Employee and Labor Relations Advisor

Prince George's County Public Schools; Upper Marlboro (MD); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Prince George's County Public Schools seeks an expert labor relations advisor to support management, legal staff, and other personnel on union and employee relations matters, including negotiation of grievances and contract administration. The role involves preparing notices, training sessions, and leading strategy discussions with bargaining teams.

The ideal candidate has mastery of negotiating skills, thorough knowledge of Maryland Equal Opportunity laws, and strong labor-management theory and

Qualifications

• Mastery of negotiating skills.
• Thorough knowledge of Maryland Equal Opportunity Laws, Rules and Regulations.
• Mastery knowledge of labor-management relations theories, techniques, principles and practices.
• Highly skilled in verbal and written communication to convey information to diverse audiences.
• Ability to gather and analyze facts, draw conclusions, and devise practical recommendations.
• Thorough knowledge of Prince George’s County Public Schools mission and organizational structure.

Responsibilities

• Serves as expert advisor to management, legal staff and other personnel on union and employee relations matters.
• Advises and assists management regarding employee grievance negotiations and union contract administration.
• Provides hands on technical assistance including preparation of notices of proposed adverse actions and decisions; conducts trainings for management groups.
• Conducts formal and informal hearings that accord due process.
• Assists in the development of Unfair Labor Practice cases; develops and presents cases before third parties.
• Reviews contract proposals in light of laws, regulations, and district policies; participates in bargaining strategy.
• Identifies the need for and leads comprehensive studies to design a future labor relations program.
• Plans and develops policies concerning disciplinary actions, grievances, and appeals.
• Researches wage and benefit practices and presents information during negotiations with employee organizations.
• Advises on disciplinary actions, wages, hours and terms and conditions of employment as covered by the contract.
• Reviews existing policies to ensure consistency with union agreements.
• Develops program budgets, prepares reports, and keeps abreast of field developments.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills

Negotiation

Labor relations theory

Verbal & written communication

Analytical thinking

Knowledge of district policies

Education

Bachelor's Degree in HR/Business/Public Administration

Law degree an asset

5+ years HR experience in a large unionized environment

Job description

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily:

• Serves as expert advisor to management, legal staff and other personnel on union and employee relations matte Advises and assists management regarding employee grievance negotiations and union contract administration. Provides hands on technical assistance including the preparation of notices of proposed adverse actions (including performance-based actions) and decisions; and develops and leads briefings and training sessions for various management groups;
• Conducts formal and informal hearings that accord appropriate due process, arising under laws and regulations;
• Assists in the development of Unfair Labor Practice cases; develops and presents other kinds of cases before third parties;
• Reviews contract proposals in light of laws, federal regulations, and Prince George’s County School policies. Coordinates and participates in management activities to formulate proposals and bargaining strategy;
• Identifies the need for and leads comprehensive studies to design and plan a future labor relations strategic program that is responsive to dynamic changes in the department's mission and business practices;
• Plans, develops, evaluates and recommends personnel and procedures concerning adverse actions, performance-based actions, grievances and appeals. Determines the appropriateness of the department's policies and interpretations;
• Prepares written policies, opinions and handbooks, which confirm to statutory and/or regulatory requirements and precedent case laws;
• Researches and prepares presentations concerning wage and benefit practices and trends; attends and participates in negotiations with employee organizations; and acts as management representative in contracts with union officials on matters pertaining to the administration and interpretation of contract and arbitration awards. Disseminates information to departmental officials regarding changes in personnel practices and procedures as a result of negotiation or arbitration;
• Advises departmental officials on courses of action concerning disciplinary cases and other matters which affect the wages, hours and terms and conditions of employment as covered by the contract; develops proposals for the application of Department-wide standards and procedures in disciplinary matters; and reviews and advises departmental officials on legislative proposals affecting labor relations;
• Reviews existing management personnel policies, practices and processes to ensure consistency with union agreements and decisions;
• Develops program budgets and prepares reports and correspondence; makes personal presentations relative to program issues as necessary; keeps abreast of current trends and developments in the labor management field through review of literature, periodicals and administrative and judicial decisions;
• And Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Mastery of negotiating skills;
• Thorough knowledge of Maryland Equal Opportunity Laws, Rules and Regulations recommended;
• Mastery knowledge of labor-management relations theories, techniques, principles and practices, laws, regulations, policies, and concepts to advise and assist in the development and maintenance of labor-management relationships in full consideration of the bilateral nature of labor relations;
• Highly skilled in verbal and written communication to convey a wide variety of information to diverse audiences in an understandable and acceptable manner, using a variety of methods as suited for the type of presentation;
• Ability to gather and analyze facts, draw conclusions, and devise practical recommendations for action; and
• Thorough knowledge of Prince George’s County Public Schools mission and organizational structure to provide effective advisory and assistance services.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor's Degree required (Master's Degree preferred) from an accredited college or university, with a major in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, or related field; Law degree a plus, or five (5) or more years of progressively equivalent experience in a related field. Must have a minimum of five (5) years professional level Human Resources experience, at least four (4) years specializing in employee and labor relations in a large unionized environment, with strong Labor Relations background.

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

None required.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, talk, hear, walk, sit, and use fingers, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision such as to read handwritten or typed material, the ability to adjust focus, and depth perception. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally push or lift up to 25 lbs.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job.