Job Description

Join a talented, mission-driven team eager to bring ABA to the children and schools that need it most. Founded in 2012, Verbal Behavior Associates serves communities throughout San Diego, Riverside, Orange, and Contra Costa counties, and is still owned and operated by our BCBA-D founder - same leadership, same mission, more than a decade later.

About the Opportunity:

We are a growing ABA company seeking an experienced HR Director to serve as a true strategic partner across the organization. This is a high-impact, hands-on role for someone who thrives in a dynamic healthcare-adjacent environment and wants to build and strengthen HR systems that support our clinical and operational teams.

You will take ownership of all HR operations supporting our existing and incoming workforce, lead compliance and risk management, and bring the kind of discernment and nuance this industry demands - particularly around labor law, disciplinary processes, and employee development.

Why This Role:

This is a builder role. We're a strong, stable organization that has outgrown our current HR infrastructure, and we're ready for someone to come in and build what's next. You'll have regular 1:1 time with our President, a highly established leader in the ABA field, and work alongside a collaborative operations team that’s genuinely invested in our mission. We're a growing organization that moves fast and values the people driving it forward. Good ideas don't sit in a queue, and your impact will be felt across the entire company.

What You'll Own:

• Serve as the primary authority on labor law compliance, with particular depth in California employment law
• Lead all disciplinary processes with consistency, documentation, and care - ensuring fair treatment and legal defensibility
• Elevate our growth and development efforts, creating meaningful career pathways that grow and retain the next generation of VBA clinicians
• Manage medical accommodations, restrictions, and LOAs (including CFRA/FMLA and California-specific leave) with the nuance these situations require
• Provide strategic oversight of workers' compensation, partnering with our coordinator to deepen internal expertise
• Administer employee benefits and health insurance, including enrollment, maintenance, and compliance for a distributed, multi-state workforce
• Partner with back office teams to review and improve cross-functional processes, including onboarding and offboarding, medical credentialing, time off requests, payroll workflows, etc

Requirements

Who You Are:

• 5+ years of HR experience, with at least 2 in a director or senior generalist role leading direct reports
• Direct experience supporting a California-based employer, with deep expertise in California-specific labor laws, leave requirements, and wage and hour regulations
• You're confident navigating gray areas - accommodation requests, investigations, difficult conversations
• You bring a data-first mindset: you ground recommendations in numbers, ask for metrics when they're missing, and know that what gets measured gets managed
• You’re a builder: you see gaps, propose solutions, and follow through
• You think in systems: when you spot a repetitive process, your first instinct is to ask how it can be streamlined or automated. You don't need to build the automations yourself but you should be excited about what's possible and quick to identify where tools like forms, ticketing systems, and workflow automation can eliminate manual work
• Healthcare, behavioral health, or clinical staffing background is a plus
• SHRM-CP/SCP or PHR/SPHR a plus, not required

New to ABA?

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an evidence-based therapy that helps children with autism and other developmental differences build communication, social, and daily living skills. At VBA, we deliver these services in homes, schools, and communities, empowering children to lead independent, fulfilling, and happy lives.

Verbal Behavior Associates provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) or federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.