HR Generalist with Scalable People Operations Expertise

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Charmaine Grays ***/***-**** ************@*****.***

HR Professional

Strategic, hands-on HR Professional with 25 years of experience supporting full-cycle people operations across nonprofit and private-sector organizations, including multi-site and regulated environments. Proven partner to leadership and employees, delivering compliant, people-centered HR solutions across onboarding, employee relations, benefits administration, leaves of absence, investigations, performance management, and HRIS optimization. Brings deep expertise in California and federal employment law, including wage and hour compliance, employee relations, investigations, performance management, and leave administration under FMLA, CFRA, PDL, and ADA. Known for balancing empathy, operational rigor, and business needs while building trust, improving processes, maintaining audit-ready records, and supporting organizational growth through thoughtful people practices. Highlights of Expertise

• Strategic Planning

• Sole HR leader supporting workforce growth

from approximately 25 to 80 employees

during rapid expansion at The Apothecarium

• Benefits Administration/ Open Enrollment

• Performance Consultation

• Extensive expertise in California

employment law, wage and hour

compliance, FMLA, CFRA, PDL, ADA, and

workers' compensation administration.

• Hands on experience with HRIS

implementation/upgrades (Bamboo,

Paycom, WURK)

• Compensation Planning

• Vendor Management -Benefits

Administration

• Talent Acquisition & Retention

• Staff Development & Training

• Employee Relations Management

• Successfully supported union and non-union

environments, nonprofit organizations,

healthcare settings, and high-growth

startups.

• HR Policies and Procedures

Career Experience

St. Mary’s Center, Oakland, CA

Human Resources Generalist (August 2024-Present)

As the sole HR professional for a 40-person nonprofit, this HR Generalist role requires a multifaceted approach, encompassing recruitment, onboarding, offboarding, training, employee relations, and compliance, while also acting as a strategic HR partner for managers and directors

• Serve as the primary advisor to leadership on employee relations, performance management, disciplinary actions, workplace investigations, and California employment law compliance.

• Interpret and apply federal and California employment laws, including wage and hour regulations, FMLA, CFRA, PDL, ADA accommodations, and workers' compensation requirements.

• Partner with leadership to resolve complex employee relations matters while mitigating organizational risk and maintaining compliance.

• Conduct and manage workplace investigations, including documentation and resolution.

• Draft and issue disciplinary actions, performance improvement plans, and terminations.

• Process and run biweekly payroll, ensuring accuracy and compliance with wage laws.

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws, including I-9 audits and required record-keeping.

• Extensive working knowledge of California and federal employment laws, including wage and hour compliance, leaves of absence (FMLA, CFRA, PDL, ADA), employee relations, investigations, and performance management. Charmaine Grays Page 2

• Oversee and manage all leaves of absence (CFRA, PDL, ADA, etc.), ensuring compliance and proper documentation.

• Manage workers’ compensation claims, including reporting, follow-up, and coordination with insurance carriers.

• Oversee the full-cycle recruitment process, including job postings, interviewing, and selection.

• Partner with department heads to forecast hiring needs and develop recruitment strategies.

• Conducts smooth onboarding and offboarding process.

• Administer employee benefits, including annual open enrollment and vendor management.

• Address employee inquiries regarding benefits, leave policies, and payroll matters.

• Manages all leaves of absence and accommodations.

• Assist in compensation benchmarking and pay equity analysis,

• Lead system upgrades and optimizations of the Bamboo HRIS platform.

• Process and run biweekly payroll, ensuring accuracy and compliance with wage laws.

• Maintain employee records, reporting, and analytics for HR metrics and decision-making.

• Develop and implement the SMART goals performance management process.

• Conduct training for managers and employees on performance evaluation best practices.

• Support leadership in employee development and succession planning.

• Provide HR guidance and strategic input to senior leadership.

• Develop and roll out new HR policies and procedures.

• Drive initiatives to enhance workplace culture and employee engagement. Apothecarium, San Francisco CA

Human Resources Manager (February 2018-December 2023) Joined The Apothecarium during its rapid startup and expansion phase as the sole HR leader supporting growth from a single retail dispensary to five retail locations, while helping centralize HR operations across cultivation, manufacturing/confectionary, and retail business units. Built scalable HR infrastructure, implemented HRIS and benefits technology, and partnered with leadership to support workforce growth from approximately 25 employees to more than 80 employees.

• Served as the sole HR professional during a period of rapid organizational growth and expansion.

• Partnered with executive leadership to scale people operations, workforce planning, and HR infrastructure across multiple business units.

• Centralized HR processes supporting retail, cultivation, and confectionary operations.

• Led employee relations, workplace investigations, performance management, and leave administration across all locations.

• Led Implementation of HRIS/Payroll database, and subsequent benefits administration module and ACA tracking, including additional upgrades for tip-calculation technology to improve operational efficiency and compliance.

• Advised managers on California employment law, wage and hour compliance, disciplinary actions, and performance management.

• Supported compliance with California and federal employment regulations.

• Administered entire recruitment process by updating and creating all job descriptions for existing and newly created positions and ensure that job descriptions are compliant with local and federal requirements.

• Maintain Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and determines pay ranges, job titles, and FLSA status. Determines advertising opportunities, sources and screens resumes, coordinates and conducts phone screens and interviews, completes reference and background checks.

• Collaboration with Licensing and Compliance Manager to ensure compliance with city and county equity program recruitment requirements.

• Collaborated with the Licensing and Compliance Manager to ensure compliance with city and county equity program recruitment requirements.

