As the Head of Talent and People Services, you will serve as a member of the Operations management team and play a significant role in the decision making that affects the ODI workforce. You will lead the development of priorities, policies, and practices pertaining to recruitment and hiring, classification and pay determination, transactions, strategic planning, workforce development, succession planning, performance management, return to work and organizational change management.
Location: The employee’s workstation is located in Sacramento, CA. This position provides telework opportunities in accordance with agency telework policies. ODI is currently operating in a hybrid work environment with staff reporting to the office 2 days a week to either Sacramento HQ or our Oakland Hub.
Annual Salary: $104,580 – $118,788
Benefits: The state offers many benefits, including pension, health benefits (including after retirement), life insurance, employee assistance program, and much more.
Last day to apply: Final filing date is January 20, 2026.
What you’ll do
- Develop and implement initiatives to increase equality, diversity, and promote a culture of inclusion within the workplace.
- Oversee the strategy and processes for attracting, developing, and retaining top talent.
- Provide comprehensive leadership in the development, performance, and overall employee experience of ODI staff with regards to personnel matters.
- Support ODI employees throughout their employment journey.
- Ensure ODI is in compliance with laws, rules, policies, and procedures as they relate to personnel matters.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership, managers, and employees on a wide range of HR matters.
You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.
We have a guide to the civil service application process. It covers:
- How to apply
- Civil service exams
- Interviews
Desirable qualifications
We encourage you to apply regardless of whether you think you meet 100% of the desirable qualifications.
- You care deeply about candidate and employee needs and want to provide exceptional customer service to build bridges to meet them
- Proficiency in managing HR operations and programs
- Strong background in talent acquisition, workforce strategy, classification and pay, performance management, transactions, exams, position control, and return-to-work benefits
- In-depth knowledge of the California civil service merit system
- In-depth knowledge of interpreting and applying laws, rules, policies,and procedures as they relate to classification allocation, payroll, personnel, leave, and benefit transactions
- In-depth knowledge of California labor laws, regulations, and policies (CalHR, SPB, SCO)
- Proven experience in developing and implementing comprehensive HR strategies
- Experience in HR consultation, policy development, and compliance auditing
- Expertise in fostering a culture of equality, diversity, and inclusion
- Experience utilizing Google Suite, BreezyHR, Tempo Timekeeping, ECOS, HRNet, Personnel Information Management System (PIMS), California Leave Accounting System (CLAS), Management Information Retrieval System (MIRS), Lucid, and Airtable
- Capable of providing training and mentorship to ensure compliance and skill development within the HR team
About ODI
We deliver better services to Californians through technology and design. We do so through close partnership with other state departments. Our goal is to create programs and products that are more equitable and effective. We listen to Californians who use a program now or may do so tomorrow and learn about what they need.
We:
- Build tools and products
- Create and enhance digital services
- Conduct research
- Identify data solutions
- Offer training
We are a cross-discipline staff with blended backgrounds in:
- Design
- Engineering
- Product
- Operations
- Data
- Research
- Policy
- Strategy
Learn more about ODI’s vision and mission.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion at ODI
Diversity, equity, and inclusion help us deliver better government services to Californians.
- Fostering diversity inspires better ideas and more innovative thinking.
- Feeling included nurtures a shared sense of community. This drives us to take collective action on challenging problems.
- Prioritizing equity ensures we build solutions for people whose needs are often overlooked.
We acknowledge our history and present of implicit and structural injustice, bias, and discrimination. We see, hear, and accept each other and the lived experiences we bring to our work. We support each other in learning and developing so we can help all Californians thrive.
We understand this work is never done. That’s why we commit to constant improvement.