The Labor Relations Specialist serves as the agency’s subject matter expert for labor and employee relations within the Human Resources Department. This role is responsible for developing, implementing, and administering labor relations strategies, practices, analytics, reporting, grievance handling, employee discipline processes, and compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws. The Labor Relations Specialist provides high-level support to leadership, serving as a trusted advisor to ethe Vice President of Engagement & Administration and the Vice President of Operations to ensure consistent, fair, and legally compliant practices that foster positive employee relations while supporting operational excellence in public transit service delivery.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The following duties are standard for this position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification.

· Support the administration, interpretation, and enforcement of policies, procedures and working conditions documents; provide guidance to management on contract provisions and implications.

· Partner with agency leadership to prepare for and participate in policy, procedures and working conditions discussions; assist in developing strategies and policies.

· Review and analyze discipline and performance management processes to ensure fairness, consistency, and compliance.

· Support investigations into workplace concerns, employee complaints, and allegations of policy violations; prepare reports and recommend resolutions.

· Monitor compliance with federal, state, and local labor and employment laws, including FLSA, FMLA, ADA, EEOC, and NLRB regulations.

· Partner with HR leadership on employee engagement and retention initiatives with a focus on building trust and improving staff-management relations.

· Maintain accurate documentation, prepare reports, and ensure appropriate records retention for labor relations activities.

· Provide training to supervisors and managers on labor relations topics, effective communication, conflict resolution, and employee relations best practices.

· Collaborate with HR team members on workforce planning, policy updates, and strategies that support operational and organizational goals.

· Attend grievance hearings, arbitration sessions, and disciplinary meetings to take detailed notes and prepare accurate summaries for leadership review. Assist with recommendations and preparations of final documents on these matters.

· Provide logistical and scheduling support for labor relations hearings and meetings with union representatives.

· Draft, format, and maintain official records, hearing notes, and related documentation for union and employee relations matters.

· Support Vice Presidents in preparing talking points, briefing materials, and documentation for staff-management meetings and board reporting.

· Track timelines, deadlines, and deliverables related to grievances, arbitrations, and working conditions document administration to ensure compliance.

· Maintain a centralized filing system (digital and physical) for labor relations case files, ensuring confidentiality and compliance with records retention requirements.

· Assist VPs with research, benchmarking, and preparation of background material to support labor strategy development.

· Monitor correspondence, prepare follow-up responses, and coordinate communications on behalf of the VPs to ensure timely resolution of labor-related matters.

· Coordinate cross-departmental inputs to support VPs in developing reports, updates, and presentations related to labor and employee relations.

· Serve as a professional liaison for the VPs with internal departments, employees, contractors, and external legal counsel when requested.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

None

QUALIFICATION GUIDELINES

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Where applicable, an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of education/experience listed below.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

· Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, Industrial Relations, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.

· Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible labor relations or employee relations experience, including at least two (2) years in a unionized environment.

· Experience negotiating and reviewing labor documents and supporting grievances or arbitration cases.

· Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and labor relations regulations.

· Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive matters with confidentiality, discretion, and professionalism.

· Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and HRIS systems.

· Familiarity with transit or public sector operations preferred.

· SHRM-CP/SCP (PHR/SPHR) certification a plus

Special Requirement:

· Hold a current valid Texas Driver’s License or have the ability to obtain one upon entry into the position.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

· Strategic & Proactive – Anticipates labor relations challenges and develops proactive solutions.

· Strong Communicator – Clearly conveys complex labor relations information to leadership, employees, and union representatives.

· Trust Builder – Fosters credibility, fairness, and respect among employees, union representatives, and agency leadership.

· Conflict Resolver – Skilled in mediation, negotiation, and conflict resolution to achieve balanced outcomes.

· Results-Driven – Focused on achieving solutions that support employee engagement while advancing organizational goals.

· Collaborative Leader – Works seamlessly with HR, Operations, and executive leadership to ensure alignment and consistency.

· Working knowledge of HR principles, practices, and employment laws.

· Strong organizational and time-management skills.

· Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.

· High level of attention to detail and accuracy.

· Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

· Understand, interpret, and explain department policies and procedures.

· Work independently to perform a variety of functions and manage multiple projects at one time while working in a dynamic environment with changing priorities to meet established deadlines.

· Ability to solve problems timely and effectively. Ability to be resourceful as needed.

· Possess a positive attitude, and practice good judgement, while open to receiving/providing feedback.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

Physical activity includes, but is not limited to: on a continuous basis, sit at a desk for long periods of time; intermittently twist and reach office equipment; write or use keyboard to communicate through written means; occasionally run errands; lift light weight; reaching above the waist, reaching below the waist, and reaching waist to shoulder to reach inventory on shelves; repetitive motion and fingering when using computer keyboard; talking and hearing when dealing with customers.

Come be a part of an amazing team working to move the people of the 6th largest growing county in the United States!

Additional perks and benefits that accompany full-time employment with DCTA:

• Employee portions of Medical and Dental benefits are 100% paid by the
• If you have utilized a Proportionate Retirement Program in the past, the service time transfers to DCTA’s retirement system, TCDRS. The following systems apply:
  • Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS)
  • Employees Retirement System (ERS)
  • Judicial Retirement System of Texas (JRS)
  • Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
  • City of Austin Employees Retirement System (COAERS)
• Expanding time-off accruals: 12 days of vacation time accrued for the first year, increasing by one day each year, with a max of 17 days annually. Additionally, employees earn 12 days of sick time each year, 4 floating holidays, 9 fixed holidays, and the ability to earn two additional days off through the Wellness Program.
• Regional transit passes (bus and rail) for you and your immediate family.
• DCTA strives to continually improve our Servant Leadership We pride ourselves in having an open, caring, and communicative community of employees, with the drive to help build each other up.
• Flexible dress code: business casual, allowing jeans every day (unless otherwise specified for external/special meetings, events, etc.).
Extensive Wellness Program, including several opportunities to volunteer with the agency, sporadic lunch and learn events, chair massages, the potential to earn two extra days off each year, and continual efforts to improve wellness throughout the agency.

***DCTA is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer***