People & Employment Compliance Specialist

Sugared; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Sugared is seeking a People & Employment Compliance Specialist to support day-to-day employment-law, compliance, and employee-relations work for a multi-state team. You’ll work directly with our People and Legal leadership, owning routine matters end-to-end and gaining exposure to investigations, labor relations, and multi-state compliance.

We welcome a seasoned HR generalist or a junior employment attorney; bar admission is preferred but not required.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years in employment law, HR compliance, or employee relations
• California experience is a strong plus
• Clear, neutral writing across policy notices and memos

Responsibilities

• Day-to-day employment-law and compliance support
• Provide payroll oversight for accurate processing of wages and deductions
• Maintain records and update handbook across jurisdictions
• Support investigations from intake to closeout with structured timelines
• Draft employee communications and notices in neutral language
• Assist with labor-relations matters and research as needed

Skills

Employment law

HR compliance

Employee relations

Education

J.D.

SHRM-CP/SCP

Tools

Rippling

HRIS

Job description

Sugared + Bronzed is a fast-growing sugaring and airbrush tanning brand with studios across multiple states. We're known for a premium, body-positive client experience — and behind the scenes, for a team that takes care of its people as thoughtfully as it takes care of its clients.

WHY JOIN

You’ll work directly with our People and Legal leadership on real, varied employment matters from your first week — owning routine work end-to-end while gaining exposure to investigations, labor relations, and multi-state compliance strategy. It’s a high-trust, high-autonomy role with a clear path to grow as we expand.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As we continue to grow, we’re hiring a People & Employment Compliance Specialist to support the day-to-day employment, compliance, and employee-relations work that keeps a multi-state, multi-studio team running smoothly. This is a hands-on generalist role for someone who is equal parts practical HR operator and careful legal thinker.

We’re open to two kinds of candidates: an experienced HR or employee-relations professional with strong employment-law fluency, or a junior employment attorney looking to build broad in-house experience. Bar admission is preferred but not required. You’ll partner closely with our People and Legal leadership, owning routine matters end-to-end and getting meaningful exposure to investigations, labor relations, and multi-state compliance.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Day-to-day employment-law and compliance support

• Serve as a first point of contact for recurring employment questions from People Support, studio leadership, and operations — wage-and-hour, meal and rest breaks, overtime, final pay, and PTO/sick-leave accrual.
• Apply federal, state, and local requirements that vary by work location, and help ensure consistency as employees transfer between studios.
• Support benefits-eligibility and classification questions, including ACA full-time determinations and measurement periods.
• Help maintain occupational-licensing compliance for service providers — tracking active credentials, renewals, and applicable requirements across jurisdictions.
• Distinguish routine questions you can resolve independently from those that warrant escalation, and route the latter appropriately.
• Provide payroll oversight, to ensure accurate and compliant processing of wages, overtime, deductions, and employee status changes.

Policy, handbook, and documentation

• Draft, revise, and reconcile handbook and policy language across jurisdictions (leave, benefits, scheduling, uniforms, and more), keeping state-specific addenda aligned with the master handbook.
• Prepare clear, accurate employee-facing letters and notices using neutral, legally sound language.
• Maintain organized records and acknowledgment trails so the company's policies and decisions are well documented.

Employee relations and investigations

• Support workplace investigations from intake through closeout: organizing timelines, identifying relevant documents, and keeping a clean, well-structured record.
• Draft neutral, professional communications to employees throughout a matter.
• Recognize sensitive situations early and partner with leadership and counsel on the right approach.
• Prepare concise internal summaries for leadership and outside counsel, and track open items and deadlines to closure.

Labor relations support

• Provide research and administrative support on labor-relations matters, working under the direction of leadership and counsel.

REQUIREMENTS

• 2–5 years in employment law, HR compliance, or employee relations — in-house, at a firm, or in a multi-location/retail/services environment. We weigh a junior attorney and a seasoned HR generalist equally.
• Working knowledge of federal and multi-state employment law (wage-and-hour, leave, ACA, anti-retaliation, anti-discrimination); California experience is a strong plus.
• Sound judgment about what to handle independently versus escalations, paired with strong organization and follow-through.
• Clear, neutral, precise writing across a range of registers — from a policy notice to an internal summary memo.
• Discretion and comfort handling confidential, high-stakes personnel matters.
• Familiarity with HRIS/payroll systems (Rippling a plus) and standard document tooling.

BONUS BUT NOT REQUIRED

• J.D. and active bar admission (CA preferred), or SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP / PHR/SPHR certification.
• Experience supporting workplace investigations and/or labor relations.
• Experience in a multi-location, licensed, and/or unionized workforce.