HR Director (FMS-SDP)

HR Director – FMS-SDP

Department: Financial Management Services (FMS) – Self-Determination Program (SDP)
Position: Human Resources Director
Employment Type: Full-Time
Classification: Exempt
Reports To: Executive Leadership
Work Arrangement: Remote / Hybrid as assigned

Position Summary

The HR Director – FMS-SDP provides strategic and operational leadership for all human resources functions supporting HR Alliance’s Financial Management Services and Self-Determination Program operations.

The HR Director is responsible for developing and maintaining compliant employment practices; overseeing worker and administrative employee onboarding; employee relations; investigations; performance management; training; leave and benefits administration; wage-and-hour compliance; HR documentation; and coordination with payroll, finance, FMS operations, and executive leadership.

The HR Director must understand the unique employment structure of participant-directed services. While HR Alliance provides employment administration, payroll, compliance, and recordkeeping support, participants or their authorized representatives maintain responsibility for directing and supervising workers' day-to-day services.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

HR Leadership & Strategy:

• Lead the human resources function supporting FMS-SDP operations.
• Develop HR strategies, systems, policies, and procedures that support organizational growth and regulatory compliance.
• Advise executive leadership on workforce planning, employee relations, organizational risk, compensation, performance, and employment matters.
• Establish consistent HR practices across states, Regional Center programs, and FMS operations.
• Monitor HR performance indicators and recommend operational improvements.
• Develop scalable HR processes as participant and worker volume increases.
• Ensure HR practices support HR Alliance's organizational values, participant-directed model, and business objectives.

Employment Compliance:

• Maintain compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Monitor changes involving wage and hour requirements, paid sick leave, leave laws, worker classification, background checks, employment documentation, and workplace requirements.
• Ensure compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and applicable state wage-and-hour laws.
• Review exempt and non-exempt classifications.
• Oversee employment eligibility verification and Form I-9 compliance.
• Maintain compliant personnel and employment records.
• Coordinate with legal counsel and executive leadership on complex employment matters.
• Conduct periodic HR compliance audits and implement corrective actions where necessary.

FMS-SDP Employee Onboarding & Employment Administration:

• Oversee worker onboarding requirements across FMS-SDP programs.
• Establish procedures to ensure workers complete all required documentation before employment activation or payroll processing.
• Ensure required documentation may include:
  • Employment application.
  • Background check clearance.
  • Form I-9 employment verification.
  • Federal and state tax forms.
  • Direct deposit authorization.
  • Employee agreements.
  • Required identification and eligibility documentation.
  • Required insurance or driving documentation where applicable.
  • Program-specific acknowledgments and training.
• Monitor incomplete onboarding cases and ensure timely resolution.
• Work with FMS Coordinators and administrative teams to streamline employee activation.
• Maintain accurate employee status records from onboarding through separation.
• Ensure onboarding practices meet applicable state and program requirements.

Employee Relations:

• Serve as the senior HR resource for employee relations matters.
• Provide guidance regarding workplace conduct, attendance, performance, policy interpretation, conflict resolution, and disciplinary matters.
• Respond appropriately to employee complaints and workplace concerns.
• Promote professional, respectful, and consistent workplace practices.
• Coach supervisors and managers on appropriate employee-management practices.
• Identify recurring employee-relations issues and recommend preventive measures.
• Ensure corrective actions are consistent, appropriately documented, and legally compliant.

Workplace Investigations:

• Lead or oversee investigations involving:
  • Harassment.
  • Discrimination.
  • Retaliation.
  • Workplace misconduct.
  • Policy violations.
  • Payroll or timekeeping concerns.
  • Employee complaints.
  • Workplace conflicts.
  • Fraud or suspected falsification of employment records.
• Conduct objective interviews and document findings.
• Maintain confidentiality to the extent reasonably possible.
• Prepare investigation summaries and recommendations for leadership.
• Coordinate with legal counsel when allegations present significant legal or organizational risk.
• Ensure employees are protected from unlawful retaliation for making good-faith reports.

Participant-Directed Employment Support:

• Maintain HR practices that recognize the unique employment relationship within participant-directed services.
• Ensure employees and internal staff understand that participants or their authorized representatives generally direct workers' daily schedules, duties, and services.
• Provide HR guidance regarding employment administration without improperly assuming participant supervisory responsibilities.
• Support participants and FMS teams in understanding employment policies and administrative requirements.
• Assist with worker separations, employee documentation, and employment-related concerns within the FMS model.
• Ensure HR policies preserve participant choice while meeting applicable employment requirements.

Payroll & Timekeeping Compliance:

• Partner with Payroll, Finance, and FMS Operations to ensure HR and payroll practices remain aligned.
• Monitor compliance with wage-and-hour and timekeeping requirements.
• Support review and resolution of:
  • Missing time records
  • Payroll discrepancies
  • Overtime concerns
  • Improper deductions
  • Employee classification questions
  • Final-pay requirements
  • Paid sick leave and other required leave balances
• Support compliance involving Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) where applicable.
• Ensure employee timekeeping policies clearly reflect applicable federal and state requirements.
• Investigate recurring payroll-related employee concerns and recommend corrective actions.

Leave & Benefits Administration:

• Oversee administration of applicable employee leave and benefit programs.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state leave requirements.
• Coordinate paid sick leave administration across jurisdictions.
• Oversee reasonable accommodation and interactive-process procedures where applicable.
• Support administration of FMLA and other protected leaves when applicable.
• Maintain accurate leave documentation and confidentiality.
• Ensure employees and managers receive consistent guidance regarding leave eligibility and procedures.

