HR Compliance and Risk Manager

About the role

The HR Compliance and Risk Manager serves as the subject matter expert for HR compliance, policy governance, and risk management, ensuring adherence to employment laws, regulatory requirements, and internal controls across the associate lifecycle. This role partners with HR, Legal, Compliance, Risk Management, Internal Audit, and business leaders to mitigate company risk, lead audits and examinations, and drive process improvements that enhance compliance and operational effectiveness.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary HR subject matter expert for employment-related litigation matters, policy interpretation, and complex employee relations issues, partnering with Associate Relations, Legal, Compliance, HR Business Partners, and business leaders to ensure consistent policy application, regulatory compliance, and effective risk mitigation.
• Lead HR compliance programs by monitoring federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, assessing impacts, and implementing required updates to policies, procedures, practices, and organization communications.
• Develop and administer the HR Risk control process, coordinating input from control owners across key HR functions ensuring risks and controls are appropriately documented and managed.
• Serve as the primary HR partner for Internal Audit, Legal, Compliance, and Risk Management related to HR audits, SOX reviews, regulatory examinations, risk assessments, and remediation activities.
• Oversee execution of SOX and HR-related internal control testing, ensuring effective documentation, issue resolution, and remediation of identified control gaps.
• Research and ensure compliance with emerging legal, regulatory, and industry developments and recommend actions to implement to maintain compliance readiness and reduce organizational risk.
• Serve as subject matter expert for HR policies, procedures, standard operating procedures, handbooks, risks, controls, and audit responses.
• Track, analyze, and report key compliance, audit, risk, and control metrics, providing dashboards and recommendations to HR and executive leadership.
• Partner with HR Technology, Information Security, and business stakeholders to evaluate and mitigate compliance risks associated with data access, reporting, retention, privacy, and recordkeeping practices.
• Support HR integration efforts during M&A events, including HR due diligence, controls mapping, risk assessments, and compliance alignment.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives by identifying compliance, governance, and control gaps and implementing solutions that improve efficiency, strengthen controls, and mitigate risk.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Legal Studies, Risk Management, or equivalent related experience required.
• 6 years of experience in HR compliance, internal audit, or HR risk management roles required, preferably in a highly regulated industry.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, CCEP, CRMA, or CIA preferred.
• Deep knowledge of employment law and HR risk frameworks.
• Familiarity with SOX or equivalent internal control environments.
• Strong verbal and written communications, documentation, analytical, and risk reporting skills.
• Experience working with HRIS and data privacy regulations.
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally and manage sensitive information.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Supervisory responsibilities: None.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work under stress and meet deadlines.
• Ability to travel if required to perform the essential job functions.
• Ability to operate related equipment to perform the essential job functions.
• Ability to read and interpret documents as required to perform the essential job functions.
• Ability to lift/move/carry approximately 10 pounds if required to perform the essential job functions (accommodations made without undue hardship).