Human Resources Specialist Jobs in California
Human Resources Specialist jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in technology, entertainment, healthcare, and professional services across every level from entry-level HR coordinator to senior HR business partner. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego are the largest hiring metros, home to major employers such as Kaiser Permanente, Disney, and Salesforce that maintain substantial HR teams year-round. Talent acquisition, employee relations, and HR compliance are the most consistently in-demand specializations across California listings. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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<div class="content-intro"><p>Nex is on a mission to help families rediscover the joy of movement. Created by parents for parents, Nex combines technology and play to deliver fun, social, and interactive experiences powered by natural body motion, encouraging kids and adults to move more, play more, and have fun together. Nex Playground, the company’s award-winning active play system, is purpose-built to get families moving year-round, with safety and privacy as core considerations in its intentional design. It is certified kidSAFE+ COPPA compliant and built to support healthy, active play for all ages and abilities.</p>
<p>Nex Playground features a growing library of 50+ experiences, including motion and dance games, fitness and educational experiences, and Nex Originals. Content includes collaborations with partners like Hasbro, Sesame Workshop, and NBCUniversal. Nex has been recognized by Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, TIME’s Best Inventions, and Parents’ Best Entertainment System for Families, and has earned Red Dot, IDEA, and Core77 international design awards. We encourage you to explore <a class="c-link" href="https://www.playthatmovesyou.com/p/have-fun" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.playthatmovesyou.com/p/have-fun" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Have Fun</a> and <a class="c-link" href="https://www.playthatmovesyou.com/p/is-motion-gaming-back" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.playthatmovesyou.com/p/is-motion-gaming-back" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Is Motion Gaming Back?</a>, as they offer a deeper look into our culture, values, and explain how our approach to motion gaming differs from previous generations.</p>
<p>To protect yourself from recruitment scams, please note that Nex communicates through official company emails ending in @nex.inc. If you receive a suspicious email or message, please do not respond and report it immediately to us.</p></div><p><strong>Location: San Jose, CA (On-site) <span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br>Annual salary: USD 90,000– USD 115,000<br>Employment Type: Full-time <br></span>Reports to: People Operations Manager <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p>
<h3><strong>About the Role</strong></h3>
<p>We are looking for a dedicated and detail-oriented People Operations Specialist to help build and run the people experience at Nex. This is a hybrid role—roughly split between People Operations and executive/administrative support for our San Jose office—giving you broad exposure across HR, office operations, and business support as we scale.</p>
<p>You will play a critical part in delivering seamless support to employees and stakeholders across North America and Europe, ensuring an exceptional employee experience. You will handle sensitive employee information with the utmost confidentiality and integrity, focusing on data accuracy and process efficiency. The ideal candidate is a proactive team player with a client-service mindset, a passion for continuous improvement, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment.</p>
<p>This is an on-site role requiring a minimum of 3 days per week in our San Jose office, with occasional travel. You handle sensitive employee data and confidential company information—discretion is essential.</p>
<h3><strong>What You'll Do</strong></h3>
<p><strong>People Operations</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Own the new hire onboarding process end-to-end—HRIS administration, IT coordination, orientation and Day 1 readiness—so every new hire feels the Nex culture from the start</li>
<li>Manage employee lifecycle events including role changes, promotions, compensation adjustments, international transfers, and offboarding with precision and care</li>
<li>Create, maintain, and audit employee records and documentation, ensuring data accuracy and compliance across all systems</li>
<li>Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on People topics, benefits, and policies—responding with speed, clarity, and a genuine desire to help</li>
<li>Maintain and improve People dashboards and reporting—headcount, attrition, onboarding milestones, and other key operational metrics</li>
<li>Support various People projects and initiatives—HRIS implementation, People policies design, implementation and communication, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Office & Administrative Support</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Oversee day-to-day operations of the San Jose office—facilities, vendors, supplies, space management, mail and filing management</li>
<li>Provide administrative support to senior leadership, helping keep priorities organized and operations running smoothly</li>
<li>Hardware inventory budgeting, planning and lifecycle management</li>
<li>Act as the primary contact person for all matters related to corporate and workplace insurance, including renewals and claim administration</li>
