Human Resources Director

Grand Canyon Trust; Flagstaff (AZ); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible scheduling

12 paid holidays

Paid vacation and sick leave

Paid parental leave (12–14 weeks)

Sabbatical leave & community service

Job summary

Grand Canyon Trust is seeking a Human Resource Director to lead both hands-on HR administration and strategic partnership. The role focuses on payroll, benefits, compliance, and collaboration with the finance team to support organizational goals.

Responsibilities include policy development, multi-state compliance, and employee relations, with a strong emphasis on people-first practices and organizational trust. The position offers hybrid work in Flagstaff with some travel within the region.

Qualifications

• Experience maintaining and improving HR systems that are compliant and support staff.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws including multi-state considerations for remote staff.
• Experience overseeing payroll processing and benefits administration in a mid-sized organization.

Responsibilities

• Develops HR policies and leads annual handbook updates.
• Oversees accurate payroll processing and wage/hour compliance.
• Ensures compliance with employment laws across states and remote staff.
• Administers medical leaves, accommodations, and COBRA-related tasks.
• Leads benefits budgeting and annual open enrollment.
• Supports staff development and performance review processes.

Skills

Payroll management

HRIS

Benefits administration

Compliance

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

SPHR/PHR/SHRM credential

Tools

Payroll software

HRIS systems

Benefits administration tools

Job description

Do you approach human resources (HR) from a place of creativity and curiosity? Do you have experience maintaining and improving HR systems that are compliant and genuinely support the people they serve? Can you integrate tools such as streamlined payroll, HRIS and benefits administration, and thoughtful risk management using a collaborative approach across teams?

The Grand Canyon Trust is hiring a human resource director who excels at both hands-on administrative HR and strategic partnership. This role centers on operational excellence, compliance, benefits and compensation stewardship, and close collaboration with the finance team and other teams to support the ongoing work of the Trust. The human resource director balances HR best practices with the day-to-day realities of payroll, benefits, insurances, and various organizational processes, ensuring HR functions as a trusted partner across the organization.

This person welcomes feedback and collaborative decision-making, serving as the go-to guide for staff navigating workplace questions and concerns while ensuring organizational compliance and helping staff feel heard and supported. This person is a thoughtful member of the organization who values its people and shares in its vision. The Trust has 40+ employees and a budget of $7.2 million.

The nitty gritty

Flexibility and paid time off

• Flexible scheduling
• 12 paid holidays
• 2 weeks paid vacation and two weeks paid sick leave
• 12-14 weeks of paid parental leave
• Paid community service time and sabbatical leave

Benefits

• 100% employer-paid employee medical and dental insurance (50% employer-paid for qualified dependent premiums)
• 4% automatic employer contribution to 401K retirement plan plus up to 2% match
• Employer-paid long-term disability insurance
• Professional development resources

Location

• Flagstaff, Arizona with flexible scheduling and ability to work from home up to two days per week. While Flagstaff is preferred, we will consider candidates located elsewhere within Arizona, Utah, Colorado, or New Mexico who are able to travel to Flagstaff at least once per month.

Compensation

• $105,000 - $115,000 annual salary, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

What does this position entail?

Policies, procedures, and operations (approximately 45%)

• Develops policies and procedures and leads the annual review and update of the employee handbook.
• In collaboration with the finance team, oversees accurate payroll processing, and ensures proper employee classification and wage and hour compliance. Manages personnel files and various HR-related employee administrative processes. Communicates changes with finance.
• Ensures compliance with federal, state, and local employment law (multi-state considerations for remote staff), and workplace retirement benefits.
• Administers medical leaves of absence and accommodations, ensuring confidentiality.
• Directs safety programming, workers’ compensation claims management, unemployment claims management, COBRA, and other compliance tasks. Coordinates with the finance team on liability insurance.
• Handles employee concerns, grievances, investigations and improvement/disciplinary processes. Supports staff in resolving conflicts as they arise within the organization.

Benefits administration (approximately 15%)

• Manages health insurances, retirement plans, and ancillary benefits (life, disability, etc.).
• Leads annual open enrollment and vendor/broker relationship management.
• Administers leave programs (sabbaticals, parental leave, etc.).
• Coordinates with the finance team on benefits budgeting and accuracy of payroll deductions.
• Partners with the finance team on annual budget development for personnel line items.

Employee experience (approximately 15%)

• Works with the executive director to develop and administer equitable, transparent, and competitive pay and benefits.
• Supports a culture of feedback within the organization by implementing employee surveys and other feedback opportunities. Listens to employees, acts on feedback, and communicates results.
• Is a key collaborator for employees and supervisors to provide resources for professional development training for employee’s career development.

Leadership and strategy (approximately 10%)

• Creates and manages HR programs that support a positive, inclusive, and collaborative workplace.
• Builds and maintains trusting relationships with employees and applicants.
• Serves on the organizational support (OS) team to lead organizational strategies as part of a cross-functional team.
• Advises on annual employee performance review processes.

Recruitment and retention (approximately 10%)

• Creates recruitment plans, assists with job advertisements, and facilitates the overall recruitment and hiring processes.
• Manages employee orientation, including new hire paperwork, benefits education, and other onboarding tasks, such as workspace and equipment assignment.
• Facilitates offboarding and exit interviews.

Other (5%)

• Stays up to date on HR trends and compliance and regulatory issues that impact the Trust.
• Attends staff retreats and events.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with HR or similar positions (i.e. organizational development, leadership, supervising employees, conflict resolution, etc.) and knowledge of relevant state and federal compliance requirements.
• Experience with conflict management and resolution.
• Ability to center care for others in all aspects of work and a commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Ability to build trusting, reciprocal relationships; collaborate across multiple perspectives and power dynamics; and provide guidance to staff on matters such as HR processes and procedures, conflict management, and supervision of others.
• An attentiveness to the concerns and needs of a diverse staff.
• A familiarity with the lands and peoples of the Colorado Plateau.
• SPHR, PHR, SHRM-SCP, or SHRM-CP credential preferred.
• Note that experience includes lived experience, traditional knowledge, volunteer experience, school or coursework, work experience, and other related qualifications, skills, and experience.
• No candidate will meet every requirement. If you're excited about the position and think you may be a good candidate, we encourage you to apply.