HR Operations Leader

Job Description

Job Description

HR Manager / Office Operations Leader- Growing Law Firm

Dallas, Texas | On-Site | Full-Time, Exempt

Competitive Base Salary + Discretionary Bonus

Build the HR Function. Own the Operation. Have a Seat at the Table.

If you are an HR leader who wants to o wn a function rather than manage one piece of it, this is an opportunity to make a visible impact.

Our client, a highly respected Dallas-based professional services firm, is creating a new HR Manager / Office Operations Leader position to serve as its senior internal HR resource and operational leader for the office.

This is not a role where you inherit a mature HR department and maintain existing programs. You will have the opportunity to build, improve, and own the employee experience from recruiting through offboarding, while partnering directly with senior leadership on workforce planning, performance management, benefits, policies, and organizational growth.

You will also oversee office operations and key administrative vendor relationships.

Why This Opportunity?

Real ownership.

You will be the firm's primary internal HR leader, with responsibility across employee relations, benefits, recruiting, performance management, policies, training, and workforce planning.

Direct access to decision-makers.

This position reports to the Managing Partner and partners closely with the CFO, Controller, and other firm leaders. Your recommendations will have visibility and influence.

The chance to build rather than maintain.

Several major HR processes including performance management, training, reporting, and administrative workflows are ready to be redesigned and improved.

Resources without bureaucracy.

The firm partners with an outside PEO for benefits, HR infrastructure, and compliance support and uses an outside managed IT/cybersecurity provider. You will have outside resources available while remaining the internal owner of the relationships and outcomes.

A company at an important point of growth.

The firm employs approximately 100 attorneys and professional staff and is preparing for continued growth, including a move into new office space.

Broad business exposure.

This role goes beyond traditional HR administration. You will work with leadership on staffing trends, compensation planning, workforce analytics, vendor strategy, office operations, and long-term organizational needs.

What You'll Own

HR Leadership & Employee Relations

• Serve as the firm's primary internal HR leader and point of contact for employee matters.
• Advise managers and leadership on employee relations, performance, disciplinary matters, accommodations, leave, and workplace concerns.
• Conduct and document employee investigations when needed.
• Develop and maintain the employee handbook, HR policies, and administrative procedures.
• Maintain appropriate employee documentation and HR records.

Recruiting, Onboarding & Employee Experience

• Coordinate recruiting and hiring for professional staff in partnership with hiring managers and outside recruiting partners.
• Build a consistent, high-quality onboarding experience.
• Coordinate new-hire paperwork, orientation, access, policies, communications, and internal resources.
• Conduct structured 30-, 60-, and 90-day check-ins with new employees and managers.
• Manage offboarding and exit interviews.

Benefits, 401(k) & PEO Partnership

• Own day-to-day benefits administration in partnership with the firm's PEO.
• Serve as the internal resource for employee benefit questions, enrollments, changes, and qualifying events.
• Coordinate administration and employee education for the firm's 401(k) plan.
• Lead the annual benefits review and evaluate competitiveness, utilization, employee feedback, and cost.
• Own the PEO relationship, including renewals, escalations, service levels, and use of available resources.
• Communicate employment and compensation changes to the Controller's office for payroll processing.

Performance Management & Training

• Redesign and manage the firm's performance review process.
• Train and coach managers on feedback, documentation, and performance conversations.
• Coordinate salary-review processes with leadership and finance.
• Build a firmwide training calendar.
• Develop onboarding and training resources, including recorded training materials.

Office Operations & Administration

• Oversee daily office operations, facilities, space, maintenance, and building services.
• Supervise reception and office-support functions.
• Partner with building management on access, maintenance, and related services.
• Improve administrative processes and workflows.
• Coordinate employee engagement and team-building activities.
• Play an important role in the firm's transition into new office space.

Vendor, Technology & Cybersecurity Coordination

• Serve as the business owner for key outsourced service relationships.
• Partner with the firm's managed IT and cybersecurity provider on employee-facing technology issues, policies, and training.
• Coordinate system access, technology setup, software licensing, phones, and devices with IT and finance.
• Help leadership develop practical policies surrounding emerging technologies, including AI.

Workforce Reporting & Business Partnership

• Build recurring HR reporting for leadership around areas such as staffing, turnover, PTO, overtime, training, performance reviews, and workforce trends.
• Use workforce data to identify issues and recommend solutions.
• Provide HR input into annual budgeting and workforce planning.
• Support leadership with growth planning and long-term staffing strategy.
• Help develop incentive and accountability programs for support teams.

What We're Looking For

You may be a strong fit if you have:

• 5+ years of progressive human resources experience.
• Approximately 3+ years at the HR manager level or equivalent.
• Experience independently owning a meaningful portion—or ideally all—of an HR function.
• Strong employee-relations judgment.
• Hands-on experience across several areas of HR, including:
• employee relations
• recruiting and onboarding
• benefits administration
• performance management
• policy development
• compensation/payroll coordination
• Experience working with health and retirement benefits.
• Working knowledge of federal and Texas employment practices.
• A track record of building processes rather than simply administering established ones.
• The confidence and executive presence to work directly with senior leaders.
• Strong follow-through, organization, discretion, and judgment.

Experience That Will Get Our Attention

While not required, particularly relevant backgrounds include:

• Law firms or other professional-services organizations.
• Serving as the sole or senior-most HR professional for an organization of approximately 75–200 employees.
• Managing a PEO relationship such as Insperity, TriNet, ADP TotalSource, Paychex, or a similar provider.
• Owning HR while also overseeing office administration, facilities, or administrative teams.
• Building or rebuilding performance-management programs.
• Using HR reporting and workforce data to advise leadership.

Who Will Thrive Here

This role is particularly well suited for someone who can say:

• “When something falls between HR functions, I'm usually the person people call.”
• You enjoy variety and are comfortable moving from an employee-relations conversation to a benefits issue, then meeting with leadership about performance reviews, followed by a discussion with a vendor about service levels.
• You don't need a large HR department around you to get things done.
• You know when to solve something independently, when to use outside resources, and when an issue needs to be escalated.
• Most importantly, you enjoy taking an idea from “we should probably fix this” to “this is now how we operate.”

Additional compensation and benefits include:

• Discretionary bonus eligibility
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k)

Location: Dallas, Texas — on-site