Human Resources Manager at Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles, CA

The Human Resources Manager serves as a strategic and operational leader responsible for advancing DWC's people strategy while ensuring compliance with applicable employment laws and organizational policies. This role partners closely with agency leadership to foster a high-performing, inclusive, and trauma-informed workplace culture that supports employee engagement, retention, professional development, and organizational effectiveness.

The HR Manager oversees critical human resources functions, including employee relations, leaves of absence, workers' compensation, benefits administration, performance management, policy administration, compliance, and workforce planning. The position serves as a lead role in investigations for workplace concerns, providing objective, thorough, and legally compliant investigations and recommendations while maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality and professionalism.

As a trusted advisor to leaders and employees, the HR Manager provides coaching, guidance, and practical solutions that align with DWC's mission, values, and strategic priorities. The role also develops, mentors, and supports HR team members while driving continuous improvement in people practices, systems, and processes.

Essential Functions

Strategic Human Resources Leadership

• Partner with organizational leaders to develop and implement HR strategies that support DWC’s mission, strategic plan, values, and organizational objectives.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to managers and employees by providing guidance on workforce planning, employee relations, performance management, and organizational effectiveness.
• Analyze workforce trends, employee data, and organizational needs to develop proactive solutions that enhance employee engagement, retention, and operational effectiveness.
• Lead and support organizational change initiatives, ensuring effective communication, employee engagement, and successful implementation.

Employee Relations and Workplace Investigations

• Manage and resolve complex employee relations matters, including performance concerns, workplace conflict, policy violations, corrective action, grievances, and employment separations.
• Conduct thorough, objective, and confidential workplace investigations involving allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, misconduct, and other workplace concerns.
• Prepare comprehensive investigation reports, findings, and recommendations while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Collaborate with leadership and legal counsel, as needed, to mitigate risk and ensure legally compliant employment practices.

Compliance, Policies, and Risk Management

• Ensure organizational compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, including wage and hour requirements, leave administration, workers’ compensation, and employee privacy standards.
• Develop, implement, communicate, and maintain HR policies, procedures, and practices that promote consistency, accountability, equity, and compliance across the organization.
• Monitor changes in employment legislation and recommend policy and practice updates to maintain compliance and minimize organizational risk.
• Provide training, coaching, and consultation to leaders regarding employment law, policy interpretation, and best practices.

Talent Management and Employee Development

• Oversee and continuously improve performance management processes, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, core competencies, and leadership expectations.
• Coach and support managers in setting performance expectations, providing feedback, developing employees, and addressing performance challenges.
• Partner with leadership to support succession planning, leadership development, and workforce development initiatives by identifying and implementing learning and development opportunities that strengthen organizational capacity, enhance employee growth, and promote organizational effectiveness.

Benefits, Leave Administration, and HR Operations

• Oversee the administration of employee benefits, leaves of absence, accommodation requests, and workers’ compensation programs.
• Ensure accurate and timely HR documentation, recordkeeping, reporting, and maintenance of personnel files in accordance with legal requirements and organizational standards.
• Utilize HRIS and other technology platforms to maintain data integrity, generate reports, monitor trends, and support informed decision-making.
• Identify and implement process improvements that enhance efficiency, service delivery, and employee experience.

Culture, Engagement, and Inclusion

• Champion a positive, inclusive, and trauma-informed workplace culture that reflects DWC’s values and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and psychological safety.
• Partner with leadership to develop and implement employee engagement, recognition, wellness, and retention initiatives.
• Serve as a culture ambassador by promoting organizational values, celebrating achievements, and strengthening employee connection to DWC’s mission.
• Foster a workplace environment where employees feel respected, supported, and empowered to contribute their best work.

Leadership and Team Development

• Directly supervise HR team members, providing leadership, coaching, mentoring, performance management, and professional development opportunities.
• Establish clear goals, priorities, and expectations for HR staff while fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Build and maintain a high-performing HR team committed to delivering responsive, customer-focused service to employees and organizational leaders.
• Participate in cross-functional committees, organizational initiatives, and special projects that advance agency goals.

