Human Resources Manager

South San Francisco Dental Care; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 66,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance stipend

Paid time off

401(k) plan

Office bonus and profit sharing

Continuing education support

Job summary

South San Francisco Dental Care seeks a meticulous HR Generalist to lead people operations in our private, multi-specialty dental practice. You will manage new-hire paperwork, ensure compliance with California labor laws, and maintain detailed personnel records.

The role emphasizes confidentiality, discretion, and proactive process improvements. You will build onboarding programs, coordinate benefits and payroll setup with leadership, and support employee relations as the team grows toward a

Qualifications

• Calm under pressure in difficult conversations and investigations.
• Builds rapport and maintains discretion with all team members.
• Maintains detailed, organized records and stays up to date on California Labor Law.
• Active listening and counseling to help others find constructive paths.
• Keeps confidential information secure and handles sensitive data.
• Honest feedback to managers and owners about compliance gaps when needed.
• Self-directed in building checklists, trackers, and workflows.
• Wants to understand dental practice operations to align HR decisions.

Responsibilities

• Issue new-hire paperwork and required California notices.
• Verify licenses and certifications and track expirations.
• Coordinate system setup with owner for payroll, benefits, timekeeping, and software.
• Deliver first-day orientation and onboarding check-ins.
• Maintain onboarding materials and role-specific docs.
• Own federal and California workplace postings and updates.
• Maintain HIPAA training records and yearly requirements.
• Administer leaves (CFRA, pregnancy, bereavement) and track eligibility.

Skills

Calm under pressure

Trusted by all

Detail oriented

Active listening

Discreet

Candid and honest

Self-directed

Curious about the business

Forest and trees perspective

Education

HR certification preferred

Job description

Location: South San Francisco, CA (on-site, in office)

Schedule: Part-time, approximately 24–30 hours per week, with a defined path to full-time

Pay range: $38 - $48 per hour, depending on experience

Reports to: Practice Owner/CEO

About South San Francisco Dental Care

We are a privately owned, multi-specialty dental group practice with 40 team members spanning general dentists, dental specialists, hygienists, dental assistants, and front-office roles. We are building the internal systems a practice of our size needs to run well, and implementing best practices to keep our team engaged and our office compliant with the ever changing California labor landscape. This is the first dedicated Human Resources role for our company. You will be part of helping to build, reward and maintain a team of top talent that is working towards creating an unparalleled seamless dental experience for our patients.

Why we are hiring

The “People Operations” or HR duties in our office have been handled by the owner and office leadership alongside everything else. We are looking for a proactive, self-motivated and collaborative professional who will manage and further develop the Human Resources department. This team member is someone who will keep us compliant, keep records that are accurate and organized, and is the individual the team can trust with sensitive information and approach when they need help resolving a personal or interpersonal issue.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Calm under pressure. You can sit in a tense conversation (e.g. a termination, complaint, an upset employee, etc) and stay diplomatic, objective, fair, and kind.
• Trusted by all. You build rapport across the whole team and people believe you will handle what they tell you with discretion.
• Detail Oriented. Keep detailed, dated, organized records without being asked, and keep up to date on California Labor Law.
• A good listener and counselor. You patiently and actively listen before deciding, ask questions, and help people find a path forward rather than just delivering a verdict.
• Candid and honest. You can tell a fellow manager or leader their approach is wrong, or tell the owner about a compliance gap, clearly and without drama.
• Discreet. You handle confidential information like pay, health, or disciplinary action and keep it confidential.
• Consistent. You apply policies the same way to everyone, which is what helps the team trust the process.
• Self-directed. As a one-person HR department, you build checklists, set up trackers, and follow through without being managed day to day.
• Curious about the business. You want to understand how a dental practice runs so your HR decisions fit the clinical reality, not a generic template.
• You see the forest and the trees. You understand the vital role Human Resources plays in a business, and advocate for win-win solutions that support the individual team members but also the business as whole.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

