Director of Human Resources

Reports To: Senior Director of Operations

Dotted-Line Reporting To: Chief Financial Officer (for payroll operations and documentation)

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY 

The Director of Human Resources is a working department director responsible for the leadership, administration, compliance, accuracy, and continuity of all Human Resources functions for Hospice of Acadiana, Inc. The Director plans, develops, implements, and administers HR policies and practices and maintains complete, accurate, secure, and current personnel records. The position provides operational and strategic HR support to leadership while ensuring that employment practices support organizational needs and applicable legal, regulatory, accreditation, and organizational requirements. 

Operational Competency and Accountability Requirement 

The Director of Human Resources must maintain comprehensive working knowledge, system access, and demonstrated proficiency sufficiently to independently perform all essential Human Resources functions. Although duties may be assigned or delegated to other HR personnel, delegation does not relieve the Director of accountability for understanding, monitoring, auditing, or performing those functions, when necessary, because of absences, vacancies, workload demands, business-continuity needs, or other operational circumstances. The Director is expected to perform HR work as necessary to ensure functions are completed accurately, timely, consistently, and in accordance with organizational policy and applicable requirements. 

LEADERSHIP, DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS CONTINUITY 

• Leads the Human Resources department and maintains operational readiness to perform the work of all HR functions when necessary. 

• Recruits, selects, trains, supervises, develops, evaluates, and manages performance of HR department personnel. 

• Establishes HR priorities, workflows, internal controls, cross-training, backup coverage, and service standards. 

• Develops, monitors, and reports meaningful HR metrics to leadership monthly, including turnover, vacancies, recruitment activity, payroll issues, leave status, PTO trends, compliance completion, and other key indicators. 

• Immediately escalates actual or potential legal, regulatory, compliance, employee-relations, safety, or reputational concerns to appropriate senior leadership and coordinates with legal counsel when appropriate. 

• Recommends the annual HR operating and capital budget; monitors expenditures against the approved budget. 

• Serves on or chairs committees, teams, and task forces as assigned. 

• Maintains continuous HR survey and audit readiness and independently prepares, retrieves, audits, and presents personnel and HR records for accreditation, regulatory, governmental, financial, and organizational reviews. 

• Partners with executive leadership on workforce planning, organizational structure, succession planning, compensation strategy, employee engagement, and HR risk management. 

RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, HIRING & ONBOARDING 

• Manages and, when needed, personally performs the full recruiting cycle including requisitions, job postings, sourcing, resume screening, interviewing, selection documentation, offers, pre-employment requirements, and onboarding. 

• Prepares and administers accurate offer letters and employment documents and ensures approved compensation, status, position, supervisor, start date, and conditions of employment are correctly documented. 

• Conducts and documents required background screening and other pre-employment screening in accordance with organizational policy and applicable requirements. 

• Completes and/or audits Form I-9 employment eligibility verification and maintains required employment eligibility records. 

• Verifies required licenses, certifications, registrations, driving requirements, automobile insurance, and other position-specific qualifications before assignment and thereafter as required. 

• Coordinates and conducts new-hire orientation and ensures completion of required onboarding, policy acknowledgments, training, and system access. 

• Ensures employees are not assigned duties for which required qualifications, credentials, clearances, or training are incomplete or expired. 

PAYROLL, TIMEKEEPING & COMPENSATION 

• Independently processes bi-weekly payroll from preparation through final submission when required. 

• Reviews and validates time records, earnings, deductions, benefits, PTO, differentials, bonuses, reimbursements, garnishments, retroactive adjustments, and other payroll transactions. 

• Processes or verifies new hires, terminations, compensation changes, status changes, corrections, and other payroll-impacting transactions. 

• Reconciles payroll, investigates discrepancies, executes corrections, and maintains appropriate supporting documentation and audit trails. 

• Collaborates with the Chief Financial Officer through the established dotted-line relationship to maintain payroll accuracy, documentation, reconciliation, internal controls, and appropriate segregation of HR and Finance duties. 

• Monitors compensation equity and market competitiveness and presents recommendations to the CEO/COO or other authorized leadership. 

• Administers approved salary, market, promotion, performance, and cost-of-living adjustments. 

• Completes and evaluates compensation and benefit surveys and provides recommendations to leadership. 

