HR Director

About the role

Harbor Health is seeking an HR Director to own people strategy and leadership across our Texas clinic markets. This role sits at the intersection of employee relations, HR strategy, and culture — leading a lean team of one Employee Relations & Experience Manager, setting the standards for how complex ER matters are handled, and proactively building the manager capability and organizational health that prevents issues from arising in the first place.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the final escalation point for the most complex, sensitive, or high-risk employee relations matters across clinical and administrative staff populations
• Set the standards, tools, and training for workplace investigations — including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and policy violations — across the HRBP team
• Partner with legal counsel and the Chief People Officer on the most sensitive matters requiring executive-level attention
• Analyze ER patterns and trends across all Texas markets and bring proactive, data-driven recommendations to the executive team
• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior clinical and operational leaders on people strategy, organizational design, and workforce planning
• Represent People Operations in executive and leadership team conversations, bringing a regional and functional perspective to broader company strategy
• Translate complex employment law and compliance requirements into policy and guidance that scales across all Texas markets
• Champion the use of AI tools across the HRBP team to accelerate manager coaching, compliance research, and case preparation
• Own culture strategy for Harbor Health's Texas markets in partnership with the Chief People Officer, translating strategy into initiatives the HRBP team can execute locally
• Lead culture harmonization efforts related to acquisitions and organizational growth, from due diligence through integration
• Oversee stay interview, exit interview, and pulse check programs, and turn employee experience data into concrete action plans
• Champion an inclusive and engaging work environment across all Harbor Health clinic locations
• Own compliance strategy for Harbor Health's Texas people operations, ensuring consistent policy application across all markets
• Partner with the HR Operations team on benefits, leave administration, and accommodations (ADA/FMLA) strategy
• Maintain deep, current expertise in Texas employment law and federal regulations including ADA, FMLA, FLSA, Title VII, and EEOC requirements, and ensure the HRBP team is trained accordingly
• Own the onboarding, offboarding, and new hire experience strategy across Harbor Health's Texas markets
• Own people metrics and ER trend reporting for Harbor Health's Texas markets, presenting insights and recommendations to the Chief People Officer and executive team
• Lead Harbor Health People Operations projects, policy development, and cross-functional HR initiatives
• Represent Texas market perspective in company-wide HR strategy planning and contribute to broader organizational initiatives

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive HR experience with significant, demonstrated focus on employee relations, including at least 3 years leading or managing an HR team
• Proven experience conducting workplace investigations and managing complex, high-stakes ER cases independently
• Track record of building or scaling an HR function or HRBP team in a multi-site or high-growth environment
• Strong working knowledge of Texas employment law and federal regulations (ADA, FMLA, FLSA, Title VII)
• Experience partnering directly with senior executives on organizational design, workforce planning, and people strategy
• Demonstrated ability to work independently with excellent judgment in ambiguous, fast-paced, high-stakes environments
• Strong negotiation, influence, and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to build trust and credibility quickly with diverse stakeholders — from front-line clinical staff to senior executives
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple active priorities and lead a team simultaneously

Preferred Qualifications

• Healthcare industry experience, particularly with clinical or physician staff populations
• Experience in high-growth, multi-site, or post-acquisition environments
• SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification
• Familiarity with UKG or comparable HRIS platforms
• Experience working across multiple markets or geographies simultaneously
• Comfort using AI tools — such as Claude, ChatGPT, or similar — as a day-to-day work accelerator, and experience championing AI adoption across a team
• Bilingual in English/Spanish
• Based in Houston, TX

Benefits

• Competitive salary and incentives
• Generous PTO
• 10 paid holidays
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) Investment Plan
• Company Equity
• A meaningful opportunity to lead people strategy across a growing clinical organization and directly shape the employee experience for every Harbor Health market
• Professional development and growth opportunities within a scaling organization