• Issue new-hire paperwork and required California notices (I-9, W-4, DE 4, wage notice, sick leave, workers' comp, Cal-COBRA, etc.).
• Verify licenses and certifications (RDA, RDH, CPR/BLS, radiation safety) and keep expiration tracking current.
• Coordinate system setup with the owner (payroll, benefits, timekeeping, practice software, Slack, Google Workspace) and distribute logins for new hires.
• Deliver first-day orientation, handbook sign-off, and 30/60/90-day check-ins.
• Maintain and improve our role-specific onboarding materials.

Compliance and Records

• Own required federal and California workplace postings and annual updates.
• Maintain Cal/OSHA programs and training records in conjunction with the clinical and doctor team leads. Examples: Injury and Illness Prevention Program, Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan, hepatitis B documentation, Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, Form 300/300A.
• Track HIPAA workforce training at hire and ongoing annually.
• Schedule and document California sexual harassment prevention training.
• Keep personnel files complete, current, and properly separated (general vs. confidential/medical), and maintain the system for easy reference.
• Administer protected leaves (CFRA, pregnancy disability, bereavement) and track eligibility and return dates.
• Monitor wage-and-hour practices: meal and rest breaks, overtime, timesheet accuracy, holidays, and paid time off.
• Handle unemployment claims and agency requests (EDD).

Benefits Administration

• Run open enrollment with our broker; process enrollments, terminations, and life-event changes.
• Administer 401(k) eligibility notices and enrollment with our recordkeeper.
• Report and manage workers' compensation claims and return-to-work.
• Coordinate disability and Paid Family Leave paperwork.
• Be the first stop for employee benefits questions.
• Brainstorm ways to make the company’s benefits packages more complete, compelling and find ways to reduce cost when possible.

Employee Relations

• Serve as the first point of contact for concerns, conflicts, and complaints from any team member, regardless of position or rank.
• Conduct and document workplace investigations.
• Coach leads and supervisors through difficult conversations.
• Administer progressive discipline with clear, defensible documentation.
• Manage accommodation requests through the interactive process (ADA/FEHA).
• Keep a read on team morale and raise issues before they become problems.

Performance Management

• Run the review cycle: scheduling, templates, and calibration with department leads and the owners.
• Support our core-values and role-fit scoring process.
• Keep job descriptions accurate as roles change.
• Draft and track performance improvement plans.

Culture and Engagement

• Own recognition: birthdays, anniversaries, milestones, team events.
• Teach our core values during onboarding so new hires understand how we work, not just what to sign.
• Be present and participate in morning huddles. Be a visible, approachable presence in the office.

Additional Duties

• Comply with practice policies and perform other duties related to Human Relations as assigned by the owner doctors.

Areas for Growth

As the practice grows and you learn our systems and get acquainted with the team, this role is designed to expand to full-time and take on:

• Sourcing, recruiting and hiring (job postings, screening, interviews, offers, background checks), and managing an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
• Employee handbook ownership and annual California policy updates.
• Payroll and Timekeeping administration (running payroll, calculating commission based compensation, managing the existing bonus system).
• HR information system administration and reporting (headcount, turnover, OT).
• Additional HR Duties not limited to those mentioned above.

Education and Experience

• 3+ years of hands-on HR generalist experience. Experience in a healthcare, dental, or other clinical setting is a plus.
• Working knowledge of California employment law (wage and hour, leaves, harassment training, Cal/OSHA basics).
• Experience running benefits enrollment and workers' compensation claims.
• Experience conducting workplace investigations and documenting employee relations matters.
• Comfortable with Google Workspace, Slack, and learning new software.
• PHR, SHRM-CP, or PHRca certification is a plus, not a requirement.
• Health Insurance group plan stipend available
• General and routine dental work included
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Office bonus and profit sharing
• Continuing education support
• 401(k) plan

We are an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under federal or California law.