BENEFITS & RETIREMENT ADMINISTRATION 

• Administers and, when necessary, personally completes employee benefit enrollments, changes, qualifying life events, and terminations. 

• Maintains accurate employee eligibility, election, dependent, deduction, and participation data for benefit plans. 

• Serves as primary HR liaison to benefit carriers, third-party administrators, and benefit brokers. 

• Reconciles payroll deductions and benefit enrollment data to carrier invoices; investigates and resolves discrepancies. 

• Coordinates annual open enrollment and employee benefit communications. 

• Coordinates continuation coverage and required benefit notices, including COBRA administration, through applicable vendors or internal processes. 

• Maintains retirement-plan employment records and coordinates required employee transactions and documentation with the plan administrator and Finance. 

• Partners with executive leadership and benefit advisors regarding plan design, cost, utilization, and vendor selection. 

LEAVE, ACCOMMODATION & WORKERS COMPENSATION ADMINISTRATION 

• Administers employee leaves of absence, including FMLA, military leave, personal leave, workers compensation leave, and other legally protected or organization-approved leave. 

• Determines and documents leave eligibility where applicable; issues required notices; obtains and tracks required documentation; maintains leave balances and dates; and coordinates return-to-work requirements. 

• Coordinates short-term and long-term disability claims and related employer documentation. 

• Administers the interactive accommodation process under applicable disability and pregnancy-accommodation requirements in consultation with leadership and legal counsel when appropriate. 

• Coordinates employee benefit status during and following leave and ensures appropriate payroll and HRIS updates. 

• Maintains confidential medical, leave, and accommodation documentation separately from general personnel records as appropriate. 

• Administers workers compensation claims, including required reporting, employee follow-up, insurer/administrator coordination, restrictions, return-to-work status, recordkeeping, and claim monitoring. 

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT & INVESTIGATIONS 

• Provides employees and leaders accurate interpretation of HR policies, procedures, practices, and employment requirements. 

• Advises managers regarding coaching, performance management, disciplinary action, corrective action, documentation, and consistent application of organizational policy. 

• Participates in and, when appropriate, leads disciplinary and corrective-action meetings. 

• Receives and independently investigates workplace complaints and reported policy violations; interviews relevant parties, reviews evidence, documents findings, and recommends appropriate action. 

• Coordinates with legal counsel and senior leadership on harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wage-and-hour, accommodation, leave, or other legally sensitive employee matters as appropriate. 

• Administers employee performance improvement plans and monitors deadlines, expectations, and outcomes. 

• Coordinates and monitors timely completion of annual performance evaluations and other required evaluations. 

• Maintains complete and appropriate employee-relations documentation designed to support fair, consistent, and well-documented employment decisions. 

• Conducts periodic review of job descriptions to ensure essential duties, qualifications, reporting relationships, and organizational needs remain accurately reflected. 

EMPLOYEE SEPARATION & OFFBOARDING 

• Administers voluntary and involuntary employee separations from decision/documentation through final HR processing. 

• Reviews proposed disciplinary and termination actions for consistency with policy, documentation, applicable requirements, and organizational practice; escalates higher-risk matters to senior leadership and legal counsel as appropriate. 

• Prepares termination and separation documentation and participates in or conducts separation meetings as assigned. 

• Coordinates final compensation, benefit termination, continuation coverage, PTO disposition, return of organizational property, and HRIS/payroll status changes in accordance with applicable requirements and organizational policy. 

• Coordinates prompt removal or modification of system, facility, and other access with responsible departments following separation or status changes. 

• Processes unemployment claims, prepares separation information and supporting documentation, and participates in unemployment proceedings when required. 

• Processes employment verification requests and authorized requests for employment information in accordance with organizational policy. 

HRIS, RECORDS, REPORTING & INFORMATION SECURITY 

• Maintains advanced working knowledge of the organization’s HRIS, payroll, timekeeping, recruiting, onboarding, performance management, benefits, and related HR technology systems. 

• Creates, maintains, audits, and corrects employee records and personally processes HRIS transactions when required. 

• Reviews and approves HRIS actions initiated by HR staff within assigned authorization levels and maintains appropriate internal controls. 

• Generates and analyzes HR, payroll, compliance, staffing, compensation, and workforce reports for leadership. 

