Location: Nosara, Costa Rica (preferred) or Remote with travel

Reports To: Senior Leadership

Build More Than HR Systems: Help Build the Future of Regenerative Real Estate! Shift Living is a regenerative real estate development company on a mission to redefine how communities are conceived, built, and experienced. We believe the built environment should not simply minimize harm, it should actively regenerate people, communities, and the natural world.

Our flagship project, Shift Esperanza, is a master-planned regenerative community in Nosara, Costa Rica: one of the world's premier destinations for wellness, nature, and conscious living. The community will ultimately comprise 285 residences, a vibrant commercial village, hospitality offerings, wellness amenities, and thoughtfully designed public spaces that foster connection, health, and belonging.

Unlike traditional developers that compete primarily on location or product, Shift Living is creating an entirely new category of real estate. Our long-term vision is to develop regenerative communities around the world that deliver exceptional environmental, social, and financial outcomes.

Shift Living is founded by Blesso Properties, an award-winning real estate and hospitality firm founded by Matthew Blesso in 1998. Over three decades, Blesso has developed internationally recognized projects across New York, Panama, and Costa Rica that have received numerous design awards, set pricing records, and earned widespread industry recognition.

Today, Shift Esperanza is fully entitled, fully capitalized, under construction, and already generating strong home sales. We are now assembling the leadership team that will help build not only this project, but the visionary company that will scale the concept globally.

Why This Opportunity?

Most HR roles are about maintaining processes, this one is about helping build an extraordinary company!

As one of the early leaders, you'll work directly with executive leadership across virtually every aspect of the business, from talent acquisition and organizational design to culture, compliance, and strategic decision-making.

You'll have the opportunity to design scalable HR systems, strengthen organizational infrastructure, and help shape the people foundation of a company with global ambitions.

Highlights include:

• Join a company building one of the world's most ambitious regenerative real estate platforms.

• Work alongside experienced entrepreneurs, developers, investors, and executive leadership.

• Help build scalable HR systems at the forefront of AI implementation.

• Gain broad exposure to talent acquisition, culture building, compliance, and organizational design.

• Build a career with meaningful long-term growth while contributing to projects that generate lasting environmental, social, and financial impact.

About the Role

This is a full-time HR leadership role designed to bring senior-level people operations expertise to Blesso Properties / Shift Living in Nosara, Costa Rica.

This is not a traditional HR role. It is an opportunity to build people functions from the ground up within a purpose-driven, globally-minded organization. The HR Manager will serve as the connective tissue between leadership and teams, diagnosing gaps, designing systems, and continuing to build, lead, and manage the HR function as the company grows.

We are looking for someone who has outgrown transactional HR, who sees people operations as a strategic function, and who thrives in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments with complex organizational needs.

Key Responsibilities

HR Diagnostics & Strategy

• Conduct a comprehensive HR audit to identify gaps, risks, and priorities.

• Design and implement HR policies, SOPs, KPI’s and scalable people operations infrastructure tailored

to the company's culture and legal context.

• Support leadership with organizational design, role clarity, and change management.

Compliance & Payroll

• Ensure HR compliance with Costa Rican labor law.

• Coordinate the HR side of payroll with the accounting team, ensuring employee and consultant

information, compensation changes, onboarding/offboarding updates, vacation records, and related

HR data are accurate and submitted on time for payroll processing.

• Build and document compensation structures and benefits administration.

Talent & People Operations

• Lead all core HR functions including talent acquisition, onboarding, performance management, and offboarding.

• Develop and maintain a leading, bilingual (English/Spanish) employee experience across all

touchpoints.

• Partner with team leads to identify development needs and implement training and growth programs.

• Oversee employee relations, conflict resolution, and performance review processes.

Systems & Deliverables

• Integrate AI tools into HR workflows to improve efficiency in recruitment, documentation, and people analytics.

• Establish and track HR metrics, reporting on workforce health, retention, and engagement.

• Build practical HR systems, policies, and processes that can scale with the organization and be

clearly maintained by the team.

• Champion the organization's culture and values, ensuring alignment between organizational behavior and brand mission.

Who We're Looking For

We're seeking a builder, not simply an HR administrator.

The ideal candidate enjoys creating order from complexity, embraces ownership, and understands that great people leaders help shape the culture and future of a business rather than simply manage its processes.

You likely bring:

• 5+ years of HR management experience, with significant exposure to large or complex organizations

(startups, hospitality, or mission-driven environments preferred).

• 3+ years managing HR functions for remote or internationally distributed teams.

• Full bilingual fluency in English and Spanish (written and spoken).

• Proven ability to build HR infrastructure and people programs from scratch.

• Strong knowledge of employment law in Costa Rica, including CCSS, Aguinaldo, and employee rights under

the Código de Trabajo.

• Experience managing HR for organizations of 50+ employees.

• Expertise in HR tech stack: ATS, HRIS, performance management tools, and automation platforms.

• Demonstrated experience integrating AI tools into HR workflows.

• Exceptionally organized with strong attention to detail and discretion.

• High emotional intelligence and alignment with the organization's values.

• Entrepreneurial mindset with innovative problem-solving capabilities.

• Most importantly, you're someone who wants to build something meaningful.

How to Apply

Send your resume and a short video (maximum 4 minutes) to talent@shiftliving.com responding the following questions:

• What about this role excites you?

• What are your super powers? What makes you special and why do you feel you would be a better fit than

other applicants we might receive?

• What do you hope to be doing in 5 years?

• What is your experience building HR systems or people functions from the ground up?

• How have you used AI tools in your HR practice?

Why Shift Living?

We believe the future of real estate isn't simply greener buildings.

It's healthier people.

Stronger communities.

More meaningful human connection.

And developments that regenerate the places they inhabit rather than extract from them.

If you're looking for another HR administration position, this probably isn't the right opportunity.

If you're excited by the idea of helping build a category-defining company from the inside, and shaping its culture and people foundation as that vision becomes reality, we'd love to meet you!