HR & Culture Manager at 7 Flags Car Wash – Vallejo, California

We're not looking for someone who recites the employee handbook from memory. We need someone who builds the systems, drives the communication, and shapes the culture that keeps 200 employees showing up, engaged, and doing good work across multiple entities and locations. We have an ADP HR Business Partner for compliance and employee relations support, and HR consultant support available during the transition. What we don't have is someone who owns the connective tissue: the communication, the culture, the employee experience that turns a workplace into somewhere people want to stay and do their best work.

This role reports directly to the President and serves as the in-house HR leader across the multi-entities of 7 Flags Car Wash. You'll own the full scope of HR operations: onboarding, offboarding, policy development, internal communications, delivering HR training and guidance to the management teams, and supporting the culture across a service-industry workforce. You are the internal point person who identifies issues, manages day-to-day people operations, and knows when to loop in the right resources. Our ADP HR Business Partner handles compliance interpretation and employee relations case management, so your job isn't to be the compliance encyclopedia. Your job is to be the operational backbone and cultural driver who makes sure our people practices actually work for the business. You're the internal point person who spots issues, manages the daily rhythm, and knows when to escalate.

If your instinct when faced with a policy question is "how do we make this work for business operations?" instead of "let me find a reason to say no," keep reading.

Culture, Communication & Employee Experience (~50%)

• Own internal communications across both entities. Right now, nobody owns this. You will. Company-wide updates, manager communications, policy rollouts, and the cadence that keeps people informed and connected.
• Deliver HR training and guidance to management teams. Equip managers with the knowledge and tools to handle day-to-day people situations confidently and consistently, from performance conversations to policy application to leave management.
• Partner with the President and site leadership to define, shape, and reinforce company culture. This isn't a poster-on-the-wall exercise. It's about building practices that employees actually feel.
• Design and lead employee engagement initiatives that resonate with a frontline, service-industry workforce. Think practical, not corporate.
• Be the visible, trusted face of HR for employees and managers. Approachable, present, and responsive.
• Identify patterns in turnover, engagement, and operational friction, then build solutions that address root causes instead of symptoms
• Coach managers on communication, feedback, and people management fundamentals to strengthen leadership capability across both entities

HR Operations (~40%)

• Own the full employee lifecycle across both entities: onboarding, status changes, offboarding, and everything in between
• Maintain, improve, and develop policies that are California-compliant and operationally practical. Some are already in place; others need to be built. No shelf-sitters. If it doesn't work on the ground, it doesn't work.
• Manage HRIS administration in ADP, including employee records, reporting, and data integrity
• Serve as the internal triage point for compliance and employee relations issues. You identify, assess, and manage day-to-day concerns. The ADP HR Business Partner owns compliance interpretation and ER case management. You own knowing when to escalate and keeping things moving in the meantime.
• Administer benefits enrollment, changes, and employee questions in coordination with ADP and benefits vendors
• Track and manage leaves of absence, accommodations, and return-to-work processes in compliance with California law
• Build and maintain HR documentation, SOPs, and process workflows that bring consistency across both entities

Strategic Support (~10%)

• Advise the President on workforce planning, organizational changes, and people-related decisions
• Contribute to long-term people strategy as the organization grows, including building the case for additional HR resources

Required:

• 6+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3 years in an HR generalist leadership role
• Proven experience driving internal communications and employee engagement programs, not just participating in them
• Experience developing and delivering HR training to managers, with the ability to make compliance topics practical and actionable
• Strong working knowledge of California employment law and the ability to translate it into policies that serve both compliance and operations
• An operational problem-solver who defaults to finding workable solutions within legal boundaries, not finding reasons to say no
• Experience writing and implementing workplace policies from scratch, not just inheriting them
• The ability to connect with and earn the trust of a frontline, service-industry workforce. This is not a desk-only job.
• Comfortable operating independently while knowing when to escalate and collaborate
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. You'll be drafting policies, sending company-wide communications, and advising the President directly.
• Ability to work on-site in Vallejo, CA. Car washes operate seven days a week, and while this is primarily a weekday role, occasional availability outside standard business hours may be needed to support operations or address time-sensitive employee matters.

Preferred:

• Experience with ADP Workforce Now and/or ADP TotalSource
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• SHRM-CP/SCP or PHR/SPHR certification
• Experience in service industry, car wash, retail, hospitality, or multi-site operations
• Experience supporting multiple legal entities or business units under one organizational umbrella
• Track record of building HR functions, communication rhythms, or culture programs in organizations that didn't have them yet

In your first 90 days:

• You've assessed the current state of internal communication and employee engagement and have a plan to improve both
• You've identified the top training gaps for management teams and started delivering foundational HR guidance
• You've gotten up to speed on existing HR processes, systems, and policies across both entities and identified where to strengthen or build
• You've established yourself as the go-to person for managers and employees on HR questions
• You've built a working relationship with the ADP HR Business Partner and understand the division of responsibilities: what you own, what they own, and how escalation works
• You've launched or meaningfully improved at least one internal communication rhythm

In your first year:

• There's a visible, intentional communication and culture strategy in place that employees actually experience
• Management teams are better equipped to handle people situations because of the training and guidance you've built
• HR operations run with consistency and minimal firefighting across both entities
• Employees and managers trust the HR function and proactively engage with it
• Policies are documented, compliant, and actually used
• You're operating independently as the in-house HR leader and have become a trusted advisor to the President on people decisions

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Retirement plan

7 Flags Car Wash is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse perspectives and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all employees.