People & Culture Lead - HR, Payroll & Office Ops

Sandiego; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Life Insurance

Short-Term Disability

Long-Term Disability

Flex Spending/Dependent Care

Job summary

San Diego Tourism Authority is seeking a People & Culture Manager to oversee day-to-day HR operations, payroll, benefits, recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, and HRIS. Reporting to the VP of People, Culture & Purpose, the role drives a positive employee experience and supports organizational initiatives.

Based in San Diego, CA, this full-time position also coordinates office operations, staff meetings, budgets, and executive support, while maintaining compliance with California

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent; HR certifications preferred.
• Minimum of five years of progressive experience in human resources management or HR generalist roles.
• Knowledge of California employment law, HR compliance, payroll, benefits, and leave administration.
• Proficiency with ADP or comparable HRIS platforms and Microsoft 365 applications.
• Strong organizational, project management, and prioritization skills with the ability to manage competing demands in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary day-to-day administrator for People & Culture (HR) operations.
• Maintain HRIS, employee records, payroll coordination, benefits administration, and HR reporting.
• Coordinate bi-monthly payroll processing and liaison with HRIS vendors.
• Administer employee benefit programs including enrollments, changes, reconciliations, and communications.
• Respond to team member inquiries regarding policies, benefits, payroll, and HR processes.
• Support employee relations matters, investigations, coaching conversations, and documentation under the VP guidance.
• Assist with compliance, employment law requirements, and policy development and administration.
• Partner with management to explain and illustrate HR policies and share updates.
• Maintain and oversee employee data within the HRIS including changes related to compensation, leaves, disability accommodations, and terminations.
• Develop wellness, engagement, recognition, and culture-building initiatives.
• Lead performance review platform and related processes, including training and system updates.
• Coordinate recruiting, onboarding, offboarding, and performance management processes.
• Support cross-functional People & Culture initiatives with action tracking and reporting.
• Generate HR metrics, reports, and dashboards for decision-making.

Skills

HR operations

Payroll administration

Benefits administration

Employee relations

HRIS

California employment law

ADP

MS 365

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

HR certifications preferred

Tools

HRIS (ADP)

Microsoft 365

Job description

San Diego Tourism Authority is seeking a People & Culture Manager to oversee day-to-day HR operations, payroll, benefits, recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, and HRIS. Reporting to the VP of People, Culture & Purpose, the role drives a positive employee experience and supports organizational initiatives.

Based in San Diego, CA, this full-time position also coordinates office operations, staff meetings, budgets, and executive support, while maintaining compliance with California