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Position 

Description

The Outward Bound California People Operations Generalist reports to the Director of Finance & Operations (DFO). This position leads all components of the tactical and administrative components of People Operations/Human Resources across the organization. The People Operations Generalist works closely with program and organizational leadership to support a positive, safe work environment and culture.

Who We Are

Outward Bound California (OBCA) is part of a national network of experiential and outdoor education programs, with a 50 year history in the US, serving over 40,000 students annually. OBCA uses unique experiences in natural settings to create social-emotional learning opportunities for our students to tap into their inherent potential as compassionate leaders and active participants in their communities. 

We work with students on a range of programs, from 1-day experiences on our San Francisco Challenge Course to multi-day rock climbing, backpacking and mountaineering courses ranging from 7 to 65 days long.  We work with students aged 12+, including adults, educators and veterans.  OBCA is deeply committed to opening up access for students and schools that have traditionally been excluded from outdoor spaces and programs and we do this through over 40 effective community partnerships.  As a non-profit, more than 2/3 of our students receive partial or full scholarships to go on a course with us in the High Sierra, Southern California and in the Bay Area.

Equity and Inclusion Statement:

We believe that all people should have safe access to the outdoors and culturally relevant and responsive educational programming. OBCA is also striving to create an equitable and inclusive internal culture where all staff members feel represented and honored for their identities and lived experiences. We examine how power, bias, race and other aspects of identity impact our organization. We work to build a culture where we are always learning and improving toward a vision for equity and belonging for all staff. We are looking for team members who can actively join us in this process. We are also committed to reflecting the diverse communities with whom we work and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ identifying folks, and women to apply.  

Who You Are

Outward Bound California does not expect every applicant to have every skill and qualification listed here, and we are committed to the professional development of our employees. A strong candidate who is interested in growing and learning in this role will possess at least 75% of the following qualifications. If this is you, then we strongly encourage you to submit an application for consideration.

Knowledge & Skills

• Alignment with OBCA’s mission to change lives through challenge and discovery 
• Have a deep understanding and personal commitment to equity and inclusion 
• Demonstrated experience approaching the work through a lens of equity and inclusion and with an attunement to dynamics of power and privilege
• Able to center equity and cultural relevance when communicating regarding sensitive subjects with tact, empathy, and a commitment to confidentiality
• Broad knowledge of human resources and people operations
• Fluent in local, state-wide, and national employee and employer law and policy changes in order to ensure OBCA supports our staff and prevent exposure to risk; knowledge of California labor law a must-have, multi-state very helpful
• Experience processing payroll and HRIS changes using Paylocity (preferred) or similar HRIS
• Experience in open enrollment and working with vendors on benefits
• Clear communication skills and ability to communicate effectively with all levels of staff in the organization; respond quickly and appropriately to staff concerns, questions
• Prior experience in running a 1-person HR department in a small organization and run point on all things HR & payroll
• Technologically and computer savvy including knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe, and G Suite
• Excellent time management skills
• Must be disciplined in a remote work environment
• The ability to be tactical, yet strategic in actions

Education & Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree and/or 4+ years of experience in People Operations/Human Resources administration

Physical Requirements

• Able to sit or stand at a desk for a significant amount of the working day
• OBCA requires all staff to be fully vaccinated, as outlined by CDC recommendations
• Willingness and ability to travel to our basecamp locations in Midpines and Joshua tree, annually at a minimum

Bonus if you…

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or Finance 

• Locality (within 1 hours) to San Francisco, CA
• PHR (Professional in Human Resources) or SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) preferred
• Experience building and supporting organizational culture in the hybrid environment
• Experience in or knowledge of the outdoor education industry

Responsibilities

Oversee all HR operations and administrative duties

• Help build organizational People Operations infrastructure
• Be first point of contact for onboarding, policy creation, training on tools and resources, and fielding staff concerns.
• Maintain HRIS and timekeeping system, and processing semi-monthly payrolls
• Be point of contact for HRIS management, benefits, FSA, and 401k both with vendors and employees
• Partner with management team on issues, new policy roll-outs, performance reviews, and employee changes
• Process all terminations in a timely manner, administer COBRA, and advise on best practices
• Process and monitor all leave of absences and Workers Comp claims
• Manage and resolve complex employee relations issues; conduct effective, thorough and objective investigations
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of legal requirements related to day-to-day management of employees, reducing legal risks and ensuring regulatory compliance Partners with the finance and/or legal/risk department as needed/required
• Provide HR policy guidance and interpretation
• Coach OBCA’s departmental heads and leaders in performance management processes, compensation and Diversity Equity and Inclusion
• Assist leadership on progressive discipline of employees as well as employment decisions
• Play a strategic role in the direction of the people management function in the organization
• Partner with the Director of Equity and other department leads to coach and support efforts around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 
• Act as point person for internal communications (e.g. upcoming holidays), coordinating messaging around announcements of staffing and policy changes, staff events, etc.
• Support planning and execution of internal staff events such as retreats, meetings, and community days
• Coordinate, schedule, and support departments in the hosting of monthly administrative staff meetings
• Update employee handbook, as needed
• May be asked to support in a critical incident scenario
• Able to understand office or basecamp safety procedures, either demonstrated or explained
• Ability to support others who are under stress (e.g. staff in field)

Benefits, Compensation & Location

• This is a Full-Time, Exempt, Salaried position
• Starting pay range $66,000-70,500 depending on experience

Benefits

• A competitive benefits package, including comprehensive health insurance with generous employer contribution, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), four weeks of Paid Time Off (PTO) and 10 paid holidays, and 401(k) plan enrollment 

• Highly energetic, flexible, and supportive work environment at a mission-driven organization
• Opportunity to attend Outward Bound adult course
• Opportunities for professional development
• ProDeal, an opportunity to purchase outdoor gear at a discounted price

Location

When the OBCA office reopens, this position will operate from our administrative office in The Presidio in San Francisco, CA. The OBCA administrative team is currently operating remotely. This role will be a hybrid work in office and from home model and is expected to work some days in the office, once the office safely reopens at a later date.