Job Opportunities

Legal Human Resources Manager (Direct Hire)

Job # 1031bpci

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Palo Alto, CA

Our client, A highly regarded global law firm is looking to fulfill the need for a direct hire Human Resources Manager to support the Palo Alto office. This role reports on a hybrid basis with three days onsite reporting.

Employment Type: Full Time Direct Hire | M - F | 9am – 5:30pm PT

• Hybrid reporting (Three days onsite)
• Exempt

Pay Rate: $140,000 - $170,000 / Annually DOE (+ Full Benefits)

• Serve as the HR Manager and strategic business partner to designated departments, primarily supporting non-attorney timekeeper groups.
• Provide proactive HR guidance and support department leadership on all aspects of people management.
• Attend regular meetings with leadership teams of assigned departments to stay aligned on priorities and workforce needs.
• Partner with department heads to assess staffing requirements and support full-cycle recruitment efforts as needed.
• Manage and resolve complex employee relations matters, ensuring fair and consistent practices.
• Oversee performance management processes, including counseling, terminations, meeting facilitation, documentation, and coordination with payroll and HR operations.
• Strengthen employee engagement by fostering positive work relationships, promoting morale, and supporting retention initiatives.
• Collaborate with the HR Analytics Manager to interpret data and develop targeted HR programs or solutions.
• Partner with department leadership to identify training and professional development opportunities, including coaching and competency development; monitor training effectiveness.
• Assist departments in creating and maintaining role-specific core competencies and track employee progress against these benchmarks.
• Provide strategic input on department restructures, workforce planning, and succession planning; prepare related impact analyses.
• Advise management and staff on HR policies and procedures to ensure understanding and consistent application.
• Liaise with the Benefits team to address and route employee questions related to benefits, leaves of absence, and wellness programs.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of employment laws and regulations to minimize legal risk and ensure compliance in day-to-day HR practices.
• Play a key role in managing attorney performance processes, including scripting meetings, drafting separation agreements, and conducting transition meetings.
• Collaborate across the HR team to support core HR operational initiatives and enhance department-wide processes.
• Support compensation strategies by participating in the annual merit and quarterly market review cycles.
• Lead FLSA classification assessments for new and existing roles to ensure proper exemption status.
• Draft counter offers and retention agreements; ensure agreements are properly recorded in Workday and processed by payroll.
• Actively participate on the crisis management team, providing HR guidance related to workplace threats or incidents of violence.
• Monitor and track employment law updates across firm office regions; update HR team and local leadership accordingly and provide training as needed.
• Train new HR team members on processes and procedures; maintain and update the internal HR process manual.
• Partner with HRBPs on the business services side to identify process improvement opportunities and support cross-functional initiatives.
• Work with the CHRO and/or HR Director to conduct workplace investigations involving timekeeper departments, as assigned.
• Serve on the HR AI Task Force to evaluate, implement, and train staff on the use of AI tools in HR operations.
• Provide project support and assist HR leadership with ad hoc tasks and strategic initiatives, as needed.

Qualifications:

Qualified candidates should possess a 4-year bachelor’s degree with a concentration in Human Resources or Business Administration (preferred), and equivalent work experience is highly considered. A minimum of four to five years’ experience in human resources role. Additional HR Certifications are a plus in this role (PHR, SHRM-CP, or equivalent). Proficiency within MS Office applications (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Word) with experience in HRIS (Paycom, ADP, Workday, etc.) and Payroll Systems. Must possess strong time management skills, professionalism, and ability to support a fast-paced environment and prioritize scope of work as needed. Effective written and verbal communication skills with A collaborative and team-oriented working style is highly desired in the ideal candidates.

We are a Bay Area, CA based staffing and recruiting firm assisting our client with this direct hire need. Please respond with your updated WordDoc resume and contact information—Thank you!

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Job Type: Direct Hire

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