Assistant Director of Human Resources

City of San Marcos, TX; San Marcos (TX); On-site; USD 95,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

City of San Marcos, TX is seeking an Assistant Director of Human Resources to shape the future of the department. This role drives credible HR leadership, turning strategy into action, and strengthening partnerships with city leaders and community. A bachelor's degree and several years of HR leadership are required.

Success hinges on strategic execution, sound judgment, and the ability to coach a high-performing HR team while maintaining discretion and accountability across the organization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in HR, public administration, business, organizational development, or related field.
• At least five years of progressively responsible HR experience.
• At least three years of formal leadership or supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive-level leadership across assigned HR areas and ensure the HR team delivers credible guidance and accountable outcomes.
• Translate strategy into action and extend leadership capacity for the Director.
• Advise senior leaders, coach HR staff, and lead complex initiatives with discretion and transparency.
• Promote organizational readiness, data-driven decision making, and enterprise thinking across the City’s HR functions.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR / Public Administration / Business Administration / Organizational Development

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

Some HR leadership roles are about maintaining what already exists. This isn't one of them!

We're looking for an Assistant Director of Human Resources who is ready to help shape what comes next. We're not looking for someone who checks every box. We're looking for someone who can help us build better ones.

If that sounds like the kind of work you want to be part of, we'd like to hear what you can bring to our team!

What does success look like here? Not simply a checklist of transactions completed. Success looks like stronger leaders, better decisions, trusted partnerships, meaningful follow-through, and an HR team that leaves the organization better than it found it.

Here’s what the role looks like in practice:

The Opportunity

The Assistant Director of Human Resources helps set the standard for how Human Resources shows up across the City: credible, responsive, thoughtful, courageous, and accountable. The role exists to extend the Director’s leadership capacity, turn strategy into action, and ensure the HR team delivers work that earns the confidence of team members, leaders, and the community we serve!

Success requires more than technical HR knowledge. It requires sound judgment when the answer is not obvious, the confidence to address difficult issues directly, and the discipline to follow through. This leader must be equally comfortable advising an executive, coaching an HR team member, challenging a process that no longer works, and stepping into a high-stakes moment with calm and clarity.

The Leadership Mandate

• Lead beyond a portfolio. See the whole organization, connect work across HR functions, and make decisions based on what best serves the City, not one program or area.
• Turn direction into momentum. Translate priorities into clear ownership, realistic plans, visible progress, and completed work. Anticipate barriers and address them before they become excuses or surprises.
• Be a trusted advisor. Offer candid, balanced, and practical counsel. Understand when to listen, when to challenge, when to elevate, and when to make the call.
• Build a strong HR team. Create clarity, develop capability, set expectations, address performance, and build an environment where people can do meaningful work and grow.
• Protect trust and credibility. Handle sensitive matters with discretion, apply standards consistently, communicate honestly, and recognize that every HR interaction shapes confidence in the department and the City.
• Lead through complexity. Bring structure to ambiguity, remain steady under pressure, and move complicated or politically sensitive matters toward responsible resolution.
• Improve the system. Question outdated practices, simplify where possible, use data and feedback wisely, and design solutions that are sustainable beyond one person’s moment.
• Share ownership of the department. Serve as a true partner to the Director, represent HR effectively in the Director’s absence, and take responsibility for the department’s performance and reputation as a whole.

What This Leader Is Accountable For

The Assistant Director provides executive-level leadership across assigned and evolving areas of Human Resources. The specific portfolio may change as organizational needs change. Accountability is defined by the outcomes below, not by a fixed list of transactions.

• Organizational confidence. City leaders and team members receive timely, thoughtful, consistent, and well-grounded HR guidance.
• Strategic execution. Department priorities move from discussion to implementation with clear ownership, communication, measures of progress, and follow-through.
• Leadership capacity. HR leaders and team members understand expectations, receive meaningful coaching, and are prepared to assume greater responsibility.
• Responsible stewardship. People, public resources, systems, information, and risk are managed with care, transparency, compliance, and a long-term view.
• Organizational readiness. HR anticipates workforce challenges, responds effectively to change, and helps the City remain prepared for what is next.
• A better team member experience. Policies, practices, systems, and interactions reflect both operational discipline and respect for the people behind the process.

How This Leader Shows Up

• Judgment. Separates urgency from noise, considers consequences, and makes defensible decisions without waiting for perfect information.
• Courage. Addresses difficult conversations and performance concerns early, respectfully, and directly.
• Ownership. Takes responsibility for outcomes, closes loops, and does not allow important work to stall between people or functions.
• Credibility. Builds trust through preparation, consistency, discretion, honesty, and reliable follow-through.
• Enterprise thinking. Understands the operational, financial, legal, cultural, and human impact of HR decisions across a complex municipal organization.
• Adaptability. Adjusts approach as facts change while maintaining standards, purpose, and composure.
• Communication. Makes complex issues understandable, tailors the message to the audience, and communicates decisions with clarity and respect.
• Self-awareness. Invites feedback, recognizes personal impact, and continues to grow as a leader.

Measures of Success

Success in this role is evident when:

• The Director can confidently delegate significant priorities and know they will be carried through to completion.
• HR team members experience clear direction, timely decisions, meaningful coaching, and consistent accountability.
• Department leaders view HR as a credible partner who understands their operations and helps solve problems.
• Complex matters are surfaced early, framed clearly, and resolved with sound judgment and appropriate consultation.
• HR initiatives are not only launched; they are adopted, measured, improved, and sustained.
• The department becomes stronger, more connected, and less dependent on any one individual.

Experience and Readiness

A bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field, together with at least five years of progressively responsible human resources experience and at least three years of formal leadership or supervisory experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience that demonstrates readiness to perform the essential functions of the role.

The strongest candidates will demonstrate breadth across multiple HR disciplines, experience advising senior leaders, and a record of leading people and significant organizational work through ambiguity and change. Municipal or public sector experience, a relevant master's degree, and professional certification such as SHRM-SCP or SPHR are valued but are not substitutes for demonstrated leadership impact.

A valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record is required.

Working Knowledge and Capability

This position requires the ability to understand and apply employment law, public sector requirements, policy, finance, risk, data, and technology at the level necessary to lead effectively and recognize when specialized expertise is needed. The Assistant Director must communicate clearly in writing and conversation, build productive relationships across all levels of the organization, and manage sensitive information and difficult situations with discretion and professionalism.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This position requires lifting up to 20 pounds occasionally. Frequent activities include handling, fine dexterity, hearing, talking, and vision. Occasional activities include standing, sitting, walking, lifting, carrying, pushing/pulling, reaching, bending, twisting, and balancing. Rare activities include kneeling, crouching, climbing, and using foot controls.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is primarily performed in an office setting. The role involves interactions with employees at all levels and requires adaptability in a dynamic environment.