HR & Compliance Risk Manager

Oak Tree Talent Network; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Oak Tree Talent Partners seeks a driven HR & Risk Compliance Manager to build and own a new HR function for a ~70-person field workforce and office staff in a fast-paced environment.

You will lead onboarding, training programs, and compliance efforts across safety, labor relations, and licensing, ensuring auditable records and timely reporting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR,Business, Risk Mgmt, or related field or certs + experience.
• 3–5 years progressive HR/admin or safety/training compliance experience in field-based settings.
• Experience building workflows, documentation, and auditable compliance records (LMS preferred).
• Strong organization, deadline management, and discretion for sensitive matters.
• Experience with ISNetworld/Avetta/Highwire and licensing processes is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and own HR onboarding docs, hiring packets, and employee handbook.
• Support employee relations, grievance documentation, and fair resolution processes.
• Manage monthly safety trainings, IIPP updates, and training records for ~70 field staff.
• Administer licensing, prequalification portals, and annual state-specific licenses.
• Build HR workflows, reporting, and maintain org charts and project write-ups.

Skills

HR administration

Safety compliance

LMS experience

Documentation control

California employment law

Training program management

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

ISNetworld

Avetta

Highwire

SharePoint

LMS

Job description

THE OPPORTUNITY

Our client is a privately owned, union testing and inspection firm — associated with Operating Engineers Local 12 and Local 3 — delivering third-party materials testing and special inspection across California, Nevada, and Utah, with experience on over 100 large-scale civil and industrial projects nationwide, including gas and solar plants, rail, airports, highways, and bridgework.

This is a ground-up opportunity. As the company builds its first dedicated HR function, this hire will design and own it — safety training compliance, HR administration, and regulatory/client compliance — for a ~70-person field workforce (90% union) plus office staff. You won't be stepping into an existing system; you'll be building the workflows, processes, and reporting that define this function going forward.

WHAT YOU'D OWN

Talent & Onboarding

• Support onboarding and maintain the jobsite required-documents file, hiring packet forms, and employee handbook.

Employee & Labor Relations

• Support fair, well-documented resolution of employee/employer complaints.
• Manage grievance documentation and CBA-aligned recordkeeping within a 90% union field workforce.

Safety & Risk Compliance

• Own monthly Toolbox Topics and quarterly safety trainings (e.g., OSHA Most Cited) end-to-end — assign, distribute, follow up, collect, and maintain complete training records for ~70 field employees.
• Maintain and update the Injury & Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) and distribute company-wide.
• Administer the Nuclear Gauge program: user lists, new-hire gauge courses, annual Gauge Refresher and HAZMAT training, and radioactive materials licensing (CA renewals, reciprocity, and new-state applications).
• Schedule and track mandatory Anti-Harassment and OSHA Workplace Violence Prevention training at new hire and bi-annual intervals.
• Serve as day-to-day liaison to the insurance broker (Cavignac & Associates) for risk management education and HR compliance guidance, and administer training via the LMS and broker training portal.

Licensing & Prequalification

• Maintain client vetting/prequalification portals — Highwire, ISNetworld, and Avetta — on weekly, monthly, and annual cycles; keep the Prequal Cut Sheet current. Portal standing is deadline-critical to the client's ability to bid and work.
• Coordinate PE license applications/renewals and Professional Development Hours by state; maintain NCEES records; manage business licenses across cities, counties, and states.

HR Function Build-Out & Reporting

• Build and document the HR workflows, processes, and reporting that will define this function going forward.
• Maintain the digital labor law poster, required notices, and org charts; update the SOQ with new project write-ups and keep field personnel resumes current in company format.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Risk Management, or a related field — or equivalent combination of education, HR certification (PHR, SHRM-CP), and relevant experience.
• 3–5 years of progressive experience in HR administration, HR compliance, or safety/training compliance, with working knowledge of California employment law.
• Track record administering training programs and maintaining auditable compliance records — LMS experience strongly preferred.
• Exceptional organization and deadline management across recurring weekly-to-annual compliance cycles, with strong documentation skills and discretion handling sensitive employee matters.
• Comfortable building from scratch — process, documentation, and reporting — in a fast-moving, field-based environment.
• Preferred: experience in engineering, testing/inspection, energy, or other field-based technical environments; union/labor relations exposure; familiarity with ISNetworld/Avetta/Highwire, Cal/OSHA program administration (IIPP, Workplace Violence Prevention), or PE/NCEES and nuclear gauge licensing; experience managing records via SharePoint.

COMPENSATION & PROCESS

$85,000–$95,000 base, DOE.

Job Title: HR & Risk Compliance Manager

Location: Temecula, California, United States | Remote-Hybrid — in-person 1 day/week or month (San Diego, CA candidates preferred)

Compensation: $85,000–$95,000 DOE | Full-Time, Exempt | Direct Hire

Reports To: Controller & Operations Manager (dual reporting)

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core to how we search — we build candidate slates that reflect a broad range of backgrounds and experience, and every candidate we represent receives fair, equitable consideration.

Oak Tree Talent Partners is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in every search we conduct. We are an Equal Opportunity search partner and ensure all qualified candidates receive fair consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law — a standard we hold ourselves and our clients to on every placement.