Human Resources Director

International Public Management Association for Human Resources; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 189,000 - 264,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

CalPERS retirement

City paid medical

Dental and vision coverage

Car allowance

Job summary

The City of Milpitas is seeking an experienced Human Resources Director to lead a team of eight and manage recruitment, compensation, benefits, training, and labor negotiations in a public sector environment.

Reporting to the City Manager, you will guide the ERP/HRIS go-live in January 2027 and collaborate with department heads and labor representatives to strengthen leadership and professional development.

Qualifications

• Five years of increasingly responsible experience in public personnel administration, including management or supervisory experience.
• Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in human resources administration, public administration, political science, business administration, or a closely related field.
• Advanced degree and professional certification such as IPMA-SCP, SHRM-SCP, or SPHR are highly desirable.
• Experience with ERP or HRIS implementation is also highly desirable as the City prepares for its January 2027 go live.
• The City of Milpitas is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Responsibilities

• Lead recruitment and selection, classification and compensation, benefits administration.
• Oversee workers' compensation, training, employee relations, and labor negotiations.
• Partner with department heads and labor representatives; present to City Council.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Labor relations

HR policy

Education

Bachelors degree

Advanced degree

IPMA-SCP/SHRM-SCP/SPHR

Tools

ERP/HRIS

Job description

The City of Milpitas, known as the Crossroads of Silicon Valley, is seeking an experienced and collaborative human resources professional to serve as its next Human Resources Director.

Home to more than 82,000 residents and to companies including Cisco Systems, KLA, Western Digital, and Amazon, Milpitas is a full service, general law city with a Council-Manager form of government, a $292.3 million budget, and 451 funded positions across 14 departments.

Reporting to the City Manager and serving on the Executive Leadership Team, the Human Resources Director leads a team of eight and directs recruitment and selection, classification and compensation, benefits administration, workers compensation, training, employee relations, and labor negotiations with the City’s five bargaining units.

The timing is exceptional. The City has launched Phase 2 of its Tyler Munis ERP implementation for HR and Payroll with a go live date of January 2027, and the incoming Director will lead the organization through this transformation from day one. The Department also continues to build the City’s leadership and professional development programs.

The ideal candidate is a hands on, working director who builds strong teams and stronger relationships. The City is looking for a knowledgeable and confident advisor who is comfortable presenting to the City Council, partnering with department heads, and working directly with labor representatives.

Annual salary is $188,702.54 to $264,184.44 DOQE, with a competitive executive benefits package including CalPