Human Resources Manager

Arboreal Management is an affordable housing owner, developer, and property manager across Washington and Oregon. We manage roughly 8,500 units with about 220 employees, and we are growing fast. Alongside our property operations, we build Maynard, our own AI platform for accounting and operations. Our mission is to deliver quality housing people can afford — run by a team that is well supported and well led.

About the Role

The Human Resources Manager leads Arboreal Management's human resources function, providing both strategic direction and hands-on support across a workforce of approximately 220 in Seattle, Portland, Tacoma, and the Philippines, comprising both employees and independent contractors. Arboreal Management is a mission-driven housing firm managing approximately 8,500 units across company-owned properties and third-party management contracts. This role owns the full scope of HR operations — recruiting, onboarding, payroll, performance management, compensation and benefits, employee relations, compliance, training and development, and HR analytics — and is responsible for building a well-run, compliant, and scalable HR function that keeps pace with the company's growth. The position supervises the Recruiter and the Payroll Administrator and is accountable for the results of both functions. The Human Resources Manager partners closely with leadership and managers across the organization, using data and HR best practices to inform decisions while remaining willing to execute hands-on HR work day to day.

Duties & Responsibilities

Team Leadership and Functional Oversight

• Supervise the Recruiter and the Payroll Administrator, carrying out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with company policy and applicable law — including interviewing, hiring, and training; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining; and addressing complaints and resolving problems

• Hold accountability for recruiting outcomes, including time-to-fill, pipeline health for high-volume frontline roles, source effectiveness, offer-acceptance rates, and candidate experience

• Hold accountability for payroll outcomes, including accuracy, on-time processing of each cycle, and timely resolution of pay discrepancies

• Establish and maintain standards, service levels, and documented procedures for the recruiting and payroll functions

• Review and approve work carrying elevated risk or cost, including offers outside approved ranges and off-cycle or retroactive pay adjustments

• Build depth and cross-coverage within the team so that recruiting and payroll continue uninterrupted during absences
  

Recruiting and Onboarding

• Develop and implement effective recruiting strategies to attract top talent, and oversee the full recruitment cycle from job posting through offer negotiation

• Direct recruiting priorities across corporate and site-level roles, including the high-volume frontline hiring that drives most of the company's headcount growth

• Advise hiring managers on interview quality, selection criteria, and internal candidates, and maintain consistency in offers and compensation across roles

• Create and oversee a comprehensive onboarding program so that new hires are set up for success from day one, and personally facilitate new-hire orientation

• Confirm the intended worker classification for each opening before an offer or engagement letter is issued, and administer the corresponding onboarding paperwork

• Oversee the handoff from accepted offer through first day across the recruiting, payroll, and HR functions
  

Employee Relations

• Serve as the first point of contact for staff across corporate, site, and Philippines-based teams on questions, concerns, and workplace conflicts

• Address employee concerns and conflicts promptly to promote a positive work environment

• Conduct workplace investigations, including intake, witness interviews, contemporaneous documentation, findings, and recommended action

• Coach managers through difficult conversations, performance documentation, performance improvement plans, accommodations, and terminations

• Mediate conflicts between individuals and between teams, and address issues before they escalate

• Identify patterns across complaints, exits, and site-level issues, and escalate systemic problems with recommended remedies

• Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive personnel information with discretion

Performance, Training, and Development

• Develop and implement performance evaluation systems, and administer the review cycle end to end including calibration, scheduling, completion tracking, and follow-up

• Conduct regular performance reviews and coach managers on employee development

• Identify training needs and develop or source programs that enhance skills and support career growth

• Deliver manager training, including guidance on documentation, difficult conversations, and directing staff appropriately

• Support career-path and internal advancement conversations, particularly for site-based staff moving into management
  

Compensation, Benefits, and Payroll

• Oversee compensation and benefits programs, ensuring they remain competitive and aligned with company values

• Manage relationships with benefits providers and brokers, and serve as the day-to-day contact for staff benefits questions

