Director, People & Culture

Food Allergy Institute; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Food Allergy Institute (FAI) is seeking a Director of People & Culture to lead People Operations from a strategic and operational vantage. You will partner with executives to scale HR across multi‑state locations, align compensation and benefits with regulatory requirements, and elevate the employee experience.

The role demands transforming HRIS capabilities, driving leadership development, and building scalable processes for retention and engagement as the organization expands.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Healthcare Admin, Organizational Dev, Bus Admin or related field required.
• 10–12+ years HR experience with 3–5 years leading HR teams and transformation.
• Experience leading HR in a multi-entity or complex organization.

Responsibilities

• Drive workforce planning and capacity modeling for multi-site expansion and cross-state compliance.
• Transform the HR operating model across the employee lifecycle and automate workflows.
• Track workforce metrics and KPIs to guide strategic planning and decision making.

Skills

HR leadership

Leadership development

Employee engagement

Employee relations

Payroll oversight

Compensation & benefits

Regulatory compliance

HRIS evaluation

Data-informed decision making

Change management

Executive presence

Strategic systems thinking

Emotional intelligence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or related field

Master's degree (MSHR, MBA, or MHA) preferred

Tools

ADP Workforce Now

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Director, People & Culture

People Operations Full Time Management Long Beach, CA, US

6 days ago Requisition ID: 1285

Salary Range: $155,000.00 To $175,000.00 Annually

About Food Allergy Institute (FAI)

Founded in 2015, the Food Allergy Institute (FAI) is a cutting‑edge clinical care and translational medicine enterprise revolutionizing food allergy treatment. Through our proprietary Tolerance Induction Program™ (TIP), we are the first to bring pediatric and adult patients to true food freedom—enabling them to safely eat whatever they want, whenever they want, without fear of anaphylaxis.

FAI was founded as a division of the Translational Pulmonary & Immunology Research Center (TPIRC), a renowned non‑profit research institution that remains our majority owner. This unique dual‑entity ecosystem allows FAI to operate as a high‑growth clinical healthcare organization directly powered by TPIRC’s bench‑to‑bedside research, clinical trial infrastructure, and proprietary predictive biomarker analytics.

Why Join FAI?

The Food Allergy Institute (FAI) is home to innovative thinkers, problem solvers, and passionate leaders who are transforming the world of food allergy treatment. Our work is life‑changing for patients and their families, and every member of our team plays a vital role in supporting our mission. With over 180 employees, our diverse team includes Physicians in the specialties of Pediatrics, Pulmonary, Allergy & Immunology, Emergency Medicine, as well as Nurse Practitioners, Physicians Assistants, and a PhD level research team. In the food allergy world, the growth of FAI is unique in reflecting the effectiveness of its treatment approach and the supportive environment fostered by its team of professionals.

At FAI, you'll be part of a team dedicated to making a real impact. We provide access to cutting‑edge technology, offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and endless opportunities for professional development and career growth. Join us in transforming food allergy care and be inspired to make a difference.

Job Title: Director of People & Culture
Reports To: Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Job purpose: The Director of People & Culture serves as an operational and strategic leader with complete ownership over the organization’s People Operations. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, this role leads the HR department through a pivotal phase of growth—transforming core HR operations into a scalable service engine capable of supporting multi‑site and multi‑state expansion.

Beyond core operations and multi‑state compliance, this leader serves as the architect for workplace culture, employee engagement, and retention. The ideal candidate blends systems‑building expertise with proven people leadership—elevating internal HR teams, championing the employee experience across clinical and non‑clinical staff, and preparing leaders to navigate rapid multi‑state growth.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Partner with executive leadership to drive workforce planning and capacity modeling for multi‑site expansion, integrating formal succession planning, high‑potential talent identification, and career‑pathing frameworks to strengthen internal leadership pipelines.
• Transform and streamline the HR operating model across the employee lifecycle, maximizing existing HRIS capabilities to automate manual processes, ensure data integrity, and establish scalable, standardized service delivery workflows.
• Track and analyze key workforce metrics and executive KPIs to evaluate organizational health and guide strategic planning.
• Serve as the People Operations lead for multi‑site and multi‑state expansions—designing standardized, rapid‑deployment HR toolkits and establishing cross‑state compliance frameworks for opening new locations.
• Direct and oversee the end‑to‑end management of payroll, employee benefits, and leave of absence programs, ensuring strict adherence to multi‑state regulations
• Guide annual open enrollment strategy, carrier/broker negotiations, monthly billing reconciliations, and competitive regional compensation benchmarking to attract talent in tight, diverse labor markets.
• Design, implement, and facilitate a comprehensive Leadership Development framework aimed at upskilling clinical supervisors, practice managers, and department heads across all sites.
• Architect and execute a multi‑site employee engagement and retention strategy tailored to reduce burnout, elevate morale, and build a unified culture across dispersed regional and multi‑state locations.
• Establish measurable employee experience benchmarks and report progress regularly to executive leadership.
• Provide direct leadership, coaching, and strategic direction to the HR team.
• Act as the primary escalation point for complex employee relations, high‑risk investigations, multi‑state labor considerations, and sensitive matters.
• Ensure full organizational compliance with federal, state, and local labor standards (FLSA, FMLA, ADA, OSHA, Title VII) across all operating states, alongside strict healthcare regulatory mandates (HIPAA, state licensing boards, mandatory certifications).
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Healthcare Administration, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or related discipline; Master’s degree (MSHR, MBA, or MHA) preferred.

10-12+ years of progressive HR experience, including at least 3–5 years directly managing HR teams and driving operational transformation.

Proven experience leading a human resources function at the director level within a multi‑entity or operationally complex organization.

Demonstrated experience leading multi‑state organizational expansion, including opening new clinic locations, scaling distributed workforces, and managing cross‑state employment compliance.

Demonstrated experience designing, launching, and facilitating leadership development curricula alongside high‑impact employee engagement and retention strategies across distributed operational teams.

Strong knowledge of employee relations, HR administration, compensation and benefits, payroll oversight, and regulatory compliance.

Strong operational background in healthcare, clinical systems, or heavily regulated multi‑site/shift‑based operations.

High‑level expertise in HRIS evaluation, implementation, and optimization ( ADP Workforce Now) and survey/analytics tools.

Professional HR certification is strongly preferred (SHRM‑SCP, SPHR) or relevant talent/OD credential (e.g., ATD, CPTD).

High emotional intelligence, executive presence, change management capability, strategic systems thinking, and data‑informed decision‑making.

Physical requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to walk between multiple office locations that include the use of stairs (elevator is only available in some instances).

This position requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies, up to 20 pounds.

Direct reports

HR professionals: HRBPs, specialists, and coordinators

The company provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. The company is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified applicants, and employees with disabilities to ensure they enjoy equal access to all employment opportunities and benefits of employment as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.