Performance Management:

• Develop and administer performance management procedures for administrative and operational employees.
• Establish performance review timelines and documentation standards.
• Coach managers regarding performance expectations and corrective action.
• Support development of performance improvement plans when appropriate.
• Ensure performance decisions are supported by appropriate documentation.
• Partner with management on employee development and succession planning.
• Track introductory/probationary periods and required performance evaluations.

Policies, Handbooks & SOPs:

• Maintain and periodically update HR policies, employee handbooks, FMS worker handbooks, and employment-related SOPs.
• Ensure policies remain consistent with current laws and FMS program requirements.
• Develop standardized procedures for:
  • Recruitment
  • Hiring
  • Onboarding
  • Employment verification
  • Background checks
  • Personnel records
  • Performance management
  • Employee complaints
  • Investigations
  • Discipline
  • Leave administration
  • Payroll and timekeeping escalation
  • Employee separation
• Coordinate policy changes with executive leadership and legal counsel when required.

Training & Development:

• Develop and coordinate required employment and compliance training.
• Ensure employees complete required onboarding and annual training.
• Provide management training regarding:
  • Harassment prevention
  • Employee relations
  • Documentation
  • Performance management
  • Wage-and-hour compliance
  • Leave administration
  • Workplace investigations
  • Confidentiality
  • Appropriate supervisory practices
• Maintain training records and monitor completion requirements.

Recruitment & Workforce Planning:

• Partner with leadership to assess workforce requirements for FMS-SDP expansion.
• Oversee recruitment processes for administrative and leadership positions.
• Establish consistent recruiting, interviewing, selection, and offer procedures.
• Review job descriptions for accuracy and compliance.
• Support compensation benchmarking and salary recommendations.
• Monitor employee turnover, vacancies, staffing levels, and workforce trends.

HR Records & Confidentiality:

• Maintain accurate and secure personnel records.
• Ensure confidential medical, leave, investigation, payroll, and personnel records are appropriately maintained.
• Establish record-retention practices consistent with applicable requirements.
• Protect employee and participant confidential information.
• Control access to personnel information based on legitimate business need.
• Prepare records for regulatory review, audit, litigation, or authorized management requests.

Risk Management & Compliance Audits:

• Conduct periodic reviews of HR practices and employee records.
• Identify employment-related operational and compliance risks.
• Develop corrective action plans when deficiencies are identified.
• Partner with Compliance, Finance, Payroll, Operations, and executive leadership to address organizational risk.
• Assist with governmental inquiries, audits, unemployment claims, wage claims, and employment-related requests.
• Maintain documentation demonstrating HR Alliance's good-faith compliance efforts.

Employee Separations:

• Oversee voluntary and involuntary separation procedures.
• Review disciplinary and termination recommendations for consistency and compliance.
• Ensure required separation documentation is completed.
• Coordinate final payroll and benefits requirements with appropriate departments.
• Conduct or oversee exit interviews when appropriate.
• Maintain separation documentation and analyze turnover trends.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, Employment Relations, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years of progressive human resources experience, including HR leadership responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience managing employee relations and workplace investigations.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws.
• Working knowledge of FLSA, wage-and-hour requirements, leave laws, employment eligibility, and HR compliance.
• Experience developing HR policies, procedures, handbooks, and SOPs.
• Experience working with payroll, employee benefits, performance management, and HR information systems.
• Strong leadership, judgment, documentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential matters professionally.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• SHRM-SCP, SHRM-CP, SPHR, PHR, or comparable HR certification.
• Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Employment Relations, or a related field.
• Experience in Financial Management Services (FMS), Self-Determination Programs (SDP), participant-directed services, Medicaid-funded services, healthcare, home-and-community-based services, or Regional Center programs.
• Multi-state employment compliance experience.
• Experience supporting a high-volume distributed workforce.
• Experience working with remote employees and geographically dispersed operations.
• Experience conducting complex workplace investigations.
• Familiarity with EVV, participant-directed employment structures, and payroll compliance.

Core Competencies:

• HR Leadership.
• Employment Law & Compliance.
• Employee Relations.
• Workplace Investigations.
• Strategic Decision-Making.
• Policy Development.
• Performance Management.
• Conflict Resolution.
• Confidentiality.
• Risk Management.
• Payroll & Wage-and-Hour Compliance.
• Organizational Development.
• Executive Communication.
• Process Improvement.
• Documentation & Recordkeeping.

Performance Expectations

Success in this position will be measured by:

• Timely and compliant employee onboarding.
• Accuracy and completeness of employment records.
• Timely resolution of employee relations matters.
• Quality and consistency of workplace investigations.
• Reduction of employment-related compliance risks.
• Compliance with wage, hour, leave, onboarding, and employment requirements.
• Completion of required employee and management training.
• Effectiveness of HR policies and SOPs.
• Responsiveness to employees, participants, managers, and leadership.
• Effectiveness of HR support during FMS-SDP program growth.
• Maintenance of professional, consistent, and legally compliant employment practices.

Important FMS Role Distinction:

The HR Director oversees employment administration and HR compliance but does not replace the participant or authorized representative as the individual responsible for directing a participant-directed worker's daily services.

HR Alliance, as the FMS provider, supports employment administration, payroll, tax reporting, documentation, and regulatory compliance. Participants or their authorized representatives retain responsibility for selecting workers and directing how authorized services are performed.