Director of HR

Niuro; San Leandro (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Niuro is seeking a Director of HR to lead and scale our entire HR infrastructure from the ground up. This onsite role in San Leandro, CA, owns talent acquisition, compliance, total rewards, and employee relations, shaping culture in a fast-growing hardware environment.

The ideal candidate brings 10+ years of HR leadership in startups, deep California employment law knowledge, and hands-on experience building programs and HRIS ecosystems.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, including startup/high-growth environments.
• Deep knowledge of California employment law, wage and hour, FMLA/CFRA, ADA, and pay transparency.
• Experience building HR programs, policies, and infrastructure from the ground up.
• Experience managing both exempt and non-exempt employee populations, preferably in manufacturing/operations.
• Hands-on HRIS management and modern HR tech ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary HR leader and strategic partner to executives on organizational design and compensation philosophy.
• Own end-to-end recruitment for technical, manufacturing, and corporate roles with structured processes.
• Manage HR compliance, leave programs, and Cal/OSHA-related safety coordination.
• Lead employee relations, coaching managers through performance management, investigations, and dialogue.
• Design and execute total rewards strategies including benchmarking, renewals, and payroll coordination.
• Oversee HRIS administration and standardize onboarding, offboarding, and key processes.
• Mentor and develop the internal HR team to build a high-performing culture.

Skills

HRIS

California Employment Law

Talent Acquisition

Employee Relations

Workforce Planning

FMLA CFRA

Compliance

Compensation & Benefits

Job description

This Director of HR role requires a strategic yet hands-on leader to build and scale the entire HR infrastructure from the ground up. Operating onsite in San Leandro, CA, this position owns the full spectrum of people operations, from talent acquisition and compliance to total rewards and employee relations.The ideal leader balances high-level organizational design and workforce planning with everyday execution, serving as a trusted advisor to executives while remaining highly accessible to all staff. Managing a small, growing team, this role is critical in shaping workplace culture and establishing scalable HR systems within a fast-growing physical-product environment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary HR leader and strategic partner to executives, advising on organizational design, workforce planning, and compensation philosophy.
• Own the end-to-end recruitment lifecycle for technical, manufacturing, and corporate roles, building structured hiring processes.
• Manage HR compliance, leave programs, and Cal/OSHA-related employee safety coordination.
• Lead employee relations, coaching managers through performance management, investigations, and constructive conversations.
• Design and execute total rewards strategies, including compensation benchmarking, benefits renewals, and payroll coordination.
• Oversee HRIS administration, standardizing onboarding, offboarding, and key people processes.
• Mentor and manage the internal HR team, fostering a supportive and high-performing environment.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, with proven experience as the senior HR leader in a startup or high-growth environment.
• C2 English level or higher.
• Proven experience building HR programs, policies, and infrastructure from the ground up.
• Deep knowledge of California employment law, including wage and hour regulations, leave administration (FMLA/CFRA, ADA), and pay transparency.
• Experience supporting both salaried (exempt) and hourly (non-exempt) employee populations, preferably in manufacturing, hardware, or operations.
• Hands-on experience managing HRIS platforms and modern HR technology ecosystems.
• Ability to work onsite 5 days a week in San Leandro, CA.
• Hands-on experience with Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, Workforce Planning, Compliance, Compensation & Benefits.

Skills

Required

HRIS California Employment Law Talent Acquisition Employee Relations Workforce Planning FMLA CFRA Compliance Compensation & Benefits

Nice to Have

SHRM-SCP SPHR Cal/OSHA