About the position

The Senior Manager, People and Culture plays a mission-critical role in this work by collaborating with SLT Leadership to nurture the people and culture of Sonoma Land Trust (SLT). Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer this role is responsible for the full employee lifecycle: recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, benefits administration, compliance, and learning and professional development. The Senior Manager, People and Culture partners closely with the leadership team to foster a healthy, equitable , and high-performing workplace culture, and serves as a trusted resources for staff at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Champion an organizational culture grounded in the mission, equity, transparency, and staff wellbeing.
• Design and run engagement initiatives, including staff surveys, all-staff gatherings, and recognition programs.
• Lead the administration of the annual employee engagement survey and engage in process improvement work with the Leadership Team.
• Serve as a first point of contact for employee questions, concerns, and conflicts; conduct workplace investigations as needed with discretion and care.
• Advise managers on performance management, coaching, and corrective action.
• Facilitate SLT’s full recruitment process including job description development, recruiter sourcing (where needed), screening, interview coordination, background checks, and compensation negotiation.
• Partner with hiring managers to build inclusive and structured interview processes.
• Lead onboarding to ensure new hires are well oriented to SLT’s mission, role expectations, policies, and culture.
• Manage the individual objective setting, professional development, and performance review processes.
• Build and maintain a learning and staff development program that includes offerings for both supervisors and staff.
• Coach managers on giving feedback, setting goals, and developing their teams.
• Administer the employee benefits program (medical, dental, vision, retirement, EAP, ancillary benefits), including open enrollment, employee education, and vendor management.
• Process leaves of absence and accommodations (FMLA/CFRA, PDL, ADA accommodations) with managers and external administrators.
• Collaborate in updating the compensation framework in partnership with the Chief Financial Officer : job leveling, job grades, salary bands, and periodic market benchmarking with third-party consultants.
• Maintain compliance with California and federal employment law, including FEHA, CFRA, PFL, paid sick leave, meal and rest break requirements, wage and hour rules, exempt classification testing, workplace violence prevention, and harassment prevention training mandates.
• Support Leadership and Board in HR policy development, m aintain the employee handbook, and ensure timely updates as laws evolve.
• Oversee personnel recordkeeping, I-9 administration, EEO reporting, workers' compensation claims, and required postings.
• Coordinate with external counsel on complex employment matters.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in human resources , business administration, or a related field .
• Minimum 5 years of progressive HR experience, including at least 2 years at the manager or senior generalist level.
• Demonstrated experience leading recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, and benefits administration.
• Working knowledge of California employment law and federal regulations (FLSA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII, ERISA basics).
• Sound judgement, discretion, and ability to hold confidential information with care.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills with the ability to translate policy into plain language for staff.
• Possess cultural competence by e ffectively interacting and developing positive working relationships with people of various cultural backgrounds.
• Proficiency with HRIS platforms, Microsoft Office suite of applications, and cloud-based

Nice-to-haves

• Prior experience in a nonprofit or mission-driven organization.
• SHRM-CP/SCP or PHR/SPHR certification, or PHRca .
• Experience supporting a workforce of similar size (50± employees) as a sole or near-sole HR leader.
• A passion for conservation and environmental issues .

Benefits

• Paid time off including paid vacation based on tenure, 15 paid holidays, and paid sick and family leave
• 100% of employee premiums for medical, dental, and vision, and 75% of dependent premiums
• 5% employer contribution to retirement plan after one year of employment
• Employee life and disability insurance
• Pre-tax dependent care coverage plans for dependent or elder care
• An employee assistance program for mental health, coaching, and financial or legal consultation services
• A lifestyle account annual stipend for wellness or gear purchases