Human Resources Director (Sacramento)

Northern California Behavioral Health System; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Vision Insurance

Dental Insurance

401K Retirement Plan

Healthcare Spending Account

Life Insurance

Short and Long-Term Disability

PTO Plan with Holiday Premium Pay

Job summary

Northern California Behavioral Health System seeks a Director of Human Resources to provide strategic leadership, policy oversight, and executive guidance for all HR functions within the hospital. The role ensures compliance with California employment law and the collective bargaining agreement, aligns HR operations with organizational priorities, and partners with senior leaders on workforce planning.

You will oversee HR strategy, labor and employee relations, compensation structure, benefits,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum five years of related HR experience, with at least three years at director level or equivalent.
• Experience in labor relations, including grievance handling, contract interpretation, and collaboration with union representatives.
• SPHR and/or SHRM-SCP certification preferred.
• Thorough understanding and working knowledge of Federal and State employment law.
• Demonstrated knowledge of advanced human resources concepts, principles, and practices in all listed functions.
• Working knowledge of financial systems and administration; facility with numbers and detail work as relates to budget.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership for all HR functions and executive guidance.
• Oversees labor relations, grievances, contract interpretation, and negotiations.
• Partners with union reps to ensure contract-aligned resolutions of represented matters.
• Directs HR staff and budgets; participates in agency leadership.
• Ensures compliance with state and federal employment laws and policies across departments.
• Oversees HR data reporting, governance, and workforce planning initiatives.
• Leads employee development and engagement programs.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Labor relations

Budget management

Employee relations

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

SPHR/SHRM-SCP certification (preferred)

Job description

The Director of Human Resources provides strategic leadership, policy oversight, and executive‑level guidance for all Human Resources functions within the hospital. This role is responsible for setting departmental direction, ensuring compliance with California employment law and the collective bargaining agreement, and maintaining alignment between HR operations and organizational priorities.

The Director oversees HR strategy, labor relations, employee relations, compensation structure, and organizational development, while ensuring consistent and legally sound application of HR policies across all departments. The Director partners closely with executive leadership to support workforce planning, culture initiatives, and organizational effectiveness.

The Director provides leadership and oversight to the HR team, ensuring high‑quality execution of daily HR operations and supporting transactional workflows as needed. This role serves as the final escalation point for complex or high‑risk matters and represents the hospital in all formal labor relations activities.

The Director maintains accountability for HR governance, departmental standards, and the strategic use of HR data and tracking tools to support informed decision‑making at the executive level.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Employee and Labor Relations

• Maintains a work environment of effective supervision and respect; provides guidance and direct oversight for corrective action/discipline, controversial and sensitive staff issues, investigations, and employee separations.
• Serves as the organization’s lead (partnering with outside labor counsel as needed) for formal labor relations, including grievance handling, contract interpretation, negotiations, mediations, and arbitrations.
• Partners with union representatives and shop stewards to ensure contract‑aligned resolution of represented employee matters.
• Provides direction to the HR Manager on represented employee investigations and labor‑related processes.

Department Management and Supervision

• Provides oversight and accountability for all functional areas of Human Resources.
• Directs and supervises HR staff, including leadership support and development for the HR Manager.
• Participates strategically as a member of the agency leadership team.
• Develops, manages, and administers the Human Resources Department budget.

Employment Law and Risk Management

• Directs the development, implementation, and administration of HR policies and practices in alignment with organizational objectives and applicable state and federal employment laws.
• Partners with the Director of Performance Improvement on risk management and corporate compliance programs and strategies.
• Provides compliance guidance related to non‑employees, volunteers, interns, and other workforce resources.

Benefits and Compensation

• Oversees administration of employer‑provided and voluntary benefits, paid time off, leaves of absence, workers’ compensation, ergonomics/injury prevention, and the employee assistance program.
• Oversees compensation functions including base salary structure, compensation law compliance, job descriptions, and job codes.
• Provides input on compensation strategy and budget planning.

Human Resources Administration

• Oversees reporting and analysis of Human Resources activities.
• Ensures development and maintenance of workflows and data processing systems that support timely, accurate, and compliant reporting.
• Maintains accountability for HR data integrity and departmental tracking tools.

Recruitment

• Oversees the full recruitment and hiring process, ensuring consistent and legally compliant practices.
• Supports and trains hiring managers in effective recruitment and selection.
• Provides leadership for long‑range staffing planning and organizational workforce strategy.

Employee Engagement

• Oversees interdisciplinary coordination and implementation of new employee onboarding.
• Leads employee engagement and retention initiatives, communications, and appreciation and recognition programs.
• Ensures alignment between engagement strategies and organizational culture goals.

Performance Management

• Oversees development and administration of the performance evaluation system.
• Provides training and coaching for managers on performance management practices.
• Oversees succession planning and leadership development initiatives.

Employee Development and Training

• Oversees development and administration of employee training and development programs in coordination with other leadership team members.
• Provides training, technical assistance, and professional development resources for managers and leaders.
• Ensures alignment between training programs and organizational needs.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree required; Master's Degree preferred
• Minimum five (5) years of related experience, with at least three (3) years at director level or equivalent.
• Experience in labor relations, including grievance handling, contract interpretation, and collaboration with union representatives
• SPHR and/or SHRM-SCP certification preferred.
• Thorough understanding and working knowledge of Federal and State employment law.
• Demonstrated knowledge of advanced human resources concepts, principles, and practices in all listed functions.
• Working knowledge of financial systems and administration; facility with numbers and detail work as relates to budget.
• Demonstrated experience and ability to effectively supervise and mentor staff.
• Experience working in health care industry strongly preferred.
• Ability to provide executive‑level oversight of complex or high‑risk employee relations matters

• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• 401K Retirement Plan
• Healthcare Spending Account
• Life Insurance (Supplemental life, term, and universal plans are also available)
• Short and Long-Term Disability
• PTO Plan with Holiday Premium Pay

Salary Range: $150,000-175,000/annual