Human Resources Manager

JOB

THE COMMUNITY

The City of Menlo Park is a thriving community with tree-lined neighborhoods, active commercial areas, spaces to enjoy the outdoors, and opportunities to engage in local activities. Located conveniently between the major metropolitan areas of San Francisco and San Jose, Menlo Park is home to just under 34,000 residents in its 19 square miles. The stunning natural surroundings of the city afford views of the San Francisco Bay to the east and the Pacific Coastal Range to the west.

Located in the heart of Menlo Park is a downtown featuring unique and upscale shops, restaurants, and entertainment, including the Guild Theatre. Set in a pleasant, pedestrian-oriented atmosphere, Menlo Park’s downtown area attracts locals and visitors alike. The Menlo Park Caltrain station also provides a convenient connection to the numerous arts and leisure activities in the San Francisco and San Jose areas.

As home to numerous venture capital firms and neighbor to Stanford University, Menlo Park is well situated to benefit from and help shape new technologies and innovations originating from Silicon Valley. The city hosts such major employers as Meta, SRI International, Pacific Biosciences, Grail, and Exponent.

THE ORGANIZATION

Incorporated in 1927, Menlo Park is a General Law city operating under a Council-Manager form of government. The City Council is the City's five-member governing body whose members are elected by district to four-year overlapping terms in general municipal elections. The Mayor and Vice Mayor are selected by the City Council to serve one-year terms, rotating each December. The City Council appoints the City Manager and City Attorney, as well as members of the City’s seven commissions, and the City Manager appoints all executive and management positions. City staff report to one of six departments: the City Manager’s Office, Administrative Services, Community Development, Library and Community Services, Police, and Public Works, which includes Menlo Park Municipal Water. Fire protection and sanitary services are provided by separate special districts. The City is supported by approximately 297 full-time equivalent employees and a total expenditure budget of $235 million.

THE DEPARTMENT

The Administrative Services Department is a department of nearly 30 staff in Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology. The department plays a vital role in supporting the City’s day-to-day operations by delivering essential internal services and ensuring the organization is well equipped to provide exceptional services to the community.

VALUES

In Administrative Services, we believe in the power of teamwork and that how we get our work done is as important as getting it done. The Department's values guide how we behave as a team each day, ensuring we act with:

• Humility – Sharing credit and defining success collectively rather than individually, jumping in to help where needed, and putting the needs of the team ahead of our own self-interest.
• Emotional Intelligence – Understanding the impact that our words and actions have on one another, knowing when to listen and when to share our perspective, and striving to include everyone by respecting, listening to, helping, and appreciating one another.
• Passion – Showing initiative and enthusiasm in our work, delivering outstanding, data-based results, and having a can-do, find-a-way attitude.
• Integrity – Doing what we say we are going to do, communicating clearly and openly, and holding ourselves accountable for the work we do in our respective roles.

THE POSITION

The Human Resources Manager is a key management position at the City. This individual plans, manages, and oversees the daily functions, operations, and activities of Human Resources, working collaboratively with the Administrative Services Director and management staff across the City. It is essential that this position is responsive to all customers and takes a proactive approach to building relationships throughout the organization, recognizing the value and unique contributions made by each and every employee. This individual serves as the main point of contact on employee relations matters and leads labor relations for the City’s five unions (general employees, supervisors and mid-management, police officers, police sergeants, and temporary employees), along with the confidential and unrepresented management groups. This position leads highly-complex projects; conducts a variety of organizational and operational studies and investigations; and prepares and presents staff reports, policies, and other correspondence for the City Council and all employees. The Human Resources Manager leads a staff of five, comprised of three Management Analysts and two Human Resources Technicians, to accomplish a wide variety of daily tasks, policy and labor agreement administration, and process improvements, and is responsible for interpreting and complying with the various regulatory requirements from Federal, State, and local agencies.

The selected candidate will have the opportunity to work on the following upcoming projects:

• Manage projects currently underway that involve collaborating with employees at all levels of the organization, including the citywide classification and compensation study and the employee engagement survey.
• Retool several division functions, including performance management, recruitment, selection and retention processes, leave programs, and workers' compensation leave administration.
• Promote employee engagement and performance management through enhanced training programs and citywide recognition events and other initiatives identified through the engagement survey analysis.
• Continue to manage and develop content for the popular “HR Bits and Bites” trainings, where supervisors and managers connect with Human Resources and one another for development and relationship-building over snacks.
• Train and develop Human Resources staff to form a cohesive team equipped to succeed.
• Review and update policies and practices to ensure compliance with employment laws.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will be a strategic leader who has a clear vision, drives projects, embraces customer service, and has a passion for public service, along with a flexible and adaptive mindset. The successful candidate will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills necessary to build relationships across all levels and navigate and defuse tension when it arises; excellent project and time management skills; and ability to write reports and other correspondence with clarity. This individual will ask for and listen to a variety of inputs and conduct independent research and networking before analyzing and preparing thoughtful policies and procedures, fostering collaboration and inclusivity. They will have a demonstrated ability to provide consistent, accurate, and timely human resources programs and services; foster a citywide culture of staff development and continuous learning; provide quality customer service; and be comfortable leading innovation and change management efforts within Human Resources and citywide.

Key Attributes and Skills

• A manager who is able to establish confidence, trust, credibility, and consistency for themselves as well as Human Resources as a whole.
• Possesses knowledge and experience with employment/ labor law and the collective bargaining process.
• Understands the administration of CalPERS pension and medical programs, workers’ compensation benefits, deferred compensation and other key employee benefits.
• A compassionate leader and effective change agent, who can assist, support, and mentor employees and provide growth and development opportunities.
• Comfortable making presentations to employees, elected/ appointed officials, and the public.
• Embrace Human Resources as a collaborative partner and service provider to departments.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

• Equivalent to graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in human resources management, industrial relations, public administration, business administration or a related field.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible human resources program professional support experience, including
• Three (3) years of lead or supervisory experience.