People Operations Manager Jobs in Virginia

HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) MANAGER

MILITARY FRIENDLY SKILLBRIDGE SPONSOR

Zermount is seeking a HR Manager serves as the senior and hands-on HR professional for a growing Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) providing cybersecurity, Enterprise IT, and Technical Management services to federal government and commercial clients.

The Human Resources Manager leads the organization's human resources function and serves as the primary authority for HR operations, employee relations, compliance, workforce planning, and talent acquisition oversight. This role ensures HR programs support the organization's growth while maintaining compliance with federal contractor regulations and employment laws.

The HR Manager partners closely with executive leadership, program managers, and recruiting staff to ensure the company attracts, develops, and retains the workforce required to support corporate growth and contract performance.

The HR Manager ensures organizational alignment with federal labor regulations, contract-specific staffing requirements, and corporate governance standards; all well partnering closely with executive leadership, Directors, and Program / Project Managers.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

HR Management and Operations

• Lead and manage day-to-day HR operations supporting corporate and contract staff.
• Manage HR personnel including Talent Acquisition and HR operations staff.
• Maintain HR policies, procedures, and the employee handbook to ensure compliance and operational consistency.
• Ensure HR programs support organizational growth, contract performance, and operational efficiency.
• Align workforce planning with contract requirements, business development pipeline, and growth strategies.
• Provide tactical HR guidance and workforce insights to executive leadership.
• Develop and implement HR initiatives that support organizational performance, retention, and employee engagement.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and security of employee records and sensitive personnel information.

HR Administration, Infrastructure, and Operational Excellence

• Maintain and update employee handbook, policies, and procedures to reflect federal contractor obligations and multi-state employment compliance.
• Lead implementation, optimization, and governance of HR systems (HCMS/HRIS and ATS) to support scalable HR operations.
• Oversee onboarding and offboarding programs to ensure compliance, consistent processes, data accuracy, quality, and positive employee experience.
• Lead performance management programs and processes aligned with company objectives, contract performance expectations, corporate goals, and best practices.
• Develop and maintain HR policies, operational documentation, internal controls, and SOPs to ensure HR continuity and scalability.
• Manage day-to-day HR administration activities.
• Ensure maintenance of accurate and compliant HR documentation including personnel files, records, medical files, I-9 files, and other required employee documentation.
• Maintain document retention processes consistent with federal contractor and employment law requirements.
• Conduct periodic HR records and personnel file audits to ensure compliance and data accuracy.
• Maintain HR data integrity and reporting capabilities within HR systems.

Talent Acquisition

• Oversee talent acquisition operations supporting corporate and contract staffing needs.
• Partner with program managers and leadership to forecast workforce needs aligned with contract performance, pipeline opportunities, and proposal efforts.
• Monitor recruiting performance metrics including time-to-fill, pipeline strength, and offer acceptance rates.
• Maintain awareness of labor market conditions and compensation trends in GovCon cybersecurity, technical, and professional services markets.
• Support development of recruiting pipelines for high-demand roles.
• Provide recruiting guidance and support for difficult or high-priority roles.
• Ensure the talent acquisition and recruiting processes includes all required steps and is conducted accordingly to ensure personnel meet contractual, federal, and security compliance standards.
• Assist with the development and implementation of proactive sourcing strategies to meet position requirements, staffing timelines, and pipeline objectives.
• Manage talent acquisition/recruiting personnel and step in operationally as needed.
• Support employer branding initiatives to strengthen the company's presence in the GovCon talent marketplace.

Employee Relations and Performance Management

• Serve as senior advisor on employee relations matters, including conflict resolution, performance management, employee relations, and corrective and disciplinary actions.
• Conduct workplace investigations and ensure appropriate documentation and resolution.
• Guide managers on performance improvement plans, disciplinary actions, compensation actions, and employee development - in contract-driven environments tied to client satisfaction.
• Ensure performance management processes align with company objectives and contract performance expectations.
• Promote a culture of accountability, professionalism, and security awareness aligned with corporate values and missions.

Compensation, Workforce Analytics, and Retention

• Support the development of compensation structures and salary bands aligned to federal labor categories and market benchmarks.
• Conduct compensation benchmarking and labor market analysis for technical and professional roles (current or future positions).
• Ensure proper contract and corporate labor category (LCAT) mapping and wage determination alignment to mitigate SCA and pricing risk.
• Monitor and utilizes performance measures and workforce analytics dashboards to meet metrics such as turnover, utilization, HR metrics, compliance with contract and corporate LCATs, Talent Acquisition metrics, trends, etc.
• Provide workforce insights and reporting to executive leadership.
• Provide data-driven analysis on turnover, retention, utilization, billability, trends, and talent and skills gaps to inform executive decision-making.

