H2A Manager

Pay: Up to $130,000.00 per year (dependent on experience and expertise)

Department: Human Resources

Status: Exempt

Location: Company-wide/ multi-location

Position Summary

The H2A Manager is responsible for supporting the company's H2A department and supervising day-to-day H2A program activities, including workforce planning support, recruitment and selection coordination, worker onboarding, consular and border-crossing logistics, housing procurement, housing compliance, transportation, meal coordination, worker support, recordkeeping, audits, and regulatory compliance.

This position ensures the company's H2A program is administered in compliance with applicable federal and state requirements, including the DOL, USCIS, SWA requirements, California employee housing rules, and company policies. The role also provides supervision to H2A staff and coordinates with operations, housing vendors, transportation providers, and caterers.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

H2A Program Leadership and Compliance

• Support the company's H2A program across operating areas, ensuring timely execution of recruitment, housing, onboarding, worker movement, active management, and closeout activities.
• Maintain overall responsibility for H2A compliance with applicable federal, state, and company standards.
• Coordinate with HR, payroll, operations, housing teams, and managers to ensure
• H2A contracts and worker records are accurate and complete.
• Monitor H2A contract periods, first date worked, 50% recruitment periods, extensions, replacements, terminations, abandonments, early completions, and end-of-season reporting. Maintain audit-ready H2A records.

Recruitment and Selection Oversight

Housing Procurement and Capacity Planning

• Lead the process of identifying, evaluating, securing, and maintaining sufficient housing for H2A workers and eligible corresponding workers.
• Develop housing capacity plans based on crew assignments, arrival dates, work locations, transportation routes, and operational needs.
• Evaluate potential housing for location, capacity, cost, transportation feasibility, safety, compliance readiness, vendor reliability, and worker suitability.
• Negotiate, review, and coordinate housing contracts, housing letters, facility agreements, vendor expectations, and renewal timelines.

Housing Compliance and Inspections

• Ensure all company-provided or company-arranged H2A housing meets applicable federal, state, and local housing standards before occupancy and throughout the season.
• Oversee permit-to-operate processes, inspection scheduling, inspection readiness, corrective action tracking, and housing documentation.
• Conduct or supervise recurring housing inspections, including pre-occupancy, weekly/monthly, 50% period, post-season, and final walkthrough inspections.
• Manage housing maintenance requests, worker complaints, QR/app-based maintenance systems, vendor follow-up, and documented resolution.
• Ensure housing inventory is available and properly controlled, including bedding, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, furniture, appliances, safety supplies, and other required items.
• Supervise housing coordinators, housekeepers, and facility support processes, including task schedules, timesheets, and daily activity reporting.

Transportation, Consular, Border Crossing and Arrival Logistics

• Oversee transportation planning for recruitment events, consular appointments, border crossing, arrivals, departures, daily worker transportation, and end-of- season returns.
• Partner with operations to confirm crew start dates, work locations, supervisor
• contacts, meal schedules, and transportation logistics.
• Meals, Catering, Subsistence and Reimbursements
• Oversee meal plan creation, catering contracts, catering letters, meal schedules, and meal deduction controls.
• Coordinate with caterers, housing staff, operations, and payroll to ensure meals are provided or kitchen facilities are available as required by applicable requirements.
• Review and approve housing, catering, transportation, hotel, and H2A vendor invoices for accuracy, coding, and payment processing.

Worker Support, Employee Relations and Field/Housing Presence

• Serve as a key point of contact for H2A workers regarding housing, meals, transportation, payroll questions, employment verification requests, reimbursements, complaints, concerns, and general support.
• Visit housing sites, offices, and crews regularly to confirm working and living conditions, resolve concerns, and reinforce company expectations.
• Partner with HR, safety, payroll, and operations on employee matters.
• Build positive working relationships with H2A workers, corresponding workers, supervisors, foremen, managers, vendors, and agency partners.

Department Management and Process Improvement

• Lead, train, coach, and support H2A department staff, including administrative, recruitment, housing, and regional support roles.
• Assign responsibilities, monitor task completion, identify coverage gaps, and ensure accountability across all H2A functions.
• Develop and improve processes for tracking recruitment, housing, meals, transportation, inspections, worker assignments, invoices, active counts, and compliance deadlines.
• Provide weekly or periodic updates to leadership regarding program status.
• Participate in strategic planning for labor needs, housing expansion, vendor sourcing, compliance improvements, and seasonal readiness.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position may supervise or provide functional directions to H2A department staff, including recruitment and selection coordinators, housing administrators, housing coordinators, administrative coordinators, clerks, seasonal support staff, and regional H2A support personnel. 

This position does not oversee petition administration, job order preparation, or filing responsibilities.

Required Qualifications

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines, locations, vendors, crews, and worker groups.
• Ability to read, understand, and apply contracts, agency requirements, policies, and compliance procedures.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Excel, SharePoint, HR/payroll systems, H2A platforms, and document tracking systems.
• Ability to travel frequently to fields, recruitment events, border locations, and other company operations.
• Valid driver's license and acceptable driving record under company policy.
• Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred or required.

Education and Experience

• Associate degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Agriculture, Compliance, or related field preferred.
• Equivalent experience may substitute for education.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in agricultural operations, HR, compliance, H2A administration, housing management, or labor program supervision preferred.
• Prior supervisory or department leadership experience preferred.
• Experience with recruitment reports, housing inspections, worker onboarding, transportation logistics, and vendor management strongly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Agricultural workforce planning.
• Recruitment and selection documentation.
• Worker relations and complaint resolution.
• Internal auditing and corrective action tracking.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage seasonal deadlines.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism.
• Strong analytical, spreadsheet, and reporting skills.
• Ability to build relationships with workers, supervisors, managers, agencies, and vendors.

Physical Demands

• Sitting for extended periods.
• Walking housing facilities, fields, parking areas, hotel sites, and uneven outdoor surfaces.
• Driving for extended periods and traveling between company locations.
• Lifting or moving items up to 50 pounds occasionally.
• Bending, reaching, stooping, pushing, pulling, and manual dexterity as needed.
• Exposure to outdoor agricultural environments, housing facilities, field operations, cold rooms, noisy equipment areas, and variable weather conditions.
• Communicating by phone, radio, email, text, and in person in both office and field environments.

Work Environment

This position works in a fast-paced, seasonal agricultural environment with frequent interruptions, shifting deadlines, multi-location coordination, and regular interaction with employees, workers, vendors, agencies, supervisors, and management. The position requires flexibility in schedule, including early mornings, evenings, weekends, travel, and urgent response during peak H2A activity periods. Salary is dependent on experience and expertise.

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Education:

• Associate (Required)

Experience:

• Managerial experience 3 years (Required)

Willingness to travel:

• 75% (Preferred)