Director of People in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at Sigma Commercial LLC

Director of People — Sigma Commercial LLC

Location: Milwaukee, WI (East Side) — On-site
Employment Type: Full-Time
Reports To: CEO

About Us

Sigma Commercial LLC is a Milwaukee-based holding company overseeing four operating businesses: LaBonte Construction (luxury residential remodeling), Property Prep (commercial maintenance and janitorial), Vandelay Group (residential property management), and Sigma Commercial itself (shared back office). We're a small, hands-on team - people wear multiple hats and things get done without a lot of red tape.

The Role

We're looking for a Director of People to build and run HR, payroll, and benefits for the group, solo. This is a hands-on individual-contributor role, not a management position - you'll be doing the work yourself, not delegating it. The bulk of the job is recruiting for our blue-collar workforce: construction crews, maintenance and janitorial staff. You'll also own payroll and benefits/insurance compliance for our staffed entities.

Key Responsibilities

Recruiting (majority of the role)

Run full-cycle recruiting for blue-collar and skilled-trade positions at LaBonte Construction and Property Prep - carpenters, general laborers, maintenance techs, janitorial staff, and similar field roles, not office or corporate hires
Source candidates through job boards, trade schools, apprenticeship programs, and the referral networks common in the trades
Screen candidates, coordinate interviews, and work with entity leads on hiring decisions
Manage postings across external job boards
Handle new-hire paperwork and onboarding logistics

Payroll

Run full end-to-end payroll for LaBonte Construction, Property Prep, and Sigma Commercial: timekeeping review, gross-to-net calculations, tax withholding and filings, garnishments, and off-cycle or final paychecks
Maintain payroll compliance with federal and Wisconsin state requirements
Handle payroll recordkeeping and reporting (W-2s, quarterly filings, etc.)

Benefits & Insurance Compliance

Select, negotiate, and administer group benefits (health, dental, vision, retirement) in coordination with our insurance broker/carrier
Run annual open enrollment and serve as employees' primary point of contact for benefits questions and claims
Ensure ACA reporting and COBRA compliance
Administer workers' compensation coverage, including policy audits and claims handling
Manage unemployment insurance claims and ensure employees are correctly classified for insurance purposes

HR Administration

Maintain personnel files, I-9s, and required employment documentation
Track required trainings or certifications for field staff where applicable
Serve as first point of contact for basic employee relations issues
Qualifications
Experience recruiting for blue-collar or skilled-trade roles - construction, maintenance, facilities, or similar
Hands-on payroll processing experience, ideally across multiple entities or EINs
Experience administering group benefits plans and workers' comp/unemployment insurance compliance
Working knowledge of Wisconsin employment law and federal payroll/benefits compliance basics (FLSA, ACA, COBRA)
Comfortable owning HR, payroll, and benefits alone, with no support staff
Experience with payroll software (e.g., Gusto, ADP, Paychex) preferred
Strong organization and follow-through - able to run recruiting pipelines, hit payroll deadlines, and stay on top of compliance simultaneously
Self-starter who operates independently in a small-business environment