Job Title: US HR compliance and operations
Location: Guadalajara, Mexico
About the Role
We are hiring an HR Operations Manager based in Mexico whose day-to-day expertise is built almost entirely around US HR compliance and operations — this is not a generalist or Mexico-labor-law role. The ideal candidate has spent the overwhelming majority of their career (90%+) working inside US employment law, US payroll, US benefits, and US HRIS systems, and is now applying that expertise remotely from Mexico. You will be the sole go-to HR partner for our entire US workforce.
Key Responsibilities
US HR Operations & Compliance (Core Focus — ~60% of role)
- Manage end-to-end US HR operations: onboarding, offboarding, benefits administration, and employee records — under US legal frameworks only.
- Ensure full compliance with US federal, state, and local employment law: FLSA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII, COBRA, ACA, EEO, OSHA, and state-specific statutes (e.g., CA, NY, TX, WA-specific requirements).
- Maintain US employee handbooks, HR policies, and SOPs aligned to current US labor legislation across all states where the company employs staff.
- Coordinate with US legal counsel and US benefits brokers on compliance matters, audits, and federal/state filings (EEO-1, I-9, W-4, W-2, state new-hire reporting, etc.).
- Track multi-state employment obligations: wage and hour law, state paid leave mandates, pay transparency laws, and workplace safety standards — across every state the company has US employees in.
US HR Technology & Systems
- Administer and optimize US-market HRIS platforms (BambooHR, Rippling, Gusto, ADP, Workday, or similar) — hands-on, production-level experience required, not just familiarity.
- Build automations/integrations that reduce manual work in US payroll, benefits enrollment, time tracking, and compliance reporting.
- Evaluate and recommend US-specific HR tech (multi-state payroll tools, US benefits platforms, US background-check/I-9 verification tools).
- Produce reporting/dashboards on US headcount, turnover, compensation benchmarking, and compliance status for leadership.
US Payroll & Benefits Coordination
- Own coordination of US multi-state payroll with third-party US payroll providers — accuracy and timeliness across every payroll cycle.
- Manage US benefits enrollment cycles (open enrollment, qualifying life events) and act as primary liaison with US benefits vendors/brokers.
- Ensure correct US tax withholding and reporting in line with IRS and relevant state tax agency requirements.
US Employee Relations & Support
- Serve as the trusted HR contact for US-based employees only — policy questions, benefits questions, workplace concerns.
- Support US-based managers on performance management, documentation, and corrective action, fully aligned with US employment law standards (at-will employment nuances, documentation requirements, etc.).
- Handle sensitive US employee relations matters with discretion and legal accuracy.
Cross-Border Execution (Secondary — the "remote-from-Mexico" logistics, not the HR expertise itself)
- Work US business hours from a Mexico base; align communication and availability to US teams/time zones.
- Apply your US HR knowledge without needing local Mexican HR context to translate — the workforce, laws, and systems in scope are 100% US.
Required Qualifications
- 3–5 years of US HR operations experience, with a minimum of 90% of total professional HR experience specifically in US-based HR functions (US companies, US employees, US compliance frameworks). Please specify this breakdown clearly in your application/resume.
- Deep, current, hands-on knowledge of US federal and multi-state employment law (not theoretical/course-based — applied, on-the-job experience).
- Demonstrated hands-on administration of at least one major US HRIS/payroll platform (BambooHR, Rippling, Gusto, ADP, Workday, or comparable).
- Direct experience running US payroll cycles and US benefits administration (not delegated/outsourced oversight only — actual hands-on ownership).
- Business-fluent to native English (written and verbal) — this is a hard requirement given the exclusively US-facing nature of the role.
- High discretion and professionalism handling confidential US employee data (PII, health data, compensation).
- Self-starter, highly organized, able to operate independently in a fully remote, US-hours-aligned schedule.
- Currently based in Mexico with legal authorization to work remotely from Mexico.
Disqualifying Factors (Please Do Not Apply If)
- Your HR experience is primarily in Mexican labor law (LFT) or general LATAM HR with only minor/indirect US exposure.
- You have not personally administered a US HRIS/payroll system in a hands-on capacity.
- You do not have direct, applied experience with US multi-state compliance (this is not a role to learn US HR from scratch).
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
- US-recognized HR certification: PHR, SHRM-CP, or equivalent.
- Prior experience specifically supporting a US workforce from a nearshore/international location (i.e., you've done exactly this setup before).
- Familiarity with Employer of Record (EOR) platforms for any non-US hires the company may add in the future.
- Proficiency with Slack, Notion, Google Workspace, Asana, or similar collaboration tools.
- Spanish language skills (nice-to-have, not required — the role does not involve Mexican HR work).
- Experience scaling US HR operations in a startup/high-growth environment (1–100 employees).
What We Offer
- Competitive, USD-benchmarked compensation.
- Ownership of building US HR operations from the ground up.
- Collaborative, mission-driven team culture.
- Professional development support and learning resources.
Equal Opportunity Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.