• Maintains role-appropriate HR system access, security, confidentiality, and data integrity and coordinates access changes with responsible IT resources. 

• Serves as HR liaison to internal or external IT providers specifically for HR systems, HR user access, onboarding/offboarding requirements, and HR technology needs. 

• Maintains complete, accurate, secure, and confidential personnel, payroll, benefit, leave, investigation, training, and employment records in accordance with applicable retention requirements and organizational policy. 

• Develops and administers the HR record-retention schedule and implements litigation/agency holds when directed by leadership or legal counsel. 

COMPLIANCE, PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS, TRAINING & SURVEY READINESS 

• Monitors HR-related federal, state, accreditation, and organizational requirements and recommends appropriate policy, process, and documentation changes. 

• Reviews, revises, develops, and administers HR policies, procedures, forms, and the employee handbook, obtaining leadership or legal review when appropriate. 

• Maintains a systematic process for initial and ongoing verification of employee licenses, certifications, registrations, driver requirements, insurance, required screenings, training, competencies, evaluations, and other position-specific qualifications. 

• Monitors expiration dates and delinquent requirements and communicates deficiencies to employees and management for timely correction. 

• Coordinates and tracks required orientation, annual education, compliance education, and position-specific HR training. 

• Develops and presents HR education for managers and employees, including policy implementation, performance management, documentation, leave, workplace conduct, and other HR subjects. 

• Responds to authorized agency, auditor, surveyor, or legal requests for HR documentation in coordination with appropriate leadership and counsel. 

• Maintains continuous readiness of personnel records for hospice regulatory and accreditation review. 

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT & ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT 

• Prepares HR and personnel reports for Administration and leadership as requested. 

• Prepares and presents HR content for organization-wide staff meetings as assigned. 

• Plans and executes employee engagement, recognition, and other workforce-related events within approved budget and organizational guidelines. 

• Develops and presents employee and leadership education based on identified organizational needs. 

• Supports respectful workplace practices, employee communication, and organizational culture initiatives. 

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS 

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or a related field required. 

• Experience: Minimum five years of progressively responsible Human Resources experience required, including hands-on experience with payroll, benefits, employee relations, leave administration, recruitment, HR compliance, HRIS administration, and employee separation. Healthcare experience strongly preferred. HR supervisory or leadership experience preferred. 

• Licensure/Certification/Registration: Valid Louisiana driver’s license and automobile liability coverage as required by organizational policy. SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR certification preferred. 

• Technology: Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications and HRIS/payroll/timekeeping systems, including the ability to independently perform transactions, reporting, auditing, and troubleshooting. 

• Competencies: Strong judgment, discretion, confidentiality, organization, written and verbal communication, investigation, problem-solving, documentation, analytical, leadership, and interpersonal skills. 

• Must be able to manage competing deadlines and independently perform essential HR functions while maintaining accuracy and confidentiality. 

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES 

The statements above summarize the major duties and responsibilities of this position and are not intended to list every task. The incumbent may be assigned other job-related duties or special projects consistent with the position, organizational needs, and applicable law. 

EMPLOYMENT & COMPLIANCE NOTICES 

FLSA Status: Exempt (Administrative Exemption). *Exempt classification depends on the employee’s actual duties, salary basis, and applicable law; job title alone does not determine exempt status. 

Equal Employment Opportunity: Hospice of Acadiana, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions will be made without unlawful discrimination based on any status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. 

Reasonable Accommodation: Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position, consistent with applicable law. 

Disclaimer: Duties, responsibilities, reporting relationships, and organizational assignments may be modified as business, legal, regulatory, or operational needs change. Nothing in this job description creates a contract of employment or alters the employment relationship. 

JOB ANALYSIS: ENVIRONMENTAL & PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

Environmental Conditions: Employee may be exposed to extremes of heat and cold in varying weather conditions, as well as dust, fumes, or gases. Driving may be required in varying weather and road conditions. 

Working Conditions: Employee may be exposed to infectious or contagious diseases and may have contact with patients under a variety of circumstances. The employee may be near moving equipment, may encounter urgent or crisis situations, and may be required to travel. 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): See organizational "Required PPE by Task" guidance. 

OSHA Exposure Category: III.