Benefits Administration and Management

• Manage employee health and welfare plans and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Manage employee benefits programs including health, retirement, disability, ancillary benefits and retirement plans; as well as plan changes and claim resolution.
• Maintain relationships with benefits brokers and external vendors.
• Lead annual open enrollment and benefits communication initiatives.
• Ensure competitive and compliant compensation practices and packages.
• Ensure compliance with ACA reporting, COBRA administration, ERISA requirements, and applicable regulatory requirements and state laws.
• Review and assist in the reconciliation of benefits broker invoices monthly and communicate necessary adjustments in a timely manner.

Compliance, Risk Management, and Auditing

• Serve as the company's primary HR compliance authority, ensuring adherence to and compliance with federal contractor regulations including FAR and DFARS; EEOC, workers compensation, Service Contract Act (SCA), as applicable; VEVRAA; Section 503; and EEO-1 reporting requirements.
• Lead the development, annual update, and documentation of Affirmative Action Plans (AAP) and associated reporting.
• Prepare and coordinate responses to OFCCP audits or compliance reviews.
• Conduct internal compliance audits/reviews of FLSA classification, SCA applicability, wage determinations, and labor category alignment.
• Partner with FINCON to ensure DCAA-compliant timekeeping and labor charging practices, resulting in corporate audit readiness and payroll accuracy.
• Ensure compliance with I-9 and employment eligibility verification requirements.
• Partner with Facility Security Officer (FSO) to ensure workforce practices align with NIST 800-171, CMMC for personnel for security controls and ensure workforce practices align with federal security requirements.
• Maintain compliant document retention practices in accordance with federal and state requirements.
• Oversee background screening processes and workforce eligibility documentation.
• Monitor evolving federal, state, and local employment laws and implement policy updates as necessary and as changes happen.
• Ensure required workforce training programs are implemented and tracked.
• Mitigate workforce-related risk associated with contract transitions, reductions in force, and clearance changes.
• Oversee HR policy updates and ensure effective communication of changes.
• Manage unemployment claims, workers' compensation cases, and employment-related risk mitigation.
• Oversee clearance tracking processes and ensure compliant onboarding/offboarding of cleared personnel.

Workforce Planning and Organizational Development

• Support workforce planning aligned with contract growth and capture strategies.
• Support proposal staffing strategies including workforce forecasting and recruiting pipelines.
• Lead workforce transition planning related to contract wins, losses, or organizational changes.
• Recommend HR organizational improvements to support company growth.
• Administer employee health and welfare plans and ensure compliance with applicable regulations.
• Lead employee engagement initiatives and retention strategies.
• Support leadership development and HR training programs.
• Promote a professional, compliant, and performance-driven workplace culture.

Policy Development and Governance

• Develop and update HR policies, processes, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Maintain current, compliant, and clearly communicated and enforce HR policies, processes, guidelines, and standards to all employees.
• Conduct research and stay up to date with HR best practices, industry trends, and employment law to ensure compliance and promote continuous improvement.
• Develop practical, scalable HR processes to support current and future operations.
• Evaluate and recommend HR organizational structure enhancements to support anticipated growth.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact with employees at all levels.
• Experience in handling employee relations and conflict resolution.
• Familiarity with federal and state employment laws and regulations.
• Proficiency in HCMS or HRIS platforms (e.g., iSolved, SAGE, ADP, etc.), and MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational and time management abilities.
• Experience in the benefits of administration and payroll coordination is preferred.
• Experience managing timesheets and timecards.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects with competing deadlines.

QUALIFICATIONS (MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND COMPETENCIES)

• 7+ years of progressive leadership experience in a regulated environment (federal government, DoD, or federal contractor).
• 3+ years of experience supporting federal government contracting.
• Experience supporting cleared workforce.
• Demonstrated experience advising executive leadership.
• Demonstrated experience with federal regulatory compliance, audit readiness, or internal controls.
• Experience managing personnel and advising senior leadership.
• Working knowledge of federal appropriations, fiscal law, or DoD financial management principles.
• Ability to interpret and implement regulatory requirements.
• Strong documentation, reporting, and policy implementation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to quickly develop subject matter expertise in employment law and HR compliance.
• Familiarity with FAR/DFARS, federal labor compliance, or federal workforce regulations.
• Exposure to personnel management, civilian workforce administration, or manpower planning.
• Experience with personnel management and payroll systems (e.g., HRIS, HCMS, Cost Accounting Systems, etc.) and handling sensitive documents with high security.
• Possesses strong analytical skills and has high integrity and discretion.

EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, or related field.
• A minimum of one (1) HR certification (PHR, SPHR, or SHRM) is required within six (6) months after start of date.

WORK LOCATION

The primary location is Zermount HQ (Arlington, VA).

HOURS OF OPERATION

• Zermount's official corporate business hours are from 8:00 am ET to 7:00 pm ET.