HR Manager

Description Location: Indianapolis, Indiana - Headquarters Office Work Arrangement: On-site Travel: Regular periodic travel to company centers and business locations Reports To: Vice President of Human Resources Direct Reports: HR Coordinator Position Summary: The HR Manager is a hands-on operational HR leader responsible for ensuring consistent, compliant, and effective execution of people practices across a growing, multi-state healthcare organization. This role is designed for an experienced HR professional who understands the complexity of supporting both a geographically dispersed field workforce and a corporate headquarters environment. Reporting to the Vice President of Human Resources, the HR Manager serves as the primary operational implementer of HR strategy. The role owns and advances day-to-day HR execution across employee relations, employment compliance, HR operations, investigations, leave and accommodation processes, HRIS administration, workforce compliance, policy implementation, and employee documentation. Success in this position requires the ability to operate credibly across very different employee populations. The ability to adjust communication style without compromising consistency, compliance, or sound judgment is essential. This role is based on-site at the Indianapolis headquarters office and serves as a visible day-to-day HR and workplace leadership presence for approximately 25 headquarters-based employees across multiple functions. The HR Manager also directly supervises an HR Coordinator who supports Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and Learning & Development. Key Responsibilities: 1. Employee Relations, Investigations & Leader Support Serve as a primary operational resource for employee relations matters across centers and corporate functions. Advise managers on performance concerns, attendance, conduct, workplace conflict, policy interpretation, corrective action, and separation processes. Conduct fair, timely, well-documented workplace investigations involving employee complaints, misconduct allegations, policy concerns, interpersonal conflict, and other sensitive matters. Assess facts, identify risk, distinguish between performance, conduct, compliance, and legal issues, and determine when escalation is required. Prepare clear and defensible investigation documentation, findings summaries, employee communications, corrective actions, and related records. Partner with the Vice President of Human Resources and employment counsel on high-risk, complex, or legally sensitive matters. Maintain consistency across locations while recognizing differences in state law, local requirements, workforce dynamics, and operational context. Identify trends across employee relations matters and recommend operational interventions when recurring issues emerge. 2. Multi-State Employment Compliance Support compliant HR operations across multiple states, jurisdictions, and time zones. Apply working knowledge of federal employment requirements, including: Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Equal Employment Opportunity and EEOC requirements Wage-and-hour principles Anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation requirements Develop and maintain familiarity with applicable state and local leave laws, paid sick leave requirements, wage-and-hour rules, final pay requirements, and other jurisdiction-specific employment obligations. Partner with legal counsel when matters require specialized legal interpretation or heightened risk assessment. Support employment-related audits, agency inquiries, claims, and documentation requests. Maintain reliable compliance calendars, workflows, documentation standards, and escalation protocols. Help ensure changes in employment requirements are translated into updated policies, systems, manager guidance, and operational practices. 3. Leave, Accommodation & Complex Case Administration Oversee and coordinate day-to-day administration of employee leave and accommodation processes. Navigate FMLA, ADA, state and local leave requirements, workers' compensation-related work restrictions, and other overlapping employee circumstances. Ensure required notices, certifications, interactive-process documentation, follow-up, and case records are timely and complete. Work effectively with employees, managers, benefits resources, healthcare documentation, and legal counsel when cases are complex. Recognize situations involving overlapping legal or operational considerations and elevate appropriately. Maintain a consistent, well-documented, employee-centered, and compliance-focused approach to case administration. 4. HR Operations & Scalable Execution Lead reliable execution of day-to-day HR operations across the employee lifecycle. Translate HR strategy established by the Vice President of Human Resources into practical workflows, tools, processes, communications, and accountability. Oversee employee records, employment changes, HR documentation, personnel actions, and related workflows. Serve as a key point of contact for benefits and compensation administration, coordinating with internal stakeholders and external partners as needed. Oversee operational processes related to workers' compensation, unemployment claims, leave documentation, employment verifications, and other core HR administration. Conduct recurring audits of HR processes and documentation to identify compliance gaps, inconsistent practices, process failures, or opportunities for improvement. Build and maintain SOPs, templates, checklists, manager tools, and repeatable workflows. Ensure HR operations remain effective as the organization grows, opens new locations, enters new states, and increases workforce complexity. 