HR Consultant

Senior California HR Consultant - Client Advisory & Compliance Expert Location: Irvine, CA (Corporate Office & Client Sites across Southern California) Job Type: Full-time, Exempt Base Salary: $100,000 - $120,000 About Vantaggio HR At Vantaggio HR, we are a team of HR and payroll consulting professionals dedicated to helping California employers navigate the complexities of workforce management. We pride ourselves on delivering direct, high-touch expertise to our clients through collaborative teamwork, professional autonomy, and an award-winning workplace culture. Learn more about our values and culture at VantaggioHR.com . The Role We are seeking an experienced Senior HR Consultant with exceptional, hands-on mastery of California labor laws and workplace compliance to serve as a dedicated advisor to a portfolio of diverse client organizations. In this role, you will directly design, audit, and execute day-to-day HR infrastructure for various client leadership teams and advise on high-level strategy. You will act as an autonomous "HR Department of One" or specialized senior advisor across multiple client accounts, interpreting regulations, resolving complex employee relations matters, and ensuring rigorous wage/hour and leave compliance, and identifying new opportunities to add value for current and prospective clients. Key Responsibilities Direct Compliance & Policy Advisory: Conduct comprehensive HR compliance audits, draft compliant employee handbooks, and advise clients on California wage/hour standards, meal/rest break rules, overtime classifications, and statutory notices. Leave of Absence & Accommodation Management: Guide employers step-by-step through complex leave interactions (CFRA, FMLA, PDL, PSL, Bereavement) and lead disability interactive process discussions. Employee Relations & Problem-Solving: Partner directly with client executives and managers to address performance challenges, advise on workplace investigations, and manage separations cleanly and compliantly. Business Development & Client Growth: Identify organic growth opportunities within existing client accounts, participate in prospective client discovery calls, assist in drafting proposals/scopes of work, and actively represent the firm at industry networking events (such as PIHRA/SHRM) to support company growth goals. HR Infrastructure & Operations: Conduct compensation reviews, onboarding workflows, benefits administration, and HRIS/payroll integrations across various platforms. Client Project Leadership: Conceptualize, scope, and independently deliver end-to-end consulting projects, while nurturing strong, long-term client partnerships. Compensation & Benefits Base Salary: $100,000 - $120,000 base salary commensurate with technical expertise, plus eligibility for discretionary bonus and commission. Health & Wellness: Comprehensive Medical, Dental, Vision, FSA coverage. Financial Security: Simple IRA retirement plan with 3% company match, plus Life Insurance. Work-Life Balance: Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Sick Leave. Culture: A collaborative, award-winning team environment with high autonomy and recognition. Dental insurance Flexible spending account Health insurance Life insurance On-site gym Paid time off Retirement plan Vision insurance California Labor Law Mastery (Required): Deep, working fluency with California Labor Code, IWC Wage Orders, DFEH/CRD regulations, and federal employment laws (FLSA, ADA, Title VII, FMLA). You must be comfortable interpreting statutory mechanics directly without delegating to legal teams. Consulting & HR Experience: 7-10+ years of progressive, hands-on HR experience. Prior experience in HR consulting, fractional HR advisory, PEO client management, or multi-client environments is strongly preferred. (Experience acting as an autonomous HR department or sole HR practitioner is ideal.) Client Relationship & Business Development Acumen: Demonstrated ability to build trust with executive stakeholders, recognize unmet HR needs within client organizations, and proactively contribute to practice growth and client retention. Education & Credentials: Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Organizational Development, or related field (or equivalent professional experience). PHR-CA, SPHR-CA, or SHRM-CP/SCP certification is a plus. HR Systems & Tech Savvy: Hands-on proficiency with major HRIS and payroll software (e.g., ADP, Gusto, Rippling, Paylocity, Paychex, Ceridian, iSolved), as well as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams). Client Engagement & Independence: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple competing client priorities simultaneously with minimal supervision. Excellent verbal and written advisory communication skills. Travel & In-office Presence: Willingness to travel to client sites across Southern California as needed, and work from our Irvine corporate office when not on-site with clients. #J-18808-Ljbffr