Human Resources Director

Human Resources Director

The City of Hamilton, Ohio is seeking a Human Resources Director to oversee the planning, organization, direction, supervision, and coordination of the operations of the City's Civil Service Commission and the Human Resources Department. This position requires extensive leeway for the exercise of independent judgment and initiative. The nature of the work performed by the Civil Service Commission and the Human Resources Department requires that an employee establish and maintain close cooperative working relationships with supervisory personnel in all City departments and Divisions. Supervision is exercised over the work of all employees in the Human Resources Department.

Essential Job Functions include planning, organizing, directing, supervising, and coordinating the operations and activities of the City's Human Resources Department; preparing annual budgets for HR Department; preparing meeting agendas and minutes and various reports for the Civil Service Commission and maintaining related records; developing goals, plans, and measurements for the identification and evaluation of the City's Human Resources Department needs; conferring with City department and division heads and other supervisory personnel to discuss, identify, and assess their departmental Civil Service and personnel Human Resource needs; identifying the costs, timing, and other key issues involved in meeting the City's Human Resources needs; developing recommendations for enhancing the City's operations and services in collaboration with top management; recommending and overseeing implementation of Civil Service rules and regulations; administering the Civil Service examination program consistent with applicable laws, rules, and regulations; administering recruitment and selection activities for the City including the development of recommended employment standards and selection measures; administering the City's employee benefits programs; overseeing the preparation and maintenance of the City's position classifications and pay plans; administering and providing guidance for the implementation of the City's employee performance evaluation and appraisal program; reviewing and recommending actions relating to requests for reclassifications and revisions in the City's position classification and pay plans; preparing reports, memoranda, media releases, and other communications regarding activities of the Human Resources Department; directing, supervising, advising, motivating, counseling, training, prioritizing, and evaluating the work and performance of Human Resources Department employees; resolving complex policy interpretation and employee relations issues; analyzing policy terms and conditions and facts and circumstances; engaging parties and mediating disputes; making decisions regarding interpretation of policies, rules, and regulations; maintaining up-to-date knowledge of labor laws and regulations, as well as HR industry best practices; administering and providing guidance for the implementation of the City's employee performance evaluation and appraisal program; negotiating formal collective bargaining agreements with labor organizations; serving as a principal member of the City bargaining team representing the City in mediation, fact finding, and arbitration proceedings should impasse occur; providing leadership and direction to managers in the organization in the administration and interpretation of the terms and conditions of existing collective bargaining agreements, making decisions regarding interpretation and application of contract provisions; serving as a principal member of the team representing the City at grievance and interest arbitration hearings; conducting formal internal investigations on complex employee misconduct issues; consulting with respective department / division directors; interviewing employees, witnesses, and other relevant parties; gathering and analyzing evidence, facts and circumstances; establishing findings and making decisions regarding appropriate remedy or course of action to resolve issues; developing and maintaining the City's compensation plan and recommending changes when necessary, requested, and / or deemed appropriate; hearing disciplinary appeals from non-union classified City employees as part of the formal disciplinary appeals process; conducting disciplinary appeal hearings regarding disciplinary actions imposed or recommended at the department / division director level, serving as the City's hearing officer; examining evidence, applying applicable policies, rules, and regulations and rules on validity of the disciplinary action; issuing decisions to affirm, disaffirm, or modify disciplinary actions imposed by department; division directors; advising and counseling department / division directors on disciplinary procedures prior to the administration of disciplinary action; assisting the City Manager in analyzing the potential realignment of the City's organizational structure, as well as the potential reorganization of departments / divisions or the reassignment; reallocation of functions within departments / divisions; making recommendations to the City Manager regarding the feasibility and impact of such organizational changes; designing, developing, writing, evaluating, analyzing, and revising City policies, rules, regulations, codes, and ordinances to comply with existing or new local, state, and federal mandates; researching, writing, developing, and revising Administrative Orders of the City; monitoring City activities for compliance with EEO, ADA, FLSA, and FMLA regulations and coordinating the City's response to all charges of discrimination in collaboration with the City's labor and employee legal counsel; researching all complaints and / or charge statements received from EEOC or OCRC and working with legal staff to assemble and compile all necessary documentation and formulate a strategy for defending the City; overseeing and directing the design and implementation of employee training and staff development programs; overseeing the planning of specialized and general supervisory and non-supervisory training programs and evaluating the effectiveness of such programs; negotiating with consultants regarding the procurement of specific training programs as required; directing and continually refining the City's leadership and employee development programs; developing and implementing cost-effective programs to enhance employee engagement and mitigate employee turnover; embodying and fostering positive employee relations and employee morale on a City-wide basis; overseeing the selection of Third Party Administration firms for self-insured medical, dental, vision, worker's compensation benefits programs and the negotiation of rates, terms, and conditions of agreements with selected TPAs; serving as management representative to the Health Benefits Committee; overseeing and directing the City's worker's compensation function; providing periodic review and auditing of municipal drug testing programs, Department of Transportation (DOT) Random Drug and Alcohol Testing for Commercial Driver's License (CDL) holders, and employee non-DOT reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug and alcohol testing programs; overseeing and directing staff in the preparation of the annual operating budget for the Human Resources Department; counseling employees, department heads, and representing the department to the City Manager, City Council, and to the public; establishing and refining long-term and short-term department goals, objectives, schedules, and accomplishments on an ongoing basis; evaluating the performance of subordinates; establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with departmental officials, employees, and the public; developing metrics to assess the degree of impact as well as the level of effectiveness of HR programs, services, and initiatives; attending meetings, conferences, and workshops as requested and authorized; performing related work as required.

Skills / Knowledges / Abilities include comprehensive knowledge of civil service and personnel practices and procedures; comprehensive knowledge of department functions, procedures, policies and organization and of Civil Service rules and regulations, both state and local; comprehensive knowledge of the principles, practices, and procedures of employment testing, recruitment, selection, fringe benefits administration, position classification, and compensation, affirmative action, equal employment opportunity, fair labor standards, and Americans with Disabilities Act as applied in local government and the methods for maintaining related personnel records; skill in listening and understanding the personnel and organizational needs of City Department and Division Heads and other supervisory personnel; skill in leadership, negotiations, motivation, management, coordination, supervision, and evaluation of the work of others; skill in interpersonal communications and persuasion; ability to communicate well with others both orally and in writing, using both technical and nontechnical language; ability to plan, organize, prioritize, motivate, and evaluate the work of others; ability to teach and encourage others to learn new practices and procedures to accomplish work objectives; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other City employees, Department Heads, Division Heads, and other supervisory personnel; ability to quickly learn and put to use new skills and knowledge brought about by rapidly changing technology; ingenuity and inventiveness in the performance of tasks.

Training / Education / Qualifications include minimum qualifications of graduation from a college or university with a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources Administration, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field with five (5) years of experience in civil service, public administration, or public personnel / human resources administration in local government; or graduation from a college or university with a Master's degree in Human Resources Administration, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field with three (3) years of experience in civil service, public administration, or public personnel / human resources administration in local government; and must possess one of the following certifications : SHRM-CP, IMA-CP, or HRCI.