HR Business Partner

Basic Function

Representative Duties

• Partner with assigned City leaders to support their optimum utilization of people resources. Support employee engagement within assigned groups, reorganization efforts, changes to staffing levels, and other activities to facilitate highly effective work teams at the City.
• Leads and conducts internal employee investigations, including interviewing complainants, witnesses, and respondents; gathering and analyzing facts; preparing investigation findings; and recommending appropriate corrective or disciplinary action in compliance with employment law, collective bargaining agreements, and City policies.
• Advise departments concerning a variety of human resources matters in such positive and effective employee relations, supporting leaders in effective leadership, collective bargaining agreement interpretation, employment law, and employee training and development needs.
• Assist assigned leaders in planning and budgeting for staffing changes needed to support their organizational goals and objectives.
• Assist City leaders in developing job descriptions for new or changing jobs, ensuring that the union is engaged in new or changing descriptions for represented jobs.
• Assist City leaders in documenting performance, completing performance reviews, and coach them, as needed, in delivering performance and behavior feedback.

• Conduct Job Audits for jobs that have changed and need to be reassessed for appropriate placement in the City’s Salary Structure. Review current work, changes from previous work, KSA for the job and discuss with the employee and/or their supervisor/manager to ensure thorough understanding of the work. Utilizing information from the job description, other materials, and information from job incumbents and their supervisor, compare the City’s job to jobs in the City’s comparison group according to the City’s established pay program and policies. Make recommendations for changes as appropriate.
• Conduct job audits for new jobs that require consultation with supervisors/managers as well as market analysis for pay ranges at comparison organizations. Recommend appropriate placement in the City’s salary structure. Assist managers with necessary steps to get new jobs approved and added to the City’s budget.
• Participate in market surveys providing information on compensation, benefits, and labor contract provisions to other jurisdictions and agencies.
• Assist in monitoring job descriptions and other aspects of the City’s pay program to ensure it is current, relevant and supports the needs of the City.

• Coordinate, participate in and/or lead delivery of various training sessions, workshops, and classes for individuals and employee groups, including leadership and management training, safety training, training on new or revised policies and procedures, and special interest training.
• Assist in developing curriculum for City wide training programs, assist in designing courses, participate in selecting vendors to assist with these tasks and delivering training courses as appropriate.

• Administer the City’s leave program and coordinate employee leave requests (Family Medical, Family Care, Military, Leave Without Pay). Ensure compliance with all local, state and federal laws governing all types of leaves as well as City policies, procedures and collective bargaining agreements.
• Determine eligibility for requested leaves, document all leaves in applicable systems, programs documents.
• Ensure proper coordination of employees’ approved PFML requests with the City payroll to ensure employees’ requested accrued leave usage is aligned with their wishes and does not pay the employee more than 100% of their regular City pay on a pay period basis. Track and monitor FMLA usage and track available hours to ensure employees are not under, or over, using available FMLA hours. Audit FMLA hours available and used monthly; notify the HR Director, the employee, and Payroll of any needed adjustments.
• Assist with employee accommodation requests for Americans with Disabilities (ADA).

• Interpret, analyze, collect data, investigate facts, and assist the State Labor & Industries in determining validity of worker’s compensation claims. Complete and submit all employer claim information on injured workers to State. Track claims, to a timely close. Distribute time loss payment notices to payroll and department directors and supervisors; maintain communication with injured workers with follow-up calls and correspondence.
• Work with Department Heads and management personnel to implement light duty assignments and assist in the evaluation and administration of such assignments.
• Review unemployment claim information received from the State Employment Security Department. Confirm that reasons for separation align with City records; contact Employment Security when they do not. Share unemployment claim information with others throughout the City as appropriate.

• Provide interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement as requested. Note areas of confusion or concern and bring them forward to be incorporated into upcoming agreement negotiations or for discussion at Labor Management Committee meetings.
• Support the City collective bargaining process by analyzing data, providing cost estimates, gathering market data, and identifying areas where the collective bargaining agreement could be streamlined or enhanced.
• Assist in responding to grievances, complaints and requests for information from the union.

• Administer the Citywide Employee Safety Program ensuring Safety Committee, Safety Training, and Incident Report reviews happen on a recurring basis as required by local, state or federal law.
• Meet regularly with the Safety Committee Chair to ensure meeting agendas are set and communicated in advance of meetings, that meeting minutes are taken and distributed prior to each meeting, and that incident reports are included on each monthly meeting agenda as appropriate.
• Following City guidelines, contract with, and administer contracts with Safety resources to provide required safety training at all applicable City locations and that safety inspections are conducted at least as frequently as minimally required at all City locations Ensure contract is reviewed at least annually and lead the procurement process to select vendors when contracts expire or can no longer be renewed.
• Administer the Citywide Hearing Conservation Program to assure compliance with applicable local, state and federal regulations. Contract with an appropriate vendor to provide required hearing testing to employees in jobs identified as applicable to the Hearing Conservation Program. Ensure contract is reviewed at least annually and lead the procurement process to select vendors when contracts expire or can no longer be renewed.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Public Administration, Human Resources Management, or related field, a graduate degree is preferred.
• Seven (7) years of increasingly responsible professional experience in Human Resources administration, including experience working with at least three of the areas of responsibility for this job.

OR

• A combination of education, training and experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the job responsibilities.

• Municipal government policies, procedures, and structure; and all applicable local, State, and federal laws, codes, regulations, and ordinances; collective bargaining agreements related to areas of responsibility.
• Effective employee communication techniques.
• Labor relations and collective bargaining processes and regulations.
• Compensation practices, salary administration, use of surveys to collect total rewards data, and related procedures.
• Training program development, implementation, and delivery.
• Current, trends, best practices, evolving practices, and developments in the field of Human Resource Management, total rewards administration, Safety Program administration, Training and Development, effective business partner methodologies, and other areas related to job responsibilities.
• Functions and operations of a human resources office.
• Principles, practices, methods, and terminology used in all areas of human resources.
• Knowledge of employment laws, and regulations (local, state and federal) governing all areas of responsibility.
• HRIS, applicant tracking, training tracking, and performance review recordkeeping technologies.
• Effective interviewing methodology and procedures.
• Recruitment and selection procedures.
• Research methods, data collection, and statistical analysis.

• Managing projects with project teams of employees at all levels of the organization.
• Highly effective oral and written communications.
• Auditing computerized HR databases, confidential personnel files, various reports or other tracking methodologies and suggesting changes or corrections because of the audit.
• The development, implementation and day-to-day administration of personnel policies, programs, and projects.
• Assisting with departmental budget and expense records.
• Effectively conduct interviews, gather facts, and evidence and draw valid conclusions.
• Using research and analytical methods, practices, and procedures to compile information, define and resolve issues, and recommend solutions.
• Performing a variety of professional duties in support of total rewards and other HR programs.
• Composing, proof-reading, and editing correspondence, reports, agreements, contracts, policy and procedures.
• Advising departments concerning a variety of HR topics.
• Analyzing employee situations accurately and adopting an effective course of action.
• Correct usage of English, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary.
• Communicating effectively both orally and in writing.
• Using discretion, tact, patience, and courtesy.

• Maintain confidentiality.
• Act with tact and diplomacy.
• Assist with the development, implementation and day-to-day administration of Human Resources policies, programs, and projects.
• Respond to, advise, and resolve a variety of Human Resources issues, inquiries or complaints from managers, supervisors, employees, agencies, or the public.
• Provide technical information and assistance to others concerning employee benefits, employee compensation, employment policies, and personnel transactions.
• Read, interpret, apply and explain rules, regulations, contract provisions, policies and procedures.
• Define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; apply common sense understanding to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Establish and maintain the trust and confidence of others, to work cooperatively, collaboratively, and effectively with colleagues, managers, supervisors, senior leaders, elected officials, and the public.
• Work effectively in groups and committees and motivate members to achieve a common goal.
• Prioritize and schedule work. Work effectively on multiple tasks concurrently.
• Complete work and meet timelines with many interruptions.
• Observe health and safety regulations.
• Work independently with little direction.

Licenses and Other Requirements

• Professional Human Resources (PHR) certification preferred.
• SHRM certified professional (SHRM-CP) certification preferred
• Certified Labor Relations Professional (CLRP) certification preferred
• Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) certification is preferred