Human Resources Director

City of Madras; Madras (OR); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Madras seeks an experienced Human Resources Director to lead HR, employee and labor relations, benefits, safety, risk management, and organizational development. You will advise the City Administrator and directors, translate goals into workforce policies, and manage confidential personnel matters.

The role requires strategic workforce planning, policy development, and compliance with employment law.

Qualifications

• Requires in-depth knowledge of HR functions and public sector employment practices.
• Experience developing policies, workforce plans, and HR programs for a municipal government is highly desirable.
• Strong communication and presentation skills for management, council, and staff.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership for HR, employee relations, labor relations, benefits, safety, risk management, and organizational development.
• Advise the City Administrator and department directors on personnel strategy and policy.
• Develop and implement strategic workforce plans aligned with city goals.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, development, performance management, and separations.
• Navigate collective bargaining matters and ensure compliance with laws and regulations.

Skills

HR strategy

employee relations

labor relations

compensation and benefits

risk management

organizational development

employment law compliance

policy development

Education

Bachelor’s in public administration or HR management

SHRM/ IPMA or related certification (preferred)

Job description

Position Summary

Provides executive-level leadership and strategic direction for the City's human resources, employee relations, labor relations, benefits, safety, risk management, and organizational development functions. Serves as the City's principal human resources advisor to the City Administrator, department directors, and other City officials. Develops and recommends policies, programs, systems, and strategies that support organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, legal compliance, workforce development, and the City's strategic goals.

Essential Functions

The Human Resources Director is a senior-level administrative position responsible for providing leadership, strategic direction, and professional oversight of the City's human resources and related organizational programs.

The position serves as the City's principal human resources advisor and provides counsel to the City Administrator, department directors, and City officials on personnel strategy, employee and labor relations, compensation, benefits, organizational development, employment law compliance, risk management, and workplace practices.

The Director translates organizational goals and strategic priorities into effective workforce policies, programs, and practices and is accountable for the integrity, consistency, and effectiveness of the City's human resources systems. The position exercises substantial independent judgment and discretion in matters involving confidential personnel information, employee relations, investigations, labor relations, policy development, and organizational risk.

The incumbent provides functional leadership and oversight of human resources activities and directs the work of staff performing HR functions, consultants, vendors, other service providers as necessary to accomplish the City's HR objectives.

Provides strategic leadership for the development and implementation of short- and long-range workforce plans aligned with the City's strategic priorities. Analyzes workforce data, organizational needs, compensation trends, staffing requirements, and emerging workforce issues and develops recommendations for the City Administrator and executive leadership; develops and updates job descriptions; oversees and performs job audits and analysis; reviews and approves employee classification and salary changes in compliance with relevant policies

Leads organizational development initiatives designed to improve employee engagement, organizational effectiveness, leadership capacity, workplace culture, succession planning, retention, and employee development. Evaluates organizational needs and recommends strategies to strengthen workforce capability and service delivery.

Leads the development, review, and revision of personnel policies and administrative procedures. Evaluates existing policies for effectiveness, consistency, legal compliance, and alignment with organizational objectives and recommends changes to the City Administrator and City Council, as appropriate.

Serves as a principal resource to the City Administrator, department directors, and City Council on personnel policy matters and recommends policy changes based on legislation, regulatory requirements, legal guidance, organizational needs, and emerging human resources practices; develop and deliver presentations to management staff, city officials, council, boards, commissions, civic groups, and the general public; communicate policies and procedures to staff and the general public; study legislation, arbitration decisions, and collective bargaining issues to assess trends and inform HR program strategy and recommendation

Provides strategic leadership and oversight for the City's recruitment, selection, onboarding, orientation, employee development, and separation processes, ensuring consistent, equitable, legally compliant, and effective workforce practices; Maintains confidential personnel, medical and training records.

