Human Resources & Payroll Director

As the Director of Human Resources & Payroll at Galileo Learning you will play a pivotal role in shaping and enhancing our HR payroll compliance and employee relations functions to support our mission of empowering young innovators. You will lead a small but mighty team overseeing HR operations payroll and compliance ensuring our policies practices and employee experience meet the highest standards of legal compliance equity and organizational values.

You will guide complex employee relations matters oversee payroll operations for all employee groups ensure alignment with compliance standards and partner across departments to foster a safe positive and inclusive work environment. Your leadership will extend to final payroll approval high-stakes investigations escalated employee matters and ensuring efficient scalable processes that uphold trust and accuracy.

Why this Role Matters

This role powers the operational and people foundation that makes Galileos mission possible. By maintaining high-trust compliance equitable employee relations and reliable payroll across all HQ and seasonal staff the Director of Human Resources & Payroll ensures that our organization can scale smoothly while remaining deeply committed to our core values. You will serve as a vital partner to leadership driving continuous process improvement and cultivating an environment where diverse talents shine and every employee is supported.

You will be Accountable For

HR Leadership and Team Management

• Lead the design and implementation of HR policies and procedures ensuring they are up-to-date and compliant with relevant laws and regulations.

• Develop and implement risk management strategies to ensure a safe and healthy work environment.

• Oversee compliance with workplace safety regulations and lead initiatives to mitigate risks.

• Manage coach and develop a team of 3 year-round direct reports setting priorities timelines and success measures for each functional area of HR.

• Lead the development of HR resources to provide guidance and support on complex personnel issues and termination consultations.

• Partner with leaders to proactively address workplace concerns and maintain positive employee relations.

Employee Relations

• Serve as the escalation point for complex and sensitive employee relations matters including workplace investigations performance concerns and disciplinary actions.

• Ensure all employee relations processes are handled with fairness consistency and in compliance with applicable laws and organizational policies.

• Provide coaching and guidance to leaders on addressing workplace concerns proactively.

• Partner with legal and compliance resources as needed to mitigate risk and ensure adherence to best practices.

Payroll Oversight

• Direct payroll strategy developing sustainable and scalable processes to enable accurate and timely payroll processing.

• Oversee payroll operations for HQ staff Camp Directors and seasonal summer staff.

• Manage and support the Payroll Lead and Payroll Specialists ensuring accurate and timely pay for all employees.

• Be accountable for final payroll approval and ensuring efficient scalable payroll practices.

• Partner with the People Program Manager to ensure systems issues are resolved and that payroll reporting needs are met without being the sole ADP administrator.

HR Compliance and Reporting

• Oversee employment requirements for all staff including onboarding compliance background check and ongoing certifications across HQ CDs and summer staff.

• Ensure compliance with federal state and local employment laws and regulations.

• Regularly review and update HR policies to reflect changes in legislation and best practices.

• Develop and manage an auditing system for HR processes to ensure accuracy compliance and continuous improvement.

• Generate and analyze HR reports to provide actionable insights to leadership and support data-driven decision-making.

ADP HR Relationship Management

• Manage the relationship with ADP HR services with primary focus on the HRBP relationship.

• Coordinate with ADP representatives to address and resolve system issues and enhancements in collaboration with the People Program Manager.

Total Rewards

• Oversee the development and administration of total rewards programs including compensation benefits and recognition initiatives.

• Conduct market research to ensure Galileos compensation and benefits offerings remain competitive and equitable.

Performance Management

• Lead the performance management process including goal setting performance evaluations and development planning.

• Partner with leaders to ensure consistent and effective performance management practices across the organization.

• Collaboratively inform learning and development priorities for HQ staff and partner with the head of People and CEO to lead the managers learning resources and learning sessions.

Qualifications :

• Inspired by Galileos mission and purpose; eager to participate in a professional welcoming camp-inspired culture.

• 8 years of progressive experience in human resources management with at least 3 years leading and developing a team.

• Demonstrated expertise in employee relations including managing complex workplace investigations performance management and disciplinary actions with fairness and consistency.

• Strong working knowledge of multi-jurisdiction employment compliance with deep fluency in California employment law (wage and hour leave pay transparency and final pay requirements).

• Hands-on experience overseeing large-scale or seasonal payroll operations including final payroll approval and the design of scalable accurate payroll processes; experience with ADP strongly preferred.

• A track record of upholding and promoting diversity equity and inclusion in all aspects of people operations.

• Proven ability to develop and audit HR processes for accuracy compliance and continuous improvement and to translate HR data into actionable insights for leadership.

• Experience administering total rewards programs including compensation benchmarking benefits and recognition.

• An operations self-starter and innovator who is comfortable navigating complex or ambiguous challenges motivated to simplify structures and systems and dedicated to execution.

• A strong communicator with proven excellence in building relationships influencing others and communicating clearly and effectively across all levels of an organization.

• SHRM-SCP SHRM-CP SPHR or PHR certification preferred.

We strongly encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences and we are committed to equitable and inclusive hiring practices. If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role we encourage you to apply!

Work Location

Preferred location: Oakland CA or Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Employees located in the San Francisco Bay Area adhere to a hybrid office and work-from-home policy. Galileo Headquarters is located at 111 Myrtle St Ste 300 Oakland CA 94607.

Remote work-from-home location may be possible in the following states: California.

Schedule & Time Commitment

This is a full-time position averaging 40 hours per week. While we prioritize work-life balance there may be times when additional hours are necessary to meet deadlines and ensure the success of our programs. 

Compensation

We anticipate total compensation for this salaried Full-Time exempt position to be approximately $115000 - $140000 annually. Exact compensation may vary and will be based on multiple factors including geography and professional experience.

Our pay practices are guided by a commitment to equity and informed by market benchmarking and internal audits to minimize bias and ensure fairness across all roles.

Benefits

We offer comprehensive benefits that reflect our commitment to supporting diverse needs:

• No-cost medical insurance for employees (additional plans and options to add dependents available at cost)

• Vision and Dental Insurance 

• 401k benefits after 1 year of employment

• Flexible Paid Time Off - time off is not limited and we strongly recommend that employees take time off to rest and recharge. 

• Unlimited free camp for your child(ren) OR two free weeks to be gifted (including AM/PM Extended Care)

• Friends and Family Discount for Galileo Camps

• Priority scholarship nominations for Galileo Camps

• Generous parental leave and extensive support with leave planning

• Employee Assistance Program options for life insurance and more! 

Additional Information :

Please note that our job descriptions are a summary of the typical functions of the job not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible responsibilities tasks and duties.

We comply with the ADA and provide reasonable accommodations that allow qualified applicants/employees to perform the essential functions of the job. To request an accommodation contact our Human Resources team.

During the onboarding process in accordance with applicable local and state requirements you may be required to complete a Tuberculosis (TB) screening background check(s) and state-mandated training(s). More details will be provided during your onboarding process.

Physical Demands

• Occasionally lift and carry up to 30 lbs.

• operate a computer (including typing reading)

• Seeing hearing and speaking both nearby and at a distance

• Use hands and fingers to help with classroom supplies and operate equipment

• Frequent standing walking kneeling and sitting

Equal Opportunity Employer

Galileo Learning is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type and provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race color religion age sex national origin disability status genetics protected veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws.

Remote Work :

No

Employment Type :

Full-time