About the role

Fractional HRBP – California Specialist (Contract) California Employment Law Expertise Required| Multi-Site/Multi-State Experience Preferred | Remote / Hybrid | Bay Area or Silicon Valley a Plus, Not Required Contract / Fractional | Compensation: $50 - $75/hr (Commensurate with experience, scoped per engagement) Talent Community Notice This position is part of livingHR's talent community. By applying, you are expressing interest in joining our network of trusted professionals who partner with us on a contract basis when client project needs arise. This is not an immediate or guaranteed opening. Engagements are project-based, and livingHR will reach out when an opportunity aligns with your experience, availability, and location. Position Details Location: Remote / Hybrid — California-based candidates preferred; Bay Area or Silicon Valley proximity to supported clients is a plus but not required Type: Contract / Fractional Work Model: Remote-first (Work from Where it Makes Sense), with periodic on-site presence at California portfolio company locations as engagements require Duration: Project-based; engagement length and hours vary by client need Who We Are livingHR is The Work Agency™, a national boutique HR advisory and consulting firm built to make work better. We partner with organizations to deliver human-centric, future-of-work-ready HR managed services, professional services, and products. We believe in taking exceptional care of our people so they can deliver exceptional outcomes for clients, partners, and communities. Position Overview We are building our bench of fractional HR Business Partners with deep California employment law expertise to support portfolio companies operating in California within our client's growing, multi-brand, multi-location organization. This organization owns and operates businesses across 40 states and completes approximately 10–15 acquisitions per year; the California-based (or California-operating) businesses in the portfolio need an HRBP who can serve as the trusted, on-the-ground HR point of contact — advising local business leaders and the corporate Business Operations leader on California-specific employee relations, compliance, and post-integration HRIS and payroll training, while building feedback channels that surface field-level insight back to the corporate HR team. Given the pace of acquisition activity, this HRBP will regularly onboard newly integrated California entities and guide them from integration into stable, steady-state operations. Responsibilities Partner Communications & Operational Relationship Management - Serve as the primary HR point of contact for assigned California-based portfolio companies, working alongside local managers and the corporate BizOps leader as an extension of their leadership team - Represent corporate HR to portfolio company managers and employees post-integration — fielding questions, routing issues, and maintaining a visible, trusted presence in the field - Partner with BizOps leaders to implement organizational changes, including operating model shifts, role redesigns, and cultural interventions, ensuring they land smoothly with managers and employees - Keep corporate HR leadership informed on field conditions, emerging issues, and portfolio company-level developments across the assigned California portfolio California Employee Relations & Compliance - Manage employee relations matters end-to-end — investigations, conflict resolution, disciplinary actions, and corrective action — in accordance with California-specific requirements across distributed locations - Own resolution of California compliance issues flagged by corporate HR or surfaced through HRIS monitoring, including wage and hour, meal and rest break, and PAGA exposure, working with portfolio company leadership to remediate - Apply working knowledge of CFRA, FEHA, Cal/OSHA, California pay transparency requirements (SB 1162), fi