Other Duties

• Represent Human Resources in organizational meetings, trainings, and external partnerships as required.
• Attend professional development opportunities to maintain knowledge of emerging HR trends, employment law updates, and industry best practices.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Competencies

• Human Resources Expertise
• Employment Law & Compliance
• Employee Relations
• Workplace Investigations
• Trauma-Informed Leadership
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
• Strategic Thinking
• Organizational Development
• Change Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Relationship Management
• Team Leadership
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Effective Communication
• Ethical Practice
• Critical Evaluation
• Business Acumen
• Project Management

Supervisory Responsibility

This position directly supervises Human Resources team members and is responsible for coaching, performance management, workload prioritization, employee development, and fostering a collaborative, service-oriented HR function. The HR Manager promotes accountability, continuous improvement, and professional growth while ensuring high-quality support to employees and organizational leaders.

Work Environment

Downtown Women’s Center operates several program and administrative locations in the Skid Row neighborhood of Downtown Los Angeles. The organization’s primary hub is located on San Pedro Street (SP) and includes participant-facing services, staff and departmental offices, and Permanent Supportive Housing units.

Programs at the SP site include the Day Center, Women’s Health Clinic, kitchen and meal services, Trauma Recovery Center, supportive service offices, and housing units, among other operations.

Although some positions may have a primary work location at another DWC program site or within the community, employees in all roles may be expected to attend trainings, meetings, or other work-related activities at the San Pedro (SP) location. Parking near the San Pedro (SP) Access Center is limited, and employees should plan for offsite parking with a short walk to the site.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus. This position would also require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand on a stool as necessary.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time, non-exempt position. Office hours are 8:00 am to 4:30 pm with flexibility to work evenings and weekends when necessary.

Travel 

Local travel between DWC’s locations is required for this position. Occasional travel to conferences may be expected for this position. 

Work Location

This position operates on a hybrid model, with the expectation that the manager will be onsite 3 days per week.

Required Education, Experience, and Qualifications

• A minimum of 5 years of HR experience, with at least 2 years in a managerial or supervisory role, preferably supporting nonprofit organizations, social service agencies, or mission-driven organizations.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in HRM, Business, Psychology or equivalent
• PHR/SPHR, or SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) or SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) credential.
• Demonstrated knowledge of California employment laws, wage and hour regulations, leave laws, workers' compensation, and workplace investigations.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex employee relations matters, including workplace investigations, grievance resolution, performance management, corrective action, reductions in force, accommodations, and conflict resolution. Must include hands-on responsibility for staff supervision and development.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to articulate and explain complex benefits, legal, and personnel issues with clarity, tact, and diplomacy.
• Ability to develop and maintain a goal-oriented, positive attitude throughout the organization; must be able to interface equally well with the Board of Directors, executive staff, direct reports, and the general DWC community.
• Demonstrates cultural humility, a commitment to trauma-informed care, and the ability to support and lead within a mission-driven environment serving diverse communities. Promotes psychological safety, respect, collaboration, and inclusive leadership practices throughout the organization.
• Must be a CA resident and live no more than 80 miles from DWC; must be available for in-person meetings at DWC.
• Must provide documentation of a negative TB test result within the last twelve months, on first day of hire.

Pay Range

$100,000-$110,000

Work Authorization

Being authorized to work in the U.S. is a precondition of employment. DWC does not sponsor employment visas, such as H-1B.

Fair Chance Act Statement

Downtown Women’s Center will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Downtown Women’s Center is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting the Civil Right’s Department Fair Chance Act webpage.

Downtown Women’s Center provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants and actively seeks candidates who reflect the rich diversity of the communities that we serve. We are committed to a work environment that embraces and promotes individuality and inclusion. We believe that diversity and inclusion of varied perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences are essential to our organization’s effectiveness, and allow us to serve our clients in the respectful, responsive, and understanding way that they deserve. We define diversity in broad terms to include race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, mental or physical disability, marital status, pregnancy, military and veteran status, medical condition, geography, socio-economic status, and other unique attributes that make us who we are.

Downtown Women’s Center complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Other Duties 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.