5. HRIS, Data Quality & Process Discipline Support day-to-day administration, integrity, and effective use of the HRIS and related HR technology. Maintain strong standards for employee data accuracy, documentation completeness, workflow execution, and system controls. Conduct routine audits to identify data discrepancies, incomplete records, workflow failures, and process gaps. Partner cross-functionally to resolve system and process issues affecting HR, Payroll, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Finance, IT, or operational teams. Identify opportunities to simplify processes, improve automation, strengthen controls, and reduce manual or inconsistent work. Use HR data and operational metrics to identify trends, monitor execution, and support decision-making. 6. Healthcare Workforce Compliance Support the additional workforce compliance requirements associated with operating a multi-state healthcare organization. Partner with internal stakeholders to maintain consistent processes related to: Healthcare sanctions and exclusion screenings Fingerprint clearance requirements Criminal background checks Abuse and neglect registry checks State-specific workforce eligibility requirements Role-specific credential or clearance documentation Ongoing employee eligibility monitoring Ensure exceptions, adverse findings, missing documentation, and eligibility concerns are escalated and addressed appropriately. Work across HR, Operations, Clinical Leadership, Compliance, and legal resources when workforce eligibility issues arise. Understand that healthcare employment decisions may involve requirements beyond general employment law and standard HR practice. 7. Field and Corporate Workforce Partnership Support a workforce spanning center-based frontline employees, early-career professionals, paraprofessional team members, licensed clinicians, multidisciplinary professionals, operational leaders, corporate functions, and executives. Build credibility with employees and leaders across different levels of professional experience, education, licensure, and organizational responsibility. Understand the practical differences between supporting: High-volume frontline workforces Early-career and developing professionals Behavior Technicians and other paraprofessional roles Licensed clinicians Multidisciplinary clinical professionals Center and regional leaders Corporate professionals Senior executives Adjust communication style, coaching, documentation, and problem-solving approach to the audience and situation. Maintain consistent organizational standards while recognizing the operational realities of center-based healthcare delivery. Spend time in company centers to maintain field connectivity and firsthand understanding of employee and leader needs. 8. Indianapolis Headquarters Leadership Serve as a visible, accessible, and accountable day-to-day leadership presence in the Indianapolis headquarters office. Support a professional and effective workplace for approximately 25 employees across functions that may include Human Resources, Information Technology, Revenue Cycle Management and other corporate functions. Act as a point of coordination for day-to-day workplace matters and shared office needs. Help reinforce workplace expectations, professional standards, communication, and accountability. Coordinate with appropriate internal teams on facilities, safety, office operations, employee experience, visitors, and other shared workplace matters. Address issues that do not sit neatly within one function and ensure they reach the appropriate owner. Exercise practical judgment regarding when to resolve matters directly, when to coordinate cross-functionally, and when to elevate. 9. Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Coordination Directly manage and develop the HR Coordinator. Establish clear priorities and service expectations for HR Coordinator support across Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and Learning & Development. Ensure work is accurate, timely, confidential, and responsive to organizational needs. Build efficient intake, prioritization, and workflow practices so shared support resources are deployed effectively. Coach the HR Coordinator in judgment, communication, organization, and HR capability. Partner closely with Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Payroll, Benefits, Finance, IT, Revenue Cycle Management, Operations, Clinical Leadership, and other functions. 10. Policy, Handbook & Written Communication Contribute to the development, review, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of the employee handbook and HR policies. Draft clear, accurate, professional employee and manager communications. Translate legal, regulatory, and policy requirements into practical language that employees and leaders can understand and apply. Develop and maintain SOPs, process guides, templates, forms, manager resources, and other written materials. Maintain high standards for written documentation in employee relations, investigations, leave matters, compliance processes, and formal correspondence. Partner with legal counsel on policy language and complex written materials when appropriate. Success Profile: The strongest candidate for this role will be: An implementer: Able to take HR strategy and convert it into disciplined, consistent execution. Operationally grounded: Understands that HR practices must work in real operating environments, not only on paper. Multi-audience: Equally capable of communicating with a frontline Behavior Technician, a licensed clinician, a center leader, and an executive. Compliance-minded: Understands the importance of federal, state, local, and healthcare-specific workforce requirements. A strong writer: Produces clear, accurate, objective, and professional documentation. A sound risk assessor: Recognizes when an issue is routine, when it is complex, and when legal counsel or executive escalation is appropriate. Field-connected: Values direct understanding of center operations and does not operate exclusively from a corporate perspective. Process-disciplined: Builds repeatable systems, closes loops, audits execution, and follows through. Comfortable with growth: Can operate effectively as locations, states, employee populations, and organizational complexity expand. Credible and steady: Builds trust through judgment, responsiveness, consistency, discretion, and follow-through. Requirements Job Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience. 