Immigrant Defenders Law Center (“ImmDef”) is a next-generation, social justice law firm that provides high-quality representation and legal services to immigrants in Southern California and beyond. ImmDef was founded with the belief that no immigrant should be forced to face an unjust immigration system alone and our universal representation programs are a first step towards that goal. Learn more about us at www.immdef.org.
The Human Resources Manager oversees all activities related to the organization’s HR needs for nearly 180 staff across four offices in Southern California. Responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of the organization’s human resource’s function, which includes employee legal and programmatic compliance, training, performance management, policy development and creation of a positive and team-oriented organizational culture. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 5 years of experience in human resource management in a mission-driven organization. An understanding of the needs of a legal services or social justice organization is a plus, as well as experience with employee unions and leaves of absence.
We encourage all qualified persons to apply for a position supporting the fight for justice for our immigrant communities!
Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Employee Relations
- Manage the HR team to ensure effective, compliant, and equitable work practices as they relate to employee and labor relations, payroll and compensation, performance management and the employee life cycle.
- Develop, maintain, interpret, and apply employee handbook, policies, procedures, practices, and regulations consistently and assure compliance with applicable federal, state and local labor laws, rules and regulations.
- Ensure employee and management compliance with ImmDef policies and procedures, as well as applicable labor laws and regulations.
- Provide coaching and guidance to staff and managers while encouraging innovative solutions to personnel matters.
- Collaborate with union representatives regarding employee issues; maintain compliance with Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
- Conduct investigations and research employee grievances in compliance with established procedures and the CBA.
- Advise managers on organizational policy matters such as equal employment opportunity, disciplinary issues, and sexual and other unlawful harassment, and recommend needed changes.
- Reports the following in accordance with established facility procedures and regulatory standards: accidents and incidents; personnel grievances, complaints, concerns, and suspected incidences of non-compliance including but not limited to hazardous work conditions and equipment.
- Develop HR protocols for maintaining staff and client confidentiality, and HIPAA compliance.
- Serve as liaison with outside legal counsel and/or HR consultant on HR-related legal issues.
Compensation, Benefits, and Leaves of Absence
- Maintain the organization’s existing compensation structure and benefits ensuring consistency, equity, and competitiveness; make recommendations to leadership on potential improvements.
- Oversee benefits plan renewals and open enrollment periods; regularly audit benefits statements for accuracy.
- Serve as the staff lead for all 401(k) administration responsibilities, in coordination with our third-party administrator.
- Coordinate all leaves of absences, including FMLA/CFRA, PDL, PFL, ADA, and Personal LOA in compliance with all federal, state and local leave laws, in conjunction with ImmDef’s internal policies and CBA; maintain communication with employees on leave to facilitate smooth and timely return to work.
- Review, examine, and resolve Worker’s Compensation claims; monitor employees’ recovery to achieve medically approved return to work in limited or full duty status.
- Review and prepare 1095-C/ACA reports annually.
Recruitment, Retention & Onboarding
- Develop and revise job descriptions and job postings as needed to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the recruitment and retention process.
- Develop strategic recruitment practices to attract top talent for attorney, legal support staff, management and other positions to effectively serve our clients and community.
- Develop and coordinate employee onboarding and orientation programs to facilitate understanding of internal policies, procedures and expectations.
- Provide input on employee retention programs, employee surveys and other projects related to staff morale, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Develop and oversee programs related to staff appreciation and organizational culture including happy hours, holiday parties, and staff summer events.
Performance Management & Professional Development
- In collaboration with management staff, design and coordinate effective and relevant employee performance management system with an emphasis on job performance and elimination of bias in the performance management process.
- Work with department and program managers to create professional development plans and programs that are aligned with ImmDef’s goals.
- Identify management training needs; develop and administer trainings on an ongoing basis.
- Provide overall direction in the day-to-day operations of the Human Resources department, including setting priorities to meet HR’s overall goals and initiatives.
Payroll & HRIS
- Direct the implementation and testing of improvements to HRIS (UKG) including recruitment, time & attendance, and performance management modules.
- Oversee payroll functions and processing; identify new approaches to improve and streamline current systems; conduct final audit of payroll to ensure proper processing.
- Continuously work collaboratively with the Finance Department to ensure payroll and employee salary information is accurate.
- Review and prepare EEO-1 annual report.