Provides leadership and strategic advice regarding labor relations and collective bargaining. Leads or participates in negotiations as directed by the City Administrator; analyzes collective bargaining proposals and agreements; evaluates compensation and benefit implications; monitors contract compliance; and advises management regarding labor relations strategies, employee relations matters, and applicable legal requirements. Conducts periodic surveys of other municipalities and employers to support collective bargaining and salary structure upgrades.

Provides leadership and professional oversight for employee relations matters and workplace investigations. Conducts, directs, or oversees investigations involving alleged violations of City policy, workplace conduct, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other employment-related concerns; evaluates findings; and makes recommendations regarding appropriate organizational responses.

Consults and assists the management team with employee performance evaluations and other performance-related topics.

Maintain understanding of current employment laws, best practices and proper documentation as they relate to human resources, liability and risk management.

Provides strategic oversight of the City's employee benefits program, including benefit design, vendor and consultant relationships, plan evaluation, procurement, employee communication, and long-term cost management. Recommends benefit strategies that support employee recruitment, retention, engagement, and fiscal sustainability. Administers and communicates insurance and benefits by soliciting bids and working with consultants; serve as the Chair for the benefit selection committee. Serve as the Chair for the wellness benefits programs.

Provides leadership and oversight for the City's employment-related risk management programs, including workers' compensation, liability claims, workplace safety, ADA accommodations, drug and alcohol testing, and regulatory compliance. Identifies organizational risks and develops strategies, policies, training, and controls to mitigate exposure and promote a safe, compliant workplace.

Provides oversight of City training opportunities; oversees and implements, and/or conducts employee training.

Exercises discretion and judgment in disseminating information, explaining policies, regulations, and procedures and responding on behalf of the City Administrator to inquiries.

Safety/Risk Management

Provides executive-level oversight of the City's workplace safety and occupational risk management program and serves as the City's designated Safety Officer. Establishes program priorities, develops policies and standards, evaluates organizational risk, and ensures implementation of required safety programs across City operations.

Initiate, process, manage, and complete all City-involved claims management functions including workers compensation, property, casualty and liability claims.

Develop, direct and administer the Department of Transportation Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy; oversee the internal and external duties of the drug and alcohol program manager on behalf of the City; represent the program as the responsible official during DOT audits; develop appropriate policy and amendments; provide oversight and evaluation on the anti-drug/alcohol plan; schedule required testing, maintain appropriate records, oversee appropriate training of supervisors and employees.

Provides technical support and guidance to employees and department heads in evaluating reasonable accommodation requests in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). Provides guidance and professional oversight to department heads in developing and implementing plans for accommodation of injured or disabled workers.

As the City’s Safety Officer, this position oversees, develops, implements, and coordinates various safety programs including (but not limited to): Lock Out/Tag Out, Fall Protection, Blood Borne Pathogens, Construction Safety, and Volunteer/Community Service Guidelines, and Hazardous Communication Program.

Policy Development

Ensures agency employee and personnel policy manuals are maintained and current. Oversees and/or prepares and distributes Council policies and administrative procedures to appropriate administrators for review on a periodic basis.

Researches, analyzes, writes, and revises policies for approval. Works with administrators and legal counsel to develop, update, and communicate Council policies and administrative procedures.

Develops and implements personnel policies and procedures. Ensures City policies comply with state and federal laws.

Additional Duties

Conducts special studies and prepares analyses or reports related to policies, procedures, cost effectiveness, community engagement, and external communications. Prepares and may conduct fact-finding analysis and assemble documents for decision support.

Designs, improves, standardizes, and installs forms, layouts, procedures, filing and recording systems, electronic document retrieval, for operational efficiency.

Performs special projects, prepares various reports on behalf of the City Administrator.

Provides confidential administrative and analytical support to the City Administrator and executive leadership on matters involving personnel, organizational strategy, policy development, labor relations, and other sensitive City business.

Participates in the development of budgets for the City.