5+ years of progressive HR experience with substantial hands-on responsibility for HR operations and employee relations. Demonstrated experience supporting a multi-site, geographically dispersed organization. Demonstrated experience supporting both field-based and corporate workforces. Experience operating in a multi-state employment environment. Working knowledge of FLSA, FMLA, ADA, EEO/EEOC requirements, wage-and-hour principles, and core federal employment law requirements. Experience navigating state-specific employment requirements and recognizing when jurisdiction-specific review is necessary. Demonstrated experience conducting employee investigations and preparing clear, objective documentation. Experience administering or overseeing leave, accommodation, workers' compensation, unemployment, and related HR processes. Experience using and supporting an HRIS and maintaining strong data and documentation standards. Strong written communication skills, including experience drafting policies, formal employee communications, investigation documentation, or comparable HR materials. Demonstrated ability to manage complex, confidential, and sensitive matters with sound judgment. Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with frontline employees, managers, licensed professionals, corporate leaders, and executives. Ability to work on-site in Indianapolis. Ability to travel to company locations as required. Strongly Preferred Qualifications HR experience in healthcare, behavioral health, pediatric services, human services, or another regulated, people-intensive service environment. Experience supporting a workforce that includes paraprofessionals, licensed clinicians, and multidisciplinary professionals. Experience in a high-growth organization that has added locations, entered new markets, or materially scaled headcount. Experience supporting operations across multiple states and time zones. Experience with healthcare-specific workforce compliance requirements such as sanctions and exclusion screening, fingerprint clearances, abuse registry checks, background screening, or similar eligibility requirements. Experience partnering directly with employment counsel on complex employee relations, leave, accommodation, wage-and-hour, or policy matters. Experience maintaining multi-state employee handbooks or jurisdiction-specific policy requirements. Prior supervisory experience. PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification. Essential Job Functions: Work on-site at the Indianapolis headquarters office on a regular and consistent basis. Serve as an accessible HR and workplace leadership presence during normal business operations. Travel periodically to company centers and other business locations, including out-of-state travel. Support employees and leaders operating across multiple states and time zones. Manage a high volume of concurrent matters with differing levels of urgency, sensitivity, and risk. Conduct sensitive employee conversations and investigations in person and virtually. Read, interpret, prepare, and maintain detailed employment, legal, compliance, and policy documentation. Exercise independent judgment within established authority and recognize when escalation is required. Maintain strict confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive employee, medical, legal, compensation, and investigation information. Communicate effectively with employees ranging from early-career frontline team members to licensed professionals and senior executives. Respond to urgent employee relations, compliance, or workplace matters when business needs require. Job Type: Exempt/ Full Time Our Story: A Legacy of Progress, Fueled by Play In 2006, Bierman Autism Centers began with a simple dream: to empower children with autism to thrive. We believed in the power of letting kids be kids and initially offered in-home care to foster a comforting and familiar environment. We were driven by three core beliefs: achieving remarkable progress with children, creating a great team that enjoys working together, and building a workplace that fosters internal career paths and growth for our team members. Our dedication to progress led us to a pivotal moment. Recognizing the potential of center-based care, we opened our first center in Indiana in 2010. This wasn’t just about location; it shifted our philosophy. Centers allowed us to create consistent, nurturing environments tailored to each child’s needs. This shift became the cornerstone of our success. Today, Bierman Autism Centers are beacons of innovative care across Arizona, Indiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island. We offer ABA therapy, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Diagnostic Services within center-based settings designed for the comprehensive development of our children. Bierman Autism Centers values diversity in the workplace. The company provides equal opportunity for employment and promotion to all qualified employees and applicants on the basis of experience, training, education, and ability to do the available work without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, ancestry, or any other status protected by law. Furthermore, Bierman Autism Centers is committed to providing an equal opportunity workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment based on national origin, race, color, religion, gender, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by law. As an equal opportunity employer, Bierman Autism Centers does not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation as a candidate for employment, please inform a member of the Talent Acquisition team. #J-18808-Ljbffr