<li>Plan and execute team events, company offsites, and employee experience moments—including venue/vendor sourcing, logistics, and coordination</li>
<li>Ensure a high-quality in-office experience that reflects how Nex works: free, flexible, and intentional</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Who You Are</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Required Qualifications</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>4+ years of experience in People Operations, HR administration, or a similar people-facing role—ideally in a fast-paced technology or startup environment</li>
<li>Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with a strong commitment to data integrity and confidentiality</li>
<li>Strong written and verbal communication skills across all channels and audiences</li>
<li>Experience with office management, workplace operations, or event planning</li>
<li>Ability to work independently while collaborating seamlessly with a global team</li>
<li>Ability to manage multiple priorities and pivot quickly in a dynamic environment</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Preferred Qualifications</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Experience with tools in our stack: Notion, Slack, TriNet, Lattice, Deel, and AI tools like Claude</li>
<li>Exposure to People analytics, reporting, or dashboard maintenance</li>
<li>Exposure to office management or workplace experience in a hybrid or distributed setting</li>
<li>Experience in consumer tech, gaming, or hardware companies</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Mindset & Attributes</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>You are a proactive, people-caring and ownership-driven operator—you see gaps and fill them before anyone asks</li>
<li>You are comfortable with ambiguity and genuinely excited about building processes from scratch</li>
<li>You bring Marie Kondo energy to employee records, people systems, and office spaces alike—chaos doesn't stand a chance around you</li>
<li>You are a fast learner who operates with high agency—when you don't know something, you figure it out; when you see an opportunity, you run with it</li>
<li>You are a self-starter who follows through relentlessly, whether it's closing out an onboarding checklist or sourcing a venue for an offsite</li>
<li>You understand that supporting a growing, global team means flexibility—no two days will look the same, and that's what excites you</li>
</ul>
<p>#LI-onsite</p><div class="content-conclusion"><h3><strong class="bold-text-2">We Offer</strong></h3>
<ul class="list-item-16">
<li class="list-item-16">Competitive compensation package.</li>
<li class="list-item-23">Flexible working hours and vacation policy.</li>
<li class="list-item-23">Product-driven culture that treasures talents and individual growth.</li>
<li class="list-item-23">Front-row seat and hands-on experience with cutting edge technologies in the evolving gaming field</li>
</ul>
<p>Nex is located in <strong>San Jose, California, USA</strong> and <strong>Hong Kong</strong>. Learn more about us at <a href="https://www.nex.inc/who-we-are" target="">nex.inc/who-we-are</a>.<br><br>We encourage applications even if you don’t meet more than 50% of the requirements — we believe that experience comes in many forms!</p>
<p data-start="274" data-end="661">Nex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all individuals at every stage of the employment relationship, including all current and prospective employees, and covers all employment decisions including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and termination.</p>
<p data-start="667" data-end="811">We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment and to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.</p></div>
<div class="content-intro"><p>Nex is on a mission to help families rediscover the joy of movement. Created by parents for parents, Nex combines technology and play to deliver fun, social, and interactive experiences powered by natural body motion, encouraging kids and adults to move more, play more, and have fun together. Nex Playground, the company’s award-winning active play system, is purpose-built to get families moving year-round, with safety and privacy as core considerations in its intentional design. It is certified kidSAFE+ COPPA compliant and built to support healthy, active play for all ages and abilities.</p>
<p>Nex Playground features a growing library of 50+ experiences, including motion and dance games, fitness and educational experiences, and Nex Originals. Content includes collaborations with partners like Hasbro, Sesame Workshop, and NBCUniversal. Nex has been recognized by Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, TIME’s Best Inventions, and Parents’ Best Entertainment System for Families, and has earned Red Dot, IDEA, and Core77 international design awards. We encourage you to explore <a class="c-link" href="https://www.playthatmovesyou.com/p/have-fun" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.playthatmovesyou.com/p/have-fun" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Have Fun</a> and <a class="c-link" href="https://www.playthatmovesyou.com/p/is-motion-gaming-back" target="_blank" data-stringify-link="https://www.playthatmovesyou.com/p/is-motion-gaming-back" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Is Motion Gaming Back?</a>, as they offer a deeper look into our culture, values, and explain how our approach to motion gaming differs from previous generations.</p>