Performs other duties as assigned that support the overall objective of the position.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Knowledge and Skills

The position requires in-depth knowledge of the mission, functions, policies, rules, regulations, and objectives of the City. Requires working knowledge of the strategies, techniques, and principles of public relations and external communications; public administration; Municipal Code, Oregon Ethics Commission, laws governing public meetings and strategic management practices; fair employment practices.

Requires working knowledge of those activities associated with executive office staff administration, and confidential record keeping.

Requires advanced professional-level knowledge of and skill at using proper English usage, grammar, spelling, and punctuation, sufficient math skills to administer budgets and understand reports containing financial and demographic information. Requires advanced knowledge and use of Microsoft Office software.

Requires specialized knowledge of human relations skills to prepare and make public presentations, facilitate group processes, resolve problems and confrontations, and convey technical or policy details to general audiences. Requires the ability to work with various people and personalities.

Exercises substantial independent judgment and discretion in interpreting and applying personnel policies, employment laws, collective bargaining agreements, and administrative procedures. Makes recommendations and decisions within delegated authority and advises the City Administrator and department directors regarding complex or sensitive personnel matters.

Ability to understand and apply principles and practices of executive-level advising, organizational leadership, conflict resolution, labor relations, and change management.

Requires the ability to independently perform all of the duties of the position; direct, lead, oversee and coordinate administrative functions; interpret and prepare policies and procedures; learn, interpret, explain, and apply knowledge of City operations, programs, functions and special industry terminology.

Requires the ability to learn and maintain understanding of current HR law, employment practices, and HR such as employment, records, labor contracts, investigations, and employee transactions.

Requires the ability to maintain confidential data and information for the City Administrator and City Council.

Requires the ability to plan, organize, prioritize, delegate and review work in order to meet schedules and timelines.

Requires the ability to analyze situations, engage in critical thinking, and implement the appropriate actions or response.

Requires the ability to write professional reports and correspondence.

Requires the ability to communicate with a wide range of contacts within and outside the City Hall with professionalism and courtesy, and in a manner that reflects positively on the city.

May require the ability to obtain a Notary certificate within the State of Oregon in a reasonable time frame.

Abilities

Provide strategic leadership, guidance, and professional oversight for all City human resources functions, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and priorities.

Serve as the principal advisor to the City Administrator, department directors, and City officials on human resources strategy, employment law, organizational development, labor relations, compensation, benefits, workplace culture, and risk management.

Exercise independent judgment and discretion in handling confidential personnel matters, investigations, employee relations matters, labor relations, and organizational risk.

Translate organizational goals into effective workforce policies, programs, and practices that support consistency, legal compliance, and operational effectiveness.

Lead the development and implementation of short- and long-range workforce plans based on workforce data, staffing needs, compensation trends, emerging issues, and organizational priorities.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership, guidance, and professional oversight for all City human resources functions, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and priorities.

Serve as the principal advisor to the City Administrator, department directors, and City officials on human resources strategy, employment law, organizational development, labor relations, compensation, benefits, workplace culture, and risk management.

Exercise independent judgment and discretion in handling confidential personnel matters, investigations, employee relations matters, labor relations, and organizational risk.

Translate organizational goals into workforce policies, programs, and practices that support consistency, legal compliance, and operational effectiveness.

Lead the development and implementation of short- and long-range workforce plans based on workforce data, staffing needs, compensation trends, emerging issues, and organizational priorities.

Translate organizational goals into effective workforce policies, programs, and practices that support consistency, legal compliance, and operational effectiveness across the City.

Minimum Qualifications

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in public administration, human resources management or a closely related field and four or more years of progressively responsible experience administering human resource programs including policy development, training and development, classification, safety; experience in a position of comparable scope and size to the City of Madras highly desirable, or any equivalent combination of education, experience, and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in municipal government or public agency HR.
• Supervisory or leadership experience.
• Professional HR certification (SHRMCP, SHRMSCP, PHR, SPHR).
• IPMA-HR certification
• Equivalent professional HR certification
• Demonstrated experience in policy development, workforce planning, or HR program management.