Kern Medical has been a community cornerstone since its founding in 1867. Today, we are an acute care teaching center with 222 beds, offering the only advanced trauma care between Fresno and Los Angeles. Kern Medical offers a range of primary, specialty, and multi-specialty services including high-risk pregnancy care, inpatient psychiatric services integrated with county mental health programs, and a growing network of outpatient clinics providing personalized patient-centered wellness care. Kern Medical cares for 15,500 inpatients and 125,000 clinic patients a year.
Career Opportunities within Kern Medical include many benefits such as:
Position: Vice President of Human Resources
Distinguishing Characteristics:
The Vice President of Human Resources (VP HR) is a senior executive responsible for leading and managing the human resources function at Kern Medical. This strategic role partners with the CHRO/CTO to develop and implement HR strategies, policies, and programs that align with the Kern Medical’s overall goals and objectives. The VP HR plays a critical role in fostering a positive work culture, attracting, developing, and retaining top talent, and ensuring compliance with employment laws and regulations. Leading the critical areas of the Human Resources Division may be shared with the CHRO/CTO as needed.
Employee/Labor Relations - oversees theorganization’s responsibilities for union negotiations, grievances, employee relations, and workplace investigations. Works closely with legal to respond to grievances and unfair practice charges filed by the union. Coordinates the work of human resource business partners to deliver functional assistance throughout the organization.
HR Shared Services - oversees the hospital’s human resources shared services including HRIS administration, payroll coordination, and employee status changes. Responsible for ensuring effective and efficient delivery of all shared services across all departments throughout the organization
Organizational Development – oversees the hospital’s leadership development, succession management, performance management, executive coaching, and management coaching.
Total Rewards – oversees the hospital’s employee benefits, compensation administration, job classifications, and leave management
Talent Acquisition - oversees the hospital’s recruiting and talent acquisition services including ensuring talent acquisition advisors and talent acquisition coordinators manage applicant flow and coordinate onboarding in addition to participating in various recruiting activities.
Essential Functions:
Employment Standards:
Possesses seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in human resources management, with at least three years of HR leadership experience. Public sector or healthcare experience in a unionized environment strongly preferred.
Possession of a valid California Driver’s License upon appointment.
Additional Preferred Qualifications
Preferred qualifications for this position may include any of the following: a graduate degree from an accredited college or university, public sector experience in either human resources, employee relations, or recruiting, or a nationally recognized human resource certification.
Knowledge and Abilities
Employees in this position will exhibit a high level of performance and capability in the following core competencies: compassionate leadership of an effective team; effective communication through a variety of mediums, including social media, email, and oral and written communication; decision-making; attention to detail; multitasking over several key priorities; use of technology, including applicant tracking systems and HRIS; time management; marketing and branding; negotiating; strategic and critical thinking; relationship-building and networking; and data and statistical analysis.
Supplemental:
Dependent upon assignment, applicants may be required to pass an extensive background investigation, and be fingerprinted. Disqualification for felony, misdemeanor, and traffic offenses will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
All Kern Medical employees are designated “Disaster Service Workers” through state and local laws (CA Government Code Sec. 3100-3109 and Ordinance Code Title 2 - Administration, Ch. 2.66 Emergency Services.) As Disaster Service Workers, all county employees are expected to remain at work, or to report for work as soon as practicable following a significant emergency or disaster.
If position responsibilities require driving a personal vehicle, then possession of a current valid California Driver’s License and adherence to the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119) is required.
If position responsibilities require driving a vehicle owned, leased or rented by Kern Medical, then possession of a current valid California Driver’s license, a signed authorization for Release of Drivers Record Information and adherence to the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119) is required.

Since our beginning in 1867, Kern Medical has served as an integral part of the community. Our 222-licensed bed acute care teaching hospital and outpatient clinics offer many services unavailable to the rest of the community. These services include:
- The only Level II Trauma program between Fresno and Los Angeles
- Academic teaching programs that have trained many of the physicians now practicing
in our community. Each year, over 200 residents, fellows, and medical students enroll in
Kern Medical's training programs.
- Hospital-based high-risk pregnancy services
- Inpatient psychiatric services integrated with the County's mental health programs
- Integrated outpatient clinics with locations at our Columbus Clinic (1111 Columbus Avenue), Medical
Center Campus (1700 Mt. Vernon Avenue), and on Truxtun Avenue (6401 Truxtun Avenue, Suite A-1)
As an academic teaching hospital, we are affiliated with UCLA and its David Geffen School of Medicine, with many of our physicians also holding faculty positions at UCLA. Our physician training ranges from three to five years with residencies in internal medicine, surgery, family practice, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry.
We offer an extensive array of services to all – regardless of their circumstances. We continue to add new medical technologies, recruit outstanding physicians in new specialties, and further expand our affiliation with UCLA. We are proud of our founding mission focused on caring for you and your loved ones with the highest quality and most compassionate service.