<p>To protect yourself from recruitment scams, please note that Nex communicates through official company emails ending in @nex.inc. If you receive a suspicious email or message, please do not respond and report it immediately to us.</p></div><p><strong>Location: San Jose, CA (On-site) <span class="Apple-converted-space"> <br>Annual salary: USD 90,000– USD 115,000<br>Employment Type: Full-time <br></span>Reports to: People Operations Manager <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></p>
<h3><strong>About the Role</strong></h3>
<p>We are looking for a dedicated and detail-oriented People Operations Specialist to help build and run the people experience at Nex. This is a hybrid role—roughly split between People Operations and executive/administrative support for our San Jose office—giving you broad exposure across HR, office operations, and business support as we scale.</p>
<p>You will play a critical part in delivering seamless support to employees and stakeholders across North America and Europe, ensuring an exceptional employee experience. You will handle sensitive employee information with the utmost confidentiality and integrity, focusing on data accuracy and process efficiency. The ideal candidate is a proactive team player with a client-service mindset, a passion for continuous improvement, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment.</p>
<p>This is an on-site role requiring a minimum of 3 days per week in our San Jose office, with occasional travel. You handle sensitive employee data and confidential company information—discretion is essential.</p>
<h3><strong>What You'll Do</strong></h3>
<p><strong>People Operations</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Own the new hire onboarding process end-to-end—HRIS administration, IT coordination, orientation and Day 1 readiness—so every new hire feels the Nex culture from the start</li>
<li>Manage employee lifecycle events including role changes, promotions, compensation adjustments, international transfers, and offboarding with precision and care</li>
<li>Create, maintain, and audit employee records and documentation, ensuring data accuracy and compliance across all systems</li>
<li>Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on People topics, benefits, and policies—responding with speed, clarity, and a genuine desire to help</li>
<li>Maintain and improve People dashboards and reporting—headcount, attrition, onboarding milestones, and other key operational metrics</li>
<li>Support various People projects and initiatives—HRIS implementation, People policies design, implementation and communication, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Office & Administrative Support</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Oversee day-to-day operations of the San Jose office—facilities, vendors, supplies, space management, mail and filing management</li>
<li>Provide administrative support to senior leadership, helping keep priorities organized and operations running smoothly</li>
<li>Hardware inventory budgeting, planning and lifecycle management</li>
<li>Act as the primary contact person for all matters related to corporate and workplace insurance, including renewals and claim administration</li>
<li>Plan and execute team events, company offsites, and employee experience moments—including venue/vendor sourcing, logistics, and coordination</li>
<li>Ensure a high-quality in-office experience that reflects how Nex works: free, flexible, and intentional</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Who You Are</strong></h3>
<p><strong>Required Qualifications</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>4+ years of experience in People Operations, HR administration, or a similar people-facing role—ideally in a fast-paced technology or startup environment</li>
<li>Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with a strong commitment to data integrity and confidentiality</li>
<li>Strong written and verbal communication skills across all channels and audiences</li>
<li>Experience with office management, workplace operations, or event planning</li>
<li>Ability to work independently while collaborating seamlessly with a global team</li>
<li>Ability to manage multiple priorities and pivot quickly in a dynamic environment</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Preferred Qualifications</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Experience with tools in our stack: Notion, Slack, TriNet, Lattice, Deel, and AI tools like Claude</li>
<li>Exposure to People analytics, reporting, or dashboard maintenance</li>
<li>Exposure to office management or workplace experience in a hybrid or distributed setting</li>
<li>Experience in consumer tech, gaming, or hardware companies</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Mindset & Attributes</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>You are a proactive, people-caring and ownership-driven operator—you see gaps and fill them before anyone asks</li>
<li>You are comfortable with ambiguity and genuinely excited about building processes from scratch</li>
<li>You bring Marie Kondo energy to employee records, people systems, and office spaces alike—chaos doesn't stand a chance around you</li>
<li>You are a fast learner who operates with high agency—when you don't know something, you figure it out; when you see an opportunity, you run with it</li>
<li>You are a self-starter who follows through relentlessly, whether it's closing out an onboarding checklist or sourcing a venue for an offsite</li>
<li>You understand that supporting a growing, global team means flexibility—no two days will look the same, and that's what excites you</li>
</ul>
<p>#LI-onsite</p><div class="content-conclusion"><h3><strong class="bold-text-2">We Offer</strong></h3>