• Administer benefits enrollment, qualifying-event changes, terminations, and annual open enrollment

• Manage leave, accommodations, paid time off, and Washington L&I claims from first notice through return to work

• Oversee payroll processing to ensure accuracy and timeliness, reviewing each cycle before release and resolving exceptions with the Payroll Administrator

• Collaborate with the accounting team to maintain seamless payroll operations, including lifecycle changes such as promotions, transfers, compensation changes, and offboarding

Engagement, Culture, and Inclusion

• Lead initiatives that foster a positive company culture and high levels of engagement

• Own the engagement program, including survey design, administration, analysis, and follow-through on results

• Champion diversity, inclusion, and equity in hiring practices and company culture

• Develop and administer recognition programs, and ensure site-level contributions are visible to company leadership

• Lead company-wide communications and connective events across a geographically distributed workforce, including coordination across time zones with the Philippines-based team

• Conduct stay and exit interviews, and act on what they reveal about retention

Compliance, Policy, and Safety

• Ensure compliance with all relevant employment laws and regulations across the company's Washington and Oregon operations, monitor changes in employment law, and update company policies accordingly

• Coordinate with the Philippines team on local engagement and compliance requirements

• Develop, implement, and maintain HR policies, procedures, and the employee handbook

• Maintain worker classification records, assess classification against applicable federal and state tests, and recommend corrections to the Chief Financial Officer where an engagement appears misaligned

• Ensure staff comply with company employment and safety practices as well as applicable local, state, and federal law

• Ensure hiring and pay practices meet applicable requirements, including pay-transparency and pay-equity obligations

• Maintain personnel files, employment eligibility records, and contractor agreements and tax forms to audit standard

• Maintain required workplace postings, regulatory filings, and assigned compliance training, and support audits and agency inquiries

HR Analytics and Reporting

• Collect and analyze HR data to provide insight on workforce trends and inform strategic decision-making

• Track and report retention and turnover by role, location, and manager, and bring the underlying drivers forward with recommended action

• Report human resources, hiring, and payroll results to the Chief Financial Officer on a regular cadence

• Maintain the HRIS as the system of record for workforce data, organizational structure, and documentation

General

• Adhere to all company policies and procedures

• Perform other duties as required

What You Bring

• 7+ years of progressive HR experience with real depth in employee relations.

• Direct experience conducting workplace investigations and documenting them defensibly.

• A track record of coaching managers — not just advising them, but changing how they handle their people.

• Experience running engagement, retention, or culture programs and measuring whether they worked.

• Working knowledge of federal and multi-state employment law, including Washington and Oregon.

• Experience with benefits administration, leave management, and an HRIS.

• Sound judgment and real discretion — you will hold things people tell no one else.

• The credibility to be trusted by a maintenance tech and by the executive team in the same week.

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR.

Nice to Have

• Experience in property management, affordable housing, hospitality, healthcare, retail, or another distributed, multi-site workforce.

• Experience supporting an offshore or international team.

• Experience with Rippling, or similar HRIS.

• Comfort using AI and automation to cut manual HR work.

How We Work

These are the values we hire and operate against:

• Inclusion and diversity — we hire inclusively and expect people to be treated fairly.

• Teamwork — we work across departments and keep communication open in both directions.

• Data-based decision making — bring numbers, not impressions.

• Questioning conventional wisdom — look for a better way rather than defending the current one.

• Respect — treat people with dignity, especially in hard conversations.

• Ownership and initiative — own the outcome, not just the task.

Location and Schedule

This role is based in Seattle, working from our Eastlake office roughly 2–3 days per week with flexibility to work remotely otherwise. Expect regular travel to properties across Washington and Oregon — being visible to site teams is part of the job — and some coordination with our Philippines-based team outside standard Pacific hours.

Compensation and Benefits

$95,000 – $110,000 per year, depending on experience, plus an annual bonus.

Equal Opportunity

Arboreal Management is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities — let us know if you need one during the hiring process.