Director of People in Santa Barbara, California at CLEAR CONSTRUCTION INC

Function

The Director of People leads the People function across Clear Group and is accountable for building the people systems, leadership practices, and organizational capabilities required to support the company’s growth and performance. This role owns People strategy, workforce planning, talent acquisition, performance management, compensation and benefits strategy, employee relations, leadership development, employment compliance, and the effectiveness of People operations. The Director of People serves as a senior advisor to the CEO and company leadership while ensuring that the People function executes consistently, accurately, and in alignment with Clear’s goals and Core Values.

This role will primarily work from our Santa Barbara offices but may require occasional personnel-related visits to our Ventura office and project properties.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

People Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive People strategy that supports organizational growth, business performance, and Clear’s Core Values

• Lead, mentor, and manage the Human Resources Manager and any future People team members; establish clear ownership, standards, and accountability for execution

• Advise the CEO and company leadership on organizational structure, talent planning, succession, management effectiveness, workforce capacity, and other people-related decisions

• Build and reinforce a high-performance culture grounded in Clear’s Core Values, with clear expectations, accountability, professional conduct, strong management, and consistent treatment of employees

• Establish and maintain People metrics and reporting that give leadership useful visibility into headcount, recruiting, retention, performance, compensation, and other workforce trends

Talent Acquisition & Development

• Own talent acquisition strategy and prioritization; ensure recruiting activity is aligned with approved headcount plans, role requirements, and business needs

• Develop practical employer-branding and recruiting strategies that improve Clear’s ability to attract high-caliber talent

• Own the company’s performance management framework, including goal setting, performance reviews, feedback practices, corrective action, Performance Improvement Plans, and recognition

• Develop manager and employee development programs that strengthen leadership capability, technical growth, succession depth, and internal advancement

Compliance & HR Operations

• Oversee employee-facing workplace safety administration and required annual shop/office training in coordination with the leaders who own operational and field safety

• Own employment-law and People compliance across Clear Group, including policies, required notices, leave practices, recordkeeping, wage-and-hour coordination, and consistent administration across entities

• Own compensation philosophy and People-related benefit and leave programs; oversee accurate administration in collaboration with Finance and the Human Resources Manager

• Own People-system requirements, data integrity, workflows, and HRIS effectiveness; coordinate system architecture and integrations with Administration, Finance, and other relevant leaders

• Use People metrics to identify risks, capacity constraints, retention issues, recruiting bottlenecks, management gaps, and opportunities for improvement

• Own the Employee Handbook and HR policy framework, including development, legal review coordination, communication standards, acknowledgement requirements, and consistent enforcement

• Establish periodic internal People-compliance audits and ensure the company is prepared for external audits, claims, or compliance reviews

Employee Experience & Culture

• Create a professional, productive workplace through clear expectations, effective communication, strong management practices, and consistent application of company standards

• Measure and improve employee engagement, retention, and organizational effectiveness using targeted feedback, retention data, exit information, and other relevant measures

• Ensure employment practices and People decisions are fair, consistent, legally compliant, and supportive of a workplace where employees are treated professionally and evaluated against clear standards

• Lead or oversee conflict resolution, workplace investigations, corrective action, terminations, and other sensitive employee matters with sound judgment, discretion, consistency, and appropriate documentation

Process & Platform Development

• Own the architecture and continuous improvement of People processes, including recruiting, onboarding, offboarding, performance reviews, compensation cycles, employee relations, and other employee-lifecycle workflows

• Define requirements for People technology and lead selection and implementation of HRIS, payroll, timekeeping, recruiting, performance, and related tools in coordination with Administration and Finance

• Continuously evaluate the effectiveness, scalability, and clarity of People processes and implement improvements that reduce risk, improve manager and employee experience, and support growth

Employee Records & Data Management

• Ensure employee files are accurate, complete, confidential, organized, and auditable

• Ensure HRIS data is accurate and current, including employment status, reporting relationships, job titles, compensation, and other required employee data

• Establish standards and controls for employment history, benefits, policy acknowledgements, and compliance documentation

Payroll Administration

• Oversee accurate and timely payroll administration and establish clear ownership for payroll inputs, review, approval, and processing

• Ensure payroll errors, benefit-deduction discrepancies, and other compensation issues are identified, corrected, communicated, and documented promptly

Success Looks Like

• Leadership has clear, useful visibility into headcount, talent needs, performance, retention, and people-related risk

• Critical roles are filled with strong candidates on a predictable timeline and workforce plans stay aligned with business needs

• Managers set clear expectations, address performance issues promptly, and use consistent People processes

• High performers are identified, developed, and retained, with growing succession depth for key roles

• Compensation, benefits, payroll, leave, personnel records, and employee policies are administered accurately and consistently

• Employee issues and investigations are handled promptly, professionally, consistently, and with appropriate documentation

• People systems and processes scale with the company without creating unnecessary bureaucracy or avoidable compliance risk

Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, Business Administration, or related field; advanced degree or certifications (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR) preferred

• 7-10 years of experience in HR/People leadership, with at least 3 years in a strategic HR role

• Strong computer skills, including use of spreadsheet, text-editing, and HRIS platforms

• Proven success building and scaling HR functions in dynamic, growing organizations

• Exceptional interpersonal, coaching, and communication skills

• Ability to balance empathy and pragmatism in decision-making

• Strong written communication, including the use of correct grammar and spelling

• Ability to work under pressure and coordinate multiple activities and groups of people effectively and efficiently

• Ability to encourage a positive team atmosphere and build morale to meet group commitments and goals

• Propensity for organization and effective time management

• Professionalism in all situations, including reacting well under pressure and following through on commitments

• Commitment to high standards of quality, including an unwavering attention to detail

ABOUT US

Our mission is to Be Better.

We achieve this through being a vertically integrated company that values attention to detail and sophistication unmatched by competitors. With strategic operational systems in place, our approach sets us apart: it’s the invaluable difference that comes with thoughtful, personalized collaboration. We are a team of hardworking and communicative professionals who take pride in understanding our clients’ desires and making them a reality – trust is just one of the things we build well.

Core Values

Must be able to exhibit and continuously demonstrate our Company's core values in any situation.

Passion - Care for our clients, our work, and our company.

Brilliance - Be bright, be positive, be exceptional.

Precision - Absolutely no detail is too small or unimportant.

Persistence - The greater the pressure, the brighter the diamond.

Benefits

• Insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision, Life)

• 401(k)

• Paid time off and sick pay

• Mileage and cell phone reimbursement

• Referral program

• Competitive pay with yearly reviews

• Opportunity for growth

• Tuition reimbursement

• Tool reimbursement

Physical Job Description

The typical working conditions, equipment used, and essential physical tasks described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform this job's essential functions successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Typical Working Conditions

Sedentary work performed primarily in an office environment, with occasional visits to other Clear offices or project locations. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Must be physically able to operate standard office equipment, including computers and telephones. Tasks may require extended periods at a keyboard or workstation and occasional walking or standing during office or project-site visits.

Statement of Employer's Rights

This job description does not list all of the duties of this position. You may be asked by management to perform other duties. You will be evaluated in part based on your performance of the tasks listed in this job description.

Clear Construction has the right to revise this job description at any time. This job description is not a contract for employment, and either you or the Company may terminate employment at any time, for any reason.