Regional People Operations Manager

At Sunstate, People Operations works where the business happens. We are looking for a senior People partner who will spend meaningful time in the field, learn the operation, and help leaders make better decisions about their organizations and their people.

This is not a role built around administering HR programs. As our Regional People Operations Business Partner, you'll support multiple branches and markets, connecting leadership and workforce decisions directly to safety, customer experience, productivity, and profitable growth.

• You will operate as a business partner, not an order taker. Regional and branch leaders will expect you to bring a point of view, challenge constructively, and help solve the issues that limit performance.
• You will learn the business from the field. You will understand the customers, markets, operating model, financial drivers, and workforce realities behind the decisions.
• You will have broad influence. The role spans organization design, workforce planning, leadership capability, succession, retention, employee relations, change management, pay, and performance.
• You will focus on outcomes. We want practical action that produces stronger leaders, deeper benches, a more stable workforce, and a better employee experience, not programs for the sake of programs.

• →Partner with operational leaders. Diagnose what is holding a team or region back, whether structure, staffing, leadership, capability, or retention, and turn insight into clear action.
• →Strengthen leaders and succession. Lead talent reviews, identify key talent, build practical development plans, and improve readiness for critical roles.
• →Improve workforce stability. Look beyond the turnover number to identify root causes across hiring, onboarding, leadership, staffing, compensation, development, and operating conditions.
• →Coach leaders through difficult issues. Help managers address performance, accountability, conflict, and employee concerns with confidence. Independently lead complex investigations and partner with Legal on fair, consistent, and defensible outcomes.
• →Lead the people side of change. Guide restructures, workforce transitions, leadership changes, and new ways of working so leaders create clarity, ownership, and sustained adoption.
• →Turn workforce data into decisions. Explain what turnover, vacancies, overtime, first-year retention, internal mobility, and other measures mean, what action is needed, and whether it worked.
• →Bring judgment to pay and performance. Partner with Total Rewards and leaders on merit, promotion, incentive, and calibration decisions that are disciplined, consistent, and aligned with performance.
• →Protect employees and the company. Navigate CA and multi-state employment requirements, leave, accommodations, separations, and employee relations risk while reinforcing Sunstate's safety-first culture.

• Regional leaders involve you early in important workforce and organization decisions.
• Leadership capability and succession depth improve for critical roles.
• Retention strengthens, especially for high performers and first-year employees.
• More employees move into larger roles through internal promotions and career opportunities.
• Recurring employee relations issues and avoidable organizational risk decline.
• Leaders use workforce data to make better, more disciplined decisions.

• 8 to 10 years of progressive HR Business Partner, People Operations, or HR leadership experience, including direct partnership with senior operating leaders
• Experience supporting multi-site, field-based teams in equipment rental, construction, skilled trades, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, industrial services, or a similar operating environment
• A record of influencing and constructively challenging leaders, diagnosing ambiguous problems, and converting insight into measurable action
• Strength in leadership coaching, talent judgment, succession, workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, employee relations, and change leadership
• Experience independently conducting complex investigations and advising leaders on sensitive employment and corrective-action decisions
• Working knowledge of multi-jurisdiction employment compliance, including protected leave, workplace accommodations, and employment separations
• Strong business and financial acumen, sound independent judgment, and clear, credible communication
• A bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field; a master's degree is preferred

Don't check every box? If the role and the way we work resonate with you, we'd still like to hear from you.

• Location: California, open to exact location within business reason and rationale
• Travel: Approximately 50 to 60%, based on business needs. This is intentionally a field-facing role.
• Compensation: Competitive and aligned to experience
• Benefits: Health, retirement, PTO, vehicle allowance, and development support

If you want to do People work close to the business, have the judgment to challenge leaders when needed, and enjoy building stronger organizations rather than simply administering HR programs, apply today.