• Coordinate and conduct new hire onboarding and offboarding, ensure orientation and training completion, enter employee data into the HRIS, maintain personnel and confidential files, complete I-9 verification, and conduct exit interviews.

• Administered health and welfare plans, including enrollments, changes, terminations, claims resolution, payroll deductions, and annual open enrollment coordination with insurance brokers.

• Served as plan administrator for the 401(k) plan and completed the annual 5500 filing.

• Managed and tracked all leaves of absence and ensured timely employee notifications, required notices, and follow-up.

• Provided administrative support and guidance to managers for company-wide performance evaluation processes.

• Administered and maintained paperless and automated solutions to streamline HR processes.

• Served as the first point of contact for employee questions and provided HR policy and legal interpretation to employees and managers.

• Collaborated with the biweekly payroll team to ensure accuracy before final processing.

• Managed workers’ compensation claims, coordinated annual audits with the safety officer, reported work- related injuries, referred employees to medical facilities as needed, and prepared the OSHA 300 log.

• Created and distributed ad hoc HR reports for management. FLRish/Harborside, Oakland CA

Human Resources Generalist (July 2017 – January 2018) Identify needs for skill improvement and conduct effective training programs to all employees. Administer daily benefits processing through web-based enrollment portal including enrollments, COBRA, terminations, and changes. Work closely with payroll administrator to provide benefit deduction updates. Collaborate with HR team to provide staff training on performance evaluations as well as perform several functions to mitigate employee-related issues. Manage employee personnel and medical files and ensure all working procedures comply with local, state, and federal record retention requirements and best practices.

• Updated and created all job descriptions for existing and newly created positions and ensured that job descriptions are compliant with local and federal requirements.

• Developed professional association with HR director and financial analyst relating to implementation of a professional career development program.

• Conducted annual performance evaluation notifications to managers and reviewed evaluations for timeliness, accuracy, and appropriate goals.

The Arc San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Human Resources Director (Mar 2014 - July 2017)

Collaborated with CFO on annual benefits renewal negotiation for cost increase to staff. Streamlined recruitment process with implementation of applicant tracking system. Provided data for annual 403(b) and flexible spending

(Section 125/132) non-discrimination testing. Investigated labor issues and compensation claims for finalizing settlement details. Managed claims reporting by preparing incident reports for work-related injuries reporting to WC vendor. Implemented self-enrollment system with HRIS vendor for streamlined enrollment process. Collaborated with labor relations consultant in arbitration proceedings as well as forged association with Labor relations team for CBA renewal. Completed the process of employee’s leaves by adhering to all regulatory compliance.

• Established HR operations strategies by estimating, forecasting and anticipating requirements to minimize the impact of variances.

• Demonstrated the versatility and expertise to conduct regular meetings with labor representatives for developing strategies for improved labor relations.

• Conducted workplace investigations and partnered with leadership to resolve employee concerns and organizational issues

Charmaine Grays Page 4

• Served as a strategic HR partner to directors and managers on employee relations, labor relations, performance management, and compliance matters.

• Advised managers on employee relations matters, policy interpretation, and performance management.

• Supported compliance with California and federal employment regulations. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

Human Resources Generalist (May 2013 - Mar 2014)

Assisted employees with appropriate paperwork required for qualifying life events. Managed deadline driven follow up of open enrollment changes. Presented data for annual 403(b) and flexible spending (Section 125/132) nondiscrimination testing. Designed recruiting strategy, developed interview questions, and assembled interview panel. Developed relationship with marketing department for company website posting. Monitored jobs mailbox for incoming resumes and distribution to appropriate hiring manager. Create and manage employee personnel/medical files in accordance with HIPPA regulations. Oversaw claims reporting by preparing incident reports for work-related injuries reporting to WC vendor.

• Advised managers on employee relations matters, policy interpretation, and performance management.

• Supported compliance with California and federal employment regulations.

• Prepared annual 300 OSHA log and responded to annual labor standards report.

• Worked in partnership with finance department and vendor for annual 403(b) audit and subsequent 5550 filing.

• Assembled new hire packets and completed on boarding process including employee orientation I-9 verification and delivered hire information to payroll for regular and collective bargaining employees.

• Rendered expert services, which included monthly reconciliation for payment processing, enrollments terminations, and billing discrepancies.

San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, CA

HUMAN RESOURCES GENERALIST, (Nov 1996 - May 2013)

Produced ad hoc custom reports for internal departments and employee census reports for external vendors Reconciled monthly benefit billing statements for company staff and its international affiliate, Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation. Deliver open enrollment process training to all staff on an annual basis. Formulated annual 300 OSHA log and completed annual labor standards report. Cooperated with third party leave administrator and payroll to coordinate organization leave policy as per the state and federal requirements. Maintained employee personnel and medical files in accordance with HIPPA regulations. Performed several HR functions, which comprised of employee orientation, schedule appropriate medical screening, tracking, and subsequent onboarding survey.

• Led HRIS implementation and served as project manager for system integrations/upgrades with payroll other HR related and process improvements.

• Partnered with managers on employee relations matters, leave administration, policy interpretation, and performance management.

• Supported compliance with federal and California employment laws, including leave administration and wage and hour requirements.

• Conducted annual vendor non-discrimination testing for FSA (Section 125/132) plans.

• Administered employee benefits, including monthly billing reconciliation, and annual open enrollment coordination.

• Co-ordinated with HR Manager to develop and maintain recruiting forms, HR related documents, and procedures for best practices.

Education & Credentials

Golden Gate University

SHRM PHR coursework

Affiliations:

SHRM/NCHRA

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