Head of Human Resources (Sr. Mgr / Director)

Head of Human Resources (Sr. Mgr / Director) - Human Resources Human Resources - Manager Portland, ME · Hybrid Human Resources Management · Human Resources Generalist · People & Culture $75,000 – $85,000 / year

Hearts of Pine and Maine Wildness are looking for a builder. Not someone who just processes paperwork, waits for a playbook, or needs a department behind them. We seek a hands-on HR leader who can help shape how we hire and support our people. This fast-paced role covers the full spectrum of HR operations, player care, and culture building. One moment you might be onboarding a new stadium associate, the next you're working through a payroll change with our Controller, meeting confidentially with a player as our Player Care Officer, guiding a difficult conversation, or helping leadership turn our values into everyday expectations. You'll be our HR team of one, supporting everyone across the club: our business staff, the players and coaches of our men's and women's teams, and the part-time associates who welcome fans at the stadium and the retail store. You'll work directly alongside club leadership as a trusted, confidential partner, with room to grow the role as the club grows. This is a role for someone who is comfortable handling the nitty-gritty details of people operations, while also helping us shape the future of the club. Annual Base Salary Range: $75,000 to $85,000, plus bonus

A Note on Role Flexibility

This role will involve a mix of time in office, time at the practice field with players, and time at our stadium and retail store. We do need someone who can be on-site at these locations in Portland, Maine, but we are comfortable with some of your work being done at home. We're hiring for a full-time role, but we know that great people don't always come with traditional schedules. If you believe you are an outstanding candidate with the experience and cultural fit we are looking for, but due to schedule availability and/or serving other clients, you would only be able to work fractionally (at least 20 hours per week, on average), we'd still love to hear from you.

Responsibilities

Own onboarding and offboarding for business staff, players, coaches, and part-time associates, including new hire paperwork, background checks, employment eligibility, orientation, and required training.

Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws, including wage-and-hour, scheduling, and timekeeping rules for hourly and part-time associates.

Partner with the Controller to keep payroll accurate and on time, including new hires, terminations, pay changes, and leave.

Serve as the club's league-mandated Player Care Officer

Maintain accurate, confidential personnel files and HR data, and handle employment verifications.

Manage benefits administration, including annual renewals, open enrollment, and team member questions.

Keep policies and the team member handbook current, and track required trainings.

Be a genuinely trusted and confidential resource for staff and players, and a credible intermediary between employees and leadership.

Address interpersonal friction early, facilitate difficult conversations, and conduct workplace investigations with professionalism and discretion.

Support hiring managers, including high-volume hiring for part-time stadium and retail associates, and help hire people who are excellent at their jobs and aligned with our culture.

Build an onboarding experience that makes people feel welcome from day one, and find ways to improve engagement and retention.

As the HR foundation takes shape, help translate our mission, vision, and values into clear expectations for communication, collaboration, feedback, and professional conduct.

Establish consistent approaches to 1-1s, goal-setting, performance reviews, and feedback, and coach managers to use them well.

Help clarify roles, responsibilities, and decision-making as we grow, and spot workload and capacity gaps before they lead to burnout.

Identify role-specific professional development opportunities for staff.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

5+ years of progressive HR experience, ideally in a sports, start-up, hospitality, or community-focused organization where you've demonstrated an ability to "wear multiple hats" on a small team.

Bonus points if you have experience in sports or entertainment.

Experience running HR independently or as a generalist across the full employee lifecycle.

Strong working knowledge of federal and state employment law and compliance.

Hands-on experience with onboarding, benefits administration, HRIS, and partnering with finance on payroll.

Experience handling sensitive employee relations matters, including investigations.

Unquestionable integrity, sound judgment, and absolute discretion with confidential information.

High emotional intelligence, with the confidence to have uncomfortable conversations and challenge leadership constructively.

Approachable, and naturally skilled at earning trust.

Proactive and highly organized, able to manage competing priorities and spot problems before they escalate.

Capable of moving comfortably between the day-to-day details and the bigger picture.

Experience with athlete welfare or safeguarding programs, SHRM or HRCI certification, and Spanish language skills are all a plus.

Availability to support home matchdays and other major events (often on weekends), plus evenings as needed.

Must have U.S. work authorization.

Cultural Fit

A builder at heart, energized by creating something meaningful and growing along with our ambitious team.

Genuinely cares about people, and believes a great workplace is built on clear standards, honest feedback, and real support.

Thrives in collaborative, cross-functional environments where communication, flexibility, and teamwork matter.

Comfortable with startup energy and a "no task too small" mentality.

Holds a sincere connection to, and active curiosity about, Maine, its people, and its culture.

Represents the club through professionalism, empathy, discretion, and integrity in every interaction.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.