Associate Director of Human Resources

California State University, Fullerton; Fullerton (CA); On-site; USD 41,000 - 94,000; Full time

Job summary

California State University, Fullerton seeks an experienced Associate Director for Human Resources to provide strategic and operational leadership across the employee experience. This senior role oversees talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, benefits and leave administration, engagement, and organizational development.

The Associate Director will advise managers, ensure fair and compliant practices, mentor HR staff, and translate policy into practical guidance for

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, organizational development, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• SPHR or equivalent senior-level HR certification.
• Minimum of 10 years in a leadership or management-level HR role.
• Extensive experience in employee relations and workplace investigations.
• Experience managing organization-wide compensation and classification.
• Experience leading performance management programs.
• Extensive full-cycle recruitment and talent acquisition experience.
• Experience administering employee benefits and complex leaves.
• Expert knowledge of California and federal employment laws.
• Strong experience with HRIS and applicant tracking systems.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Lead full-cycle recruitment for staff positions from strategy to onboarding.
• Partner with hiring managers to identify staffing needs and create recruitment strategies.
• Lead organization-wide performance management and annual review processes.
• Coach managers on goal setting, development, and performance improvement plans.
• Serve as trusted advisor on complex employee relations matters.
• Conduct workplace investigations and document findings.
• Provide recommendations regarding corrective action and employment decisions.
• Oversee benefits administration and broaden complex benefits issues expertise.
• Lead annual open enrollment and HRIS updates.
• Manage FMLA, CFRA, PDL and other leaves and return-to-work procedures.
• Develop employee engagement, recognition and wellness initiatives.
• Support workforce and succession planning and organizational development.
• Analyze HR data and provide reports to management.

Skills

Leadership experience

Strategic thinking

Discretion and confidentiality

Employee relations

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

SPHR certification

Tools

HRIS

Applicant tracking systems (ATS)

Job description

FLSA: Salaried (Non-Exempt)

Anticipated Hiring Range: $41,352 - $94,404

Direct Supervisor: Chief Human Resources Officer

Help build a workplace where people and the organization can succeed.

Associated Students Inc. at Cal State Fullerton is seeking an experienced Associate Director for Human Resources to provide strategic and operational leadership across the employee experience.

This is a senior HR role responsible for talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, benefits and leave administration, employee engagement, and organizational development. The Associate Director will serve as a trusted advisor to managers and employees while helping ensure ASI's practices are fair, consistent, compliant, and aligned with organizational goals.

The role requires an HR professional who can navigate complex employee matters with sound judgment and discretion, coach leaders through difficult situations, and turn HR policies and employment requirements into practical guidance people can understand and use.

What You'll Actually Do

• Lead full-cycle recruitment for staff positions, from recruitment strategy and screening through selection, offers, and onboarding
• Partner with hiring managers to identify staffing needs and develop effective recruitment strategies
• Lead ASI's organization-wide performance management and annual review processes
• Coach managers on goal setting, employee development, performance concerns, and performance improvement plans
• Serve as a trusted advisor to managers and employees on complex employee relations matters
• Conduct workplace investigations, including developing investigation strategies, interviewing involved parties, documenting findings, and preparing reports
• Provide recommendations regarding corrective action, discipline, and employment decisions
• Oversee employee benefits administration and serve as a primary resource for complex benefits issues
• Lead annual open enrollment, including planning, HRIS updates, and employee communications
• Manage FMLA, CFRA, PDL, and other employee leaves, accommodations, interactive processes, and return-to-work procedures
• Develop employee engagement, recognition, appreciation, and wellness initiatives
• Support workforce planning, succession planning, organizational development, and change management
• Analyze HR data and provide reports and insights to support management and executive decision-making
• Manage workplace injury reporting, workers' compensation activity, and return-to-work efforts
• Lead HR process improvement, systems, compliance, and other special projects
• Provide leadership, guidance, and mentorship to HR team members

The Role in Practice

This position requires someone who can move between long-term HR strategy and highly sensitive day-to-day employee matters.

You may be coaching a manager through a performance issue, conducting an employee relations investigation, working through a complex leave or accommodation, reviewing recruitment strategy for a difficult-to-fill position, or preparing information to help leadership make a significant personnel decision.

The next conversation may be completely different.

That requires someone who knows employment law and HR best practices, but also understands that applying them effectively requires judgment, consistency, communication, and an understanding of the people and circumstances involved.

A Key Part of the Role: Helping Managers Lead

At ASI, managers come from many different professional backgrounds. They are experts in their own areas, but they are not expected to be HR experts.

The Associate Director will be an important resource for helping managers understand their responsibilities as supervisors and navigate situations they may encounter only occasionally, from recruitment and onboarding to coaching, documentation, performance management, employee relations, and leaves.

That means being able to translate complex HR requirements into clear, practical guidance, explain the reasoning behind policies and processes, and give managers the tools and confidence to handle employee matters appropriately.

The goal is not simply to tell managers what they can or cannot do. It is to help them become stronger managers.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, organizational development, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• SPHR or equivalent senior-level HR certification
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in a leadership, supervisory, or management-level HR role
• 10+ years of progressive experience in employee relations and workplace investigations
• Experience managing organization-wide compensation and classification
• Experience leading performance management programs
• Extensive full-cycle recruitment and talent acquisition experience
• Experience serving as a primary administrator for employee benefits
• Extensive experience managing complex employee leaves
• Expert-level knowledge of California and federal employment laws and regulations
• Expert-level knowledge of workplace investigations and employee relations practices
• Strong experience with HRIS and applicant tracking systems
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive employee and organizational matters

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing a defined benefit plan, such as CalPERS
• Certified Benefits Professional (CBP)
• Certified Compensation Professional (CPP)
• Experience working within a higher education environment

Leadership Expectations

We are looking for an HR leader who understands that credibility is built through consistency, judgment, and trust.

The Associate Director must be comfortable giving clear guidance, including when the conversation is difficult. At the same time, this person should be approachable enough that managers and employees seek HR's guidance early, before a concern becomes a larger problem.

Successful candidates will be able to listen carefully, ask the right questions, distinguish facts from assumptions, communicate expectations clearly, and make recommendations grounded in policy, law, and the needs of the organization.

This role also requires someone who can see beyond the immediate HR issue. The Associate Director should recognize patterns, identify opportunities to strengthen systems and practices, and help ASI continue building a workplace culture centered on accountability, development, respect, and service.

Why ASI?

Associated Students Inc. at Cal State Fullerton is a student-governed nonprofit organization supporting the largest student population in the California State University system, with more than 46,000 students.

ASI operates a wide range of programs, services, and facilities and employs both professional staff and a significant student workforce. That creates an HR environment that is varied, fast-moving, and deeply connected to the student experience.

For an experienced HR professional, this is an opportunity to help shape the employee experience, strengthen managers and teams, and build HR practices that support both the people doing the work and the organization they serve.

Benefits: ASI offers a https://asi.fullerton.edu/benefits-pro/ for eligible employees.

Ready to bring your HR leadership, judgment and experience to ASI?