- B.A. or M.A. in Human Resources, Business, Public Administration, or other related fields (or commensurate practical experience) preferred.
- SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP certification desirable.
- A minimum of three years of experience managing and leading a team of HR professionals.
- A minimum of five years of experience in the Human Resources field, including experience working in a nonprofit legal services environment, with employee unions, and implementing CBA requirements.
- Knowledge of and experience with California employment laws, compensation, benefits administration, employee relations, and recruitment.
- Experience creating and implementing organization-wide policies and systems.
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy, the ability to prioritize and organize multiple projects, meet deadlines, analyze issues, think creatively, problem-solve and multi-task.
- Excellent interpersonal, conflict resolution and coaching skills including patience and the ability to work well with employees at all levels.
- Ability to maintain neutrality and create a safe environment for employees to raise concerns.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Commitment to teamwork and creating a culture that is supportive of employees.
- Excellent computer skills required – Word, Excel, Software applications.
- Experience working with diverse groups and populations.
- Ability to represent Company in an ethical and professional manner, and to maintain accountability.
- Ability to interact tactfully, effectively, and professionally with other employees, visitors, government agencies/personnel and the general public, as needed.
- Ability to understand and follow applicable regulations, policies and procedures fully and consistently.
- Willingness and ability to function as an effective team member through good communication and cooperation to meet departmental goals.
- Commitment to social justice and ImmDef’s mission to defend our immigrant communities against systemic injustices in the immigration system.
Immigrant Defenders Law Center is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. We value diversity in the workplace and strongly encourage applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, ethnic group identification, citizenship, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, arrest or conviction record, or any other protected characteristic.
Due to the large number of applicants, we are unable to respond to every applicant and will only contact those who meet the minimum qualifications and are invited to interview for the position.
Schedule:
- ImmDef’s standard work schedule is 35 hours per week, or 70 hours per pay period, with flexible scheduling options including hybrid and compressed schedules that allow staff to take up to one day off per week without needing to use paid time off.
- Hybrid Work Schedule: Staff in exempt positions at ImmDef are expected to be in the office a minimum of 3 days per week, with 2 days available to work remotely. Additional days in-office may be necessary during an initial onboarding and training period.
Professional Memberships:
- ImmDef provides eligible staff with $150 towards the professional association of their choice, as well as opportunities to attend conferences, trainings and seminars/webinars hosted internally and by partner organizations.
Holidays and Paid Time Off :
- 13 paid holidays
- 1-Week paid winter break between Christmas and New Years
- 15 vacation days per year
- 15 Sick Days per year
Health, Dental and Vision Insurance:
- ImmDef provides health coverage on the first of the month following 30 days on the job.
- We cover 100% of premiums for our base dental and vision plans for our staff members and 75% of base plan dental and vision premiums for their dependents. ImmDef also covers 94% of the base plan medical premiums for our staff and 69% of the base plan medical premiums for their dependents.
FSA and Dependent Care FSA:
- ImmDef offers FSA plans to help offset the costs of eligible health care expenses for you, your spouse, and your eligible dependents using pre-tax dollars.
- We also offer Dependent Care FSA to pay for eligible dependent care services, such as preschool, summer day camp, before or after school programs, and child or adult daycare.
- Eligible for Parental Leave which includes six (6) weeks of ImmDef paid leave.
401(k) Retirement Savings Plan & Employer Matching:
- ImmDef staff are eligible to enroll in our 401(k) plans immediately upon hire, contributing pre-tax dollars towards their retirement goals
- After six months on staff, ImmDef will match 100% of contributions up to 3% of the employee’s salary
Public Service Loan Forgiveness:
- As a 501(c)(3), full-time ImmDef staff with qualifying student loans are eligible for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Parking and Public Transportation Stipends:
- Staff members assigned to an office without free on-site parking are eligible to receive a parking stipend of up to $105 per month in actual accrued parking or transportation costs, paid through a pre-tax commuter benefit account.
- Staff in all offices are eligible to receive a public transportation stipend of up to $100 per month in actual accrued public transportation costs.
Cell Phone Stipends:
- ImmDef provides a $15 monthly cell phone stipend to staff members whose job duties require them to consistently work at sites outside of ImmDef offices, or travel between ImmDef worksites, and whose jobs require use of their personal cell phones or communications that cannot be accomplished with ImmDef-issued equipment.