Description

Performs advanced professional human resources work with primary responsibility for leave administration, performance management, HR operations, compliance reporting, and employee relations involving part-time employees. Partners with the HR Manager on complex employee and labor relations matters, investigations, policy development, compensation, and other HR initiatives. Collaborates with HR team members to support consistent practices and continuous improvement across recruitment, benefits, safety, wellness, and other HR programs. Serves as a lead HR resource and provides operational continuity in the HR Manager’s absence. Work requires considerable independent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality.

Anticipated Hiring Range: $96,688.80 - $102,577.28 per year. Starting salary and vacation accrual rate may be adjusted based on qualifications and approved prior related experience.

Duties/Responsibilities:

1. Leave Administration: Serves as the primary contact for employee leaves of absence. Administers and coordinates FMLA, ADA-related leaves and accommodations, disability benefits, paid family and medical leave, paid parental leave, and other leave programs. Ensures leave, pay, benefits, documentation, and return-to-work activities are coordinated accurately and in compliance with applicable requirements.
2. HR Operations: Manages the HR inbox and responds to general inquiries from employees, applicants, and supervisors. Oversees assigned HR processes, maintains accurate records, resolves operational issues, and promotes timely and consistent HR service delivery.
3. Performance Management: Assists in administering the City’s performance management system and annual evaluation process. Maintains system information and workflows, communicates timelines, monitors completion, follows up on outstanding evaluations, and provides assistance to employees and supervisors.
4. Employee Relations: Independently manages employee relations matters involving part-time employees and advises supervisors on performance, attendance, conduct, and policy application. Partners with the HR Manager on complex matters, investigations, corrective action, performance improvement, and employment separations.
5. Policy and Process Improvement: Partners with the HR Manager and HR team to research, develop, update, and implement personnel policies, procedures, forms, and workflows. Monitors legal and regulatory developments and recommends changes to support compliance, consistency, and operational efficiency.
6. Reporting and Compliance: Prepares required reports, including the Minnesota Pay Equity Report and EEO-4 Report. Maintains and reports quarterly HR metrics, conducts biannual driver’s license checks, and coordinates other assigned compliance activities.
7. Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation: Manages unemployment claims, responses, hearings, and appeals. Supports HR Specialist in the workers’ compensation administration, injury reporting, claim coordination, and return-to-work activities in partnership with other HR staff.
8. Compensation and Classification: Conducts compensation research, market studies, salary surveys, and job evaluations. Maintains position descriptions and provides data and analysis to support compensation planning, pay equity compliance, workforce planning, and labor negotiations.
9. Labor Relations: Assists supervisors with interpreting and applying collective bargaining agreements and personnel policies. Provides research, data analysis, and other support for negotiations, contract administration, grievances, and labor-management matters.
10. HR Program Support: Serves as backup for recruitment, onboarding, benefits, and retirement administration. Partners with HR team members to develop and implement procedures and best practices for recruitment, benefits, safety, wellness, training, and other HR programs.
11. Department Continuity: Serves as a lead HR resource and assists with coordinating department priorities and projects. Provides operational continuity and addresses HR matters within delegated authority when the HR Manager is unavailable.
12. Performs other duties consistent with the responsibilities of the position as apparent or assigned.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, public administration, organizational development, or a closely related field. 
• Five years of progressively responsible professional-level human resources experience. 
• At least two years of experience administering employee leaves of absence, including FMLA and disability-related leaves. 
• Experience handling employee relations matters, including participating in or conducting workplace investigations. 
• An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the position may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in human resources, industrial-organizational psychology, business administration, public administration, organizational leadership, or a closely related field. 
• Professional human resources certification through SHRM, HRCI, IPMA-HR, or another recognized professional organization. 
• Human resources experience in a public-sector or unionized environment. 
• Experience interpreting or administering collective bargaining agreements. 
• Experience with compensation analysis, job classification, salary surveys, pay equity reporting, or job evaluation. 
• Experience administering workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance claims, disability benefits, or return-to-work programs. 
• Experience leading or managing HR-related projects, such as HRIS implementation, process automation, onboarding, policy development, training and development, or other organizational initiatives. 
• Advanced proficiency with HRIS reporting and Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, formulas, and scenario modeling.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Thorough knowledge of employment laws and regulations applicable to assigned responsibilities, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, workers’ compensation, and unemployment insurance.
• Knowledge of professional HR practices related to leave administration, employee and labor relations, compensation and classification, performance management, policy administration, and HR operations.
• Knowledge of public-sector HR practices, including collective bargaining, pay equity, employment data practices, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Skill in interpreting and consistently applying employment laws, collective bargaining agreements, personnel policies, procedures, and benefit provisions.
• Skill in administering employee leaves, disability benefits, workers’ compensation, unemployment claims, and return-to-work processes.
• Skill in conducting workplace investigations and handling sensitive employee relations matters objectively, professionally, and confidentially.
• Skill in conducting research, analyzing data, preparing reports, and identifying practical and legally compliant solutions.
• Skill in using HR information systems, reporting tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to communicate clearly, tactfully, and professionally, both verbally and in writing, with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, maintain accurate records, and work independently.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion while remaining impartial and composed in difficult or sensitive situations.
• Ability to build effective working relationships, provide credible guidance, collaborate across departments, and support continuous improvement of HR programs and processes.

Physical Requirements:

• This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 10 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking or hearing and using hands to manipulate, handle or feel, frequently requires repetitive motions and occasionally requires standing, walking, reaching with hands and arms, pushing or pulling and lifting; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating machines and observing general surroundings and activities; work has no exposure to environmental conditions; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).