Director People and Culture

As Centura’s Director of People & Culture, you will serve as a strategic leader responsible for shaping and advancing the firm’s people strategy. You will partner with leadership to align HR practices with business goals, driving operational excellence, compliance, and a values-based culture. You will lead initiatives that strengthen engagement, promote accountability, and support a high-performing, inclusive workplace. You will ensure HR policies, programs, and systems reflect best practices and comply with federal and state regulations.

You will act as a trusted advisor to leadership and employees alike, fostering transparency, trust, and collaboration across the organization. Ultimately, you will champion Centura’s mission by creating a culture where people thrive and business goals are achieved through aligned, purpose-driven performance. This role is located onsite 4 days a week in San Diego, California. Remote candidates will not be considered.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead Centura’s annual benefits renewal and open enrollment process, including timeline creation, vendor coordination, and communication planning.
• Evaluate current benefit plan performance annually by analyzing participation, utilization, employee feedback and cost trends.
• Partner with the firm’s benefits broker to review plan design options, renewals, and alternative carriers or cost-savings opportunities.
• Recommend plan design changes to leadership based on cost, compliance, and employee needs.
• Manage vendor and carrier relationships, ensuring service quality, data accuracy, and timely issue resolution.
• Develop and deliver employee communication materials for open enrollment (e.g., guides, FAQs, and presentations) that clearly explain benefits options and changes.
• Conduct post-enrollment audits to verify accuracy of enrollments, deductions, and carrier data feeds.

Leave of Absences / Reasonable Accommodations

• Administer Centura’s Leave of Absence (LOA) and Reasonable Accommodation processes in compliance with federal and California laws (e.g., FMLA, CFRA, ADA).
• Coordinate with employees, managers, and HR leadership to ensure a smooth leave process and proper return-to-work planning.
• Track leave dates, extensions, and return-to-work statuses to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Provide guidance to employees and managers on leave and accommodation policies, escalating complex cases to HR leadership as needed.
• Administer Centura’s Workers’ Compensation program in compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employees and managers regarding workplace injuries or incidents.
• File claims and coordinate with the insurance carrier to ensure timely submission and follow-up.

Policy Updates and Renewals

• Review annual federal and California legislative and regulatory updates to ensure company policies remain compliant.
• Draft, edit, and format new or revised policies for leadership review and approval.
• Provide guidance to managers and employees regarding policy interpretation and implementation.

Performance Management

• Design, implement, and continuously refine Centura’s performance management framework to ensure alignment with the firm’s mission, values, and strategic objectives.
• Partner with leadership to establish clear performance expectations, goal-setting processes, and feedback standards that promote accountability and growth.
• Lead the annual and quarterly review cycles, including timeline planning, training and communication.
• Coach managers on delivering constructive, values-based feedback and fostering a culture of continuous performance improvement.
• Analyze performance data to identify firmwide strengths, development needs, and trends that inform talent planning and training initiatives.
• Ensure consistency, fairness, and compliance in performance evaluation practices across all departments.
• Partner with Finance and leadership to connect performance outcomes with compensation and advancement decisions.
• Develop and maintain performance improvement and development programs that support employee success and retention.
• Champion a feedback-driven culture that values recognition, accountability, and professional…