Associate HR Program Manager

Panda Restaurant Group; Rosemead (CA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 127,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Work Schedule

401K with company match

Yearly bonus opportunity

Full medical, dental, and vision

On-site fitness center

Employee discounts at Panda locations

Paid time off starting at 15 days

Education assistance and scholarships

Disability, Life and AD&D insurance

Bereavement leave

Benefits for permanent full-time

Job summary

Panda Restaurant Group is seeking an HR Associate Manager (Programs) in California to lead HR projects, partner with leadership, and drive strategic HR initiatives. The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration, governance, and change management to ensure on-scope, budget-conscious delivery.

The position requires five years of HR or project experience, a business or HR degree, and PMI/PHR/SPHR credentials are preferred. Hybrid schedule with comprehensive benefits and annual bonus potential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; business or HR major.
• Minimum five years of HR or project experience.
• Project management certification or PHR/SPHR or equivalent preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manages assigned HR projects and program workstreams from initiation through closeout.
• Partners with SCHR leadership, cross-functional teams, and external vendors to gather requirements and drive decisions.
• Maintains governance by monitoring plans, risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Supports implementation and adoption of HR programs, systems, policies, and processes.
• Tracks performance, prepares status reports, and recommends improvements.
• Evaluates outcomes and identifies process improvements for scalability.

Job description

Summary Of Job Description

The Human Resources Associate Manager (Programs) plans, manages, and executes HR projects to ensure timely, on-scope, and budget-conscious delivery. This role partners with HR leadership, cross-functional teams, and external vendors to implement strategic initiatives, including policy rollouts, HRIS upgrades, talent management programs, and organizational change efforts. The role applies strong project management capabilities and HR functional knowledge to drive effective execution and business alignment.

Job Responsibilities

• Manages assigned HR projects and program workstreams from initiation through closeout by defining scope, objectives, deliverables, timelines, resource needs, dependencies, budgets, and success measures; drives execution within approved requirements.
• Partners with SCHR leadership, cross-functional teams, business stakeholders, and external vendors to gather requirements, clarify responsibilities, facilitate decisions, resolve execution barriers, and maintain effective stakeholder communication and alignment.
• Maintains project governance and controls by monitoring plans, milestones, risks, issues, dependencies, and changes; implements corrective actions and escalates significant concerns while supporting compliance with applicable policies, standards, and approval requirements.
• Supports implementation and adoption of HR programs, systems, policies, and processes through change planning, impact assessment, communications, training, documentation, readiness activities, and transition support.
• Tracks and analyzes project and program performance using established metrics; prepares timely status reports, insights, and recommendations regarding progress, risks, costs, adoption, and expected outcomes for stakeholders and leadership.
• Evaluates project outcomes, stakeholder feedback, and lessons learned to identify and implement improvements that strengthen HR processes, efficiency, consistency, scalability, and overall program effectiveness.

How We Reward You

• Hybrid Work schedule
• 401K with company match
• Yearly bonus opportunity*
• Full medical, dental, and vision insurance *
• On-site fitness center, biometric screen, and flu shot clinic
• Discounts at Panda restaurants, theme parks, and gym memberships
• Paid time off starting at 15 days with 7 federal holidays*
• Continuous education assistance and scholarships*
• Income protection including Disability, Life and AD&D insurance*
• Bereavement leave*
• Benefits available for eligible permanent full time associates

Your Background & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; business or HR major; project management certification or PHR/SPHR or equivalent preferred.
• Minimum five years of HR or project experience
• Successful completion of initial and periodically required trainings.
• Obtaining a valid Food Handler's Card within 30 days of employment is a requirement of this position.

Pay Range: P3: $90,000 - $126,500 / Annual

• Within the range, individual pay is determined using various factors, including work location and experience.

Panda Strong Since 1983

Founded in Glendale, California, we are now the largest family-owned American Chinese Restaurant concept in America. With close to 2,800 locations globally, we continue our mission of delivering exceptional Asian dining experiences by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives. Whether it’s impacting our team or the communities we work in, we’re proud to be an organization that embraces family values.

You’re Wanted Here

Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal opportunity, and does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by law, including but not limited to sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related conditions), gender expression, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, and veteran status. Additionally, Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. complies with all federal, state, and local laws regarding requests for workplace accommodation. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability. Applicants are entitled to reasonable accommodations, absent undue hardship, to effectively participate in the application and hiring process, for example, sign language interpreters. If you believe you require an accommodation for the application or interview process or for the position for which you are applying, please reach out to [e-mail].