<ul class="list-item-16">
<li class="list-item-16">Competitive compensation package.</li>
<li class="list-item-23">Flexible working hours and vacation policy.</li>
<li class="list-item-23">Product-driven culture that treasures talents and individual growth.</li>
<li class="list-item-23">Front-row seat and hands-on experience with cutting edge technologies in the evolving gaming field</li>
</ul>
<p>Nex is located in <strong>San Jose, California, USA</strong> and <strong>Hong Kong</strong>. Learn more about us at <a href="https://www.nex.inc/who-we-are" target="">nex.inc/who-we-are</a>.<br><br>We encourage applications even if you don’t meet more than 50% of the requirements — we believe that experience comes in many forms!</p>
<p data-start="274" data-end="661">Nex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all individuals at every stage of the employment relationship, including all current and prospective employees, and covers all employment decisions including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and termination.</p>
<p data-start="667" data-end="811">We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment and to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.</p></div>
See All 139+ Human Resources Specialist Jobs in California
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Find JobsHuman Resources Specialist Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Human Resources Specialist Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- California State University7
- DPR Construction4
- Mrl San Francisco4
- The People Concern4
- TikTok4
Top Industries Hiring
- Education25
- Technology & Software17
- Healthcare & Medical Services11
- Construction & Real Estate8
- Science & Research8
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in human resources specialist jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field
- PHR or SHRM-CP certification preferred by many California employers
- Two or more years of HR generalist or specialist experience in a California workplace
- Familiarity with California labor law including CFRA, FEHA, and wage-and-hour regulations
- Proficiency with HRIS platforms such as Workday, ADP, or SAP SuccessFactors
- Strong written and verbal communication skills for employee-facing HR functions
Human Resources Specialist Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a human resources specialist in California?
A bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field is the standard starting point for human resources specialist roles in California. California does not require a state-issued license to practice HR, but professional credentials such as the SHRM-CP or PHR are widely expected by mid-size and large employers. Because California has some of the most complex employment laws in the country, hiring managers consistently prioritize candidates who demonstrate working knowledge of FEHA, CFRA, and California wage-and-hour rules.
How much do human resources specialists make in California?
Human resources specialists in California earn a median of about $83,500 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $52,770 for the lowest 10% to over $151,410 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire human resources specialists in California?
Employers hiring human resources specialists in California right now include California State University, DPR Construction, and Mrl San Francisco, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's concentration of large technology firms, healthcare systems, and entertainment studios means HR specialist demand is spread across a particularly wide range of industries.
Which California cities have the most human resources specialist jobs?
San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego have the most human resources specialist openings in California. The distribution closely follows corporate density: Los Angeles draws volume from entertainment, healthcare, and retail headquarters, San Francisco and San Jose reflect the technology sector's ongoing HR hiring, and San Diego adds openings from its biotech and defense industries.
Are there remote human resources specialist jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 19% of human resources specialist openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting the desk-based and systems-driven nature of much HR specialist work. Employee relations coaching, HRIS administration, benefits coordination, and talent acquisition are the functions most likely to be offered on a fully remote or hybrid basis.
How can I get hired as a human resources specialist in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is an HR coordinator or HR assistant role, which California's large employers including Kaiser Permanente, the University of California system, and major technology firms regularly post as new-grad positions. A SHRM student membership and the SHRM-CP exam, which can be sat before completing a degree, signals commitment to California recruiters. Lateral moves from roles such as recruiting coordinator, payroll administrator, or office manager are common in-roads, particularly at mid-size California companies that treat those positions as on-ramps to broader HR responsibilities.
Where can I find and apply to human resources specialist jobs in California?
You can find and apply to human resources specialist jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across industries and experience levels. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly from the listing.
See All 139+ Human Resources Specialist Jobs in California
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