required and determined by the Senior Director.

Supervision Received

The Associate Director, HR, reports directly to and receives the majority of assignments from the Senior Director, HR.

Supervision Exercised

The Associate Director, HR will manage two subordinate HR Team Members.

Minimum Qualifications

• Human Resources Management
• Benefits Administration
• Performance Management
• Communication Processes
• Compensation, Wage structure, and Position Leveling
• Classifying employees
• Employment law
• Laws against sexual harassment

Working Conditions

• Hybrid environment, required to work two in-office days and three remote days per week. Sacramento area employees will split their in-office days between West Sacramento and South San Francisco, while others may work both days in South San Francisco.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be willing to work in a high-rise building.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment.
• Be available to work outside of normal business hours.

Attendance

Must maintain regular and acceptable attendance at such level as is determined at the Department’s sole discretion. Must be regularly available and willing to work the hours the Department determines are necessary or desirable to meet its business needs.

Compensation

This position is expected to pay$135,960 - $184,258, which fits within the full salary range of $$135,960 - $190,801for the Associate Director, Human Resources job classification. It is uncommon for an individual to be offered a salary close to the upper end of the full range for a position. Salary for this position will reflect the final candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, knowledge, relevant education, and certifications.

Benefits

https://benefits.calhr.ca.gov/state-employees/

Additional EEO Contact Information

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice) TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.