Human Resources Director

*Candidates must reside within the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia service area* and be available to represent BCS at local hiring events and job fairs as needed.

About Blue Collar Scholars

Blue Collar Scholars is a fast-growing landscape construction company serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. We operate in a high-performance, fast-paced environment where accountability, communication, organization, and results matter.

As the company continues to grow, we are looking for an experienced Human Resources Director to take ownership of the HR function and help build the people systems, processes, and structure necessary to support our continued expansion.

Position Overview

The Human Resources Director will be responsible for leading and managing the Human Resources function across Blue Collar Scholars.

This is a hands-on leadership role. We are looking for someone who can both develop HR strategy and execute it. The right candidate will work closely with the President/CEO, leadership team, managers, recruiting, finance, and operations to ensure the company has strong systems for hiring, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, compliance, retention, development, and accountability.

This position requires someone who is comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-accountability environment and who can build structure while the organization continues to scale.

Key Responsibilities

HR Leadership & Strategy

• Lead and oversee the Human Resources function across the organization.
• Partner directly with the President/CEO and leadership team on workforce planning, organizational structure, employee performance, and people-related decisions.
• Develop HR strategies and systems that support company growth and operational goals.
• Identify gaps in existing HR processes and implement scalable solutions.
• Establish clear HR standards, procedures, documentation, and accountability across departments.

Employee Relations & Performance Management

• Serve as the primary HR resource for employee relations matters.
• Manage employee concerns, workplace conflicts, disciplinary matters, and performance issues professionally and consistently.
• Develop and oversee performance improvement plans, corrective actions, written warnings, and related documentation.
• Coach managers on employee conversations, performance management, and appropriate documentation.
• Establish consistent performance review and feedback processes.
• Help leadership identify and address performance problems before they become larger organizational issues.

HR Compliance & Policies

• Maintain and continuously improve company HR policies, procedures, employee handbooks, and internal documentation.
• Help ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment requirements.
• Maintain accurate, organized, and confidential employee records.
• Ensure appropriate documentation throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Review HR practices as the company grows and recommend changes when necessary.

Recruiting & Workforce Planning

• Partner with Recruiting/Talent Acquisition and department leaders to understand current and future staffing needs.
• Help establish hiring standards and ensure recruiting decisions align with company expectations and workforce plans.
• Monitor hiring needs, headcount, retention, turnover, and staffing capacity.
• Support leadership in evaluating organizational structure and determining when additional positions are necessary.
• Help improve recruiting and hiring processes using measurable results and data.

Onboarding & Offboarding

• Own the overall structure and quality of the employee onboarding process.
• Ensure new hires receive required documentation, systems access, policies, expectations, and departmental coordination before and during their start.
• Work with managers to improve new-hire integration and early performance.
• Develop consistent offboarding procedures, including documentation, access removal, company property, and exit processes.
• Identify trends from employee departures and provide relevant insights to leadership.

Compensation, Benefits & Payroll Coordination

• Partner with Finance/Payroll on employee compensation changes, payroll-related matters, benefits, and employee status updates.
• Maintain appropriate compensation and employment documentation.
• Assist leadership with compensation reviews and market considerations when needed.
• Ensure employee changes are communicated accurately and promptly to the appropriate departments.

Culture, Retention & Employee Development

• Help protect and strengthen Blue Collar Scholars’ high-performance culture.
• Develop initiatives that improve employee engagement, accountability, communication, and retention.
• Identify recurring employee concerns and organizational trends.
• Support professional development and career-growth opportunities.
• Help establish clearer career paths and expectations across departments.
• Promote strong communication between employees, managers, and leadership.

HR Reporting & Metrics

• Develop and maintain HR reporting for leadership.
• Track key metrics including:
• Headcount
• Turnover and retention
• Hiring activity
• Time-to-fill
• Employee performance issues
• Attendance trends
• Onboarding progress
• Employee relations matters
• Translate HR data into clear recommendations and actionable information for leadership.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive Human Resources experience, with demonstrated responsibility for multiple HR functions.
• Previous experience as an HR Manager, HR Director, HR Business Partner, People Operations Leader, or similar role.
• Strong experience with employee relations and performance management.
• Strong understanding of HR policies, employment practices, documentation, and compliance.
• Experience developing or improving HR processes and systems.
• Experience working directly with executives, senior leadership, and department managers.
• Strong judgment when handling confidential or sensitive employee matters.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Strong problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to operate independently and take ownership without requiring constant direction.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, demanding, high-accountability organization.
• Experience with HRIS, ATS, payroll, recruiting, or employee-management systems.
• Experience in construction, home services, trades, field services, or another operationally intensive industry is strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management, or a related field.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or comparable HR certification.
• Experience helping scale an HR department within a growing organization.
• Experience supporting both office and field-based employees.
• Experience creating SOPs, employee handbooks, performance-management systems, and HR reporting.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Human Resources Director will bring structure, consistency, accountability, and visibility to the people side of the organization.

Within this role, success means that leadership knows where the company stands from a people perspective; managers receive effective HR support; employee issues are addressed quickly and appropriately; recruiting and onboarding operate within clear systems; documentation is accurate; and HR processes scale alongside the company's growth.

Ideal Candidate

You are someone who

• Takes ownership rather than waiting for instructions.
• Is comfortable having difficult conversations.
• Can balance the needs of employees with the needs of the business.
• Understands that HR requires both people skills and accountability.
• Communicates directly and professionally.
• Protects confidentiality.
• Notices problems before they become emergencies.
• Can create structure where processes are incomplete.
• Uses data and documentation instead of assumptions.
• Works effectively under pressure.
• Is comfortable being held accountable for measurable results.
• Wants to help build an HR function rather than simply maintain one.

Work Environment

Blue Collar Scholars operates in a fast-paced and highly accountable environment. Priorities can change quickly, communication is frequent, and team members are expected to remain organized, responsive, and focused throughout the workday.

This position is best suited for someone who enjoys responsibility, problem-solving, building systems, and working closely with leadership in a growing organization.

Compensation

Competitive compensation based on experience and qualifications.

Employment Type

Full-Time

Equal Opportunity

Blue Collar Scholars is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and considers qualified applicants without unlawful discrimination based on protected characteristics under applicable law.

Pay: $80,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year

Work Location: Remote