Job Title: Director of People & Culture

Employer: Buffalo Builders, LLC

Location: Little Rock, Arkansas

Division: Human Resources

Reports to: Chief Legal Officer & Administrative President

Position Summary

Buffalo Builders is seeking a Director of People and Culture to lead all people-related functions across the organization. This is a hands-on leadership role reporting to the Chief Legal Officer & Administrative President, requiring a professional who can operate as both strategist and executor - designing HR strategy at the executive table while personally managing day-to-day HR operations across corporate and field personnel.

This is an especially compelling opportunity for a candidate who wants to build something: as Buffalo Builders executes its growth plan, this role is expected to expand in scope and may evolve into a broader HR leadership position with a growing team, rather than remaining a single-person function indefinitely.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner directly with executive leadership on workforce planning aligned to company growth objectives
• Own full-cycle talent acquisition for both corporate staff and field/project personnel (superintendents, project managers, project engineers, and skilled labor coordination)
• Design and administer compensation structures, annual merit/bonus cycles, and manage the benefits broker relationship
• Handle employee relations matters, including escalated conflicts, performance management, and terminations
• Ensure compliance with EEOC, FLSA, FMLA, ADA, OSHA recordkeeping, I-9/E-Verify, and multi-state wage & hour requirements, including support for prevailing wage and certified payroll compliance on applicable projects
• Draft, maintain, and audit the employee handbook and standalone HR policies
• Own the HRIS platform and coordinate with accounting on payroll administration
• Support onboarding, supervisory training, and safety culture initiatives in partnership with EHS
• Manage workers' compensation claims and monitor the experience modification rate (EMR)
• Develop and execute retention and engagement strategy across a project-based workforce
• Own the HR department budget, including the benefits spend and recruiting costs
• Report workforce metrics (turnover, time-to-fill, compensation ratios, claims trends) to executive leadership

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field
• 8-12 years of progressive HR experience, including at least 3-5 years in a leadership role
• Working knowledge of federal and multi-state employment law (FLSA, FMLA, ADA, EEOC) and ACA employer mandate compliance
• Demonstrated experience with HRIS platforms, compensation benchmarking, and benefits plan design
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to draft clear, enforceable policy documents
• High level of discretion and professional judgment, given regular exposure to executive-level and legally sensitive matters
• Comfort operating with ambiguity in a fast-growing, executive-led environment

Preferred Qualifications

• SHRM-CP/SCP or PHR/SPHR certification
• Prior HR experience within construction, or another industrial/field-based services industry
• Experience supporting prevailing wage or certified payroll compliance
• Experience building or scaling an HR function during a period of company growth
• Experience using artificial intelligence tools to improve HR workflows, recruiting processes, workforce analytics, policy drafting, training content, or employee communications

What Sets This Role Apart

• Direct line of sight to executive leadership and a genuine voice in company strategy
• Ownership of the HR function from the ground up, with real opportunity to shape its structure as the company scales
• A defined growth trajectory: as the organization expands, this position is positioned to grow into a larger HR leadership role overseeing a team, rather than remaining static

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive base salary commensurate with experience, annual performance bonus eligibility, and a comprehensive benefits package. Buffalo Builders believes in taking care of our employees by offering benefits that support their physical, mental, and financial well-being. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), Paid Time Off, paid holidays, training and development, giving back to the community, and much more.

Location & Travel

Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, with occasional travel to other Buffalo Builder's office locations.