Do your best
HR work.
On your terms.
Cema is a boutique fractional HR and people operations firm serving growing businesses across New York and beyond. We partner with experienced HR professionals on an independent contractor basis — meaningful work, flexible engagements, and clients who value what you bring.
- Work with clients who are serious about building great HR
- Flexible engagements — project-based or ongoing retainer
- Collaborative firm culture — you are never working alone
- Competitive rates disclosed upfront — no surprises
- Grow your portfolio across industries and org sizes
Open
opportunities
If you are an experienced HR professional looking for meaningful independent contract work with growing businesses — we want to hear from you.
We are looking for senior HR leaders to serve as embedded fractional HR Directors for our growing client base. You will work directly with founders and executive teams to provide strategic HR guidance, manage employee relations, and build people operations infrastructure.
What you'll do
- Serve as a fractional HR Director for 1–3 client accounts
- Manage employee relations, performance, and compliance
- Advise leadership on people strategy and org design
- Build and refine HR policies and documentation
- Deliver monthly HR reports and people metrics
What we're looking for
- 7+ years of HR generalist or HR leadership experience
- Strong knowledge of NY labor law and federal compliance
- Experience working with small businesses or startups
- PHR, SPHR, or SHRM certification preferred
Rate disclosed in compliance with NY Pay Transparency guidelines
Engagement details
- Ongoing retainer-based engagement
- Estimated 15–25 hrs/week per client
- Primarily remote — occasional NYC in-person as needed
- Rolling start — based on client demand
We are looking for experienced HR Generalists to support our fractional HR engagements. You will work alongside our senior consultants and directly with clients to handle day-to-day HR operations, employee support, and policy administration.
What you'll do
- Support day-to-day HR operations for client accounts
- Handle employee inquiries, documentation, and records
- Assist with policy development and handbook updates
- Support performance management and review cycles
- Maintain compliance tracking and reporting
What we're looking for
- 3–6 years of HR generalist experience
- Solid understanding of HR compliance fundamentals
- Experience with HRIS systems (BambooHR, Rippling, etc.)
- Strong communication and client-facing skills
Rate disclosed in compliance with NY Pay Transparency guidelines
Engagement details
- Ongoing or project-based engagement
- Estimated 10–20 hrs/week per client
- Primarily remote — occasional NYC in-person as needed
- Rolling start — based on client demand
We need specialists who can build HR infrastructure from the ground up. You will lead our HR Infrastructure Build engagements — designing and delivering complete people operations systems for growing businesses that have little to no existing HR foundation.
What you'll do
- Build employee handbooks and comprehensive policy suites
- Design onboarding and offboarding programs
- Set up and configure HRIS platforms for clients
- Develop job architecture and compensation frameworks
- Create performance review systems and templates
What we're looking for
- 5+ years building HR systems and documentation
- Deep experience with HRIS platforms (Rippling, BambooHR, Gusto)
- Strong writing skills for policy and handbook development
- Project management orientation — you deliver on time
Rate disclosed in compliance with NY Pay Transparency guidelines
Engagement details
- Project-based with repeat engagement potential
- Estimated 20–40 hrs per project
- Fully remote
- Rolling start — based on client demand
We are looking for detail-oriented HR Coordinators to support our infrastructure build engagements. You will work alongside our senior consultants to deliver documentation, configure systems, and ensure every build project is completed with precision and care.
What you'll do
- Draft and format HR policies and handbook sections
- Support HRIS setup and data entry for client onboarding
- Organize and maintain project documentation
- Create templates for onboarding, offboarding, and reviews
- Coordinate deliverables and timelines across projects
What we're looking for
- 1–3 years of HR or administrative experience
- Exceptional attention to detail and writing ability
- Comfortable working in Google Workspace and HRIS platforms
- Self-directed and reliable in a remote environment
Rate disclosed in compliance with NY Pay Transparency guidelines
Engagement details
- Project-based engagement
- Estimated 10–20 hrs/week per project
- Fully remote
- Rolling start — based on client demand
We need compliance specialists who can conduct thorough HR audits and deliver clear, actionable remediation plans. You will lead our HR Audit & Compliance Review engagements — assessing clients' current HR posture and identifying gaps before they become liabilities.
What you'll do
- Conduct comprehensive HR audits for client organizations
- Review documentation, policies, and employment practices
- Assess federal, NY state, and local compliance posture
- Identify classification, wage, and hour risks
- Deliver written audit reports with prioritized action plans
What we're looking for
- 7+ years of HR compliance or employment law experience
- Deep knowledge of federal and NY state labor regulations
- Experience conducting HR audits independently
- SPHR, SHRM-SCP, or legal background strongly preferred
Rate disclosed in compliance with NY Pay Transparency guidelines
Engagement details
- Project-based with repeat engagement potential
- Estimated 20–40 hrs per engagement
- Fully remote
- Rolling start — based on client demand
We are looking for compliance-minded HR professionals to support our audit engagements. You will work alongside our senior compliance consultants — gathering documentation, organizing findings, and helping prepare client-facing audit reports and remediation roadmaps.
What you'll do
- Collect and organize HR documentation for audits
- Research applicable federal, state, and local regulations
- Support the preparation of audit findings and reports
- Track remediation action items and deadlines
- Maintain compliance checklists and monitoring tools
What we're looking for
- 3–5 years of HR experience with a compliance focus
- Working knowledge of federal and NY state labor law
- Strong research, writing, and organizational skills
- PHR or SHRM-CP preferred
Rate disclosed in compliance with NY Pay Transparency guidelines
Engagement details
- Project-based engagement
- Estimated 10–20 hrs per engagement
- Fully remote
- Rolling start — based on client demand
We need experienced recruiters to lead end-to-end hiring engagements for our clients. You will manage the full recruiting lifecycle — from job description development through offer extension — for growing businesses across industries.
What you'll do
- Lead full-cycle recruiting for client open roles
- Develop compelling job descriptions and postings
- Source, screen, and present qualified candidates
- Design structured interview processes and scorecards
- Manage offers, negotiations, and pre-boarding
What we're looking for
- 5+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience
- Experience across multiple industries and role types
- Strong sourcing skills — LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed, etc.
- Client-facing and consultative approach to hiring
Rate disclosed in compliance with NY Pay Transparency guidelines
Engagement details
- Ongoing or project-based engagement
- Estimated 15–25 hrs/week per engagement
- Primarily remote — occasional NYC in-person as needed
- Rolling start — based on client demand
We are looking for organized, people-first coordinators to support our recruiting and onboarding engagements. You will work alongside our senior recruiters to keep the hiring process moving smoothly — and ensure every new hire has a structured, welcoming experience from day one.
What you'll do
- Coordinate interview scheduling and candidate communication
- Manage job postings across platforms (LinkedIn, Indeed, etc.)
- Support offer letter preparation and pre-boarding logistics
- Build and execute 30-60-90 day onboarding programs
- Track recruiting metrics and pipeline reporting
What we're looking for
- 1–3 years of recruiting coordination or HR experience
- Highly organized with strong attention to detail
- Excellent written and verbal communication
- Experience with ATS platforms a plus
Rate disclosed in compliance with NY Pay Transparency guidelines
Engagement details
- Project-based or ongoing engagement
- Estimated 10–20 hrs/week per engagement
- Fully remote
- Rolling start — based on client demand
Don't see the right fit? We'd still love to hear from you.
Submit your interest →APPLY NOW
Ready to work with cema?
Submit your application below. If your background is a strong fit, a member of our team will reach out to schedule an introductory conversation.
New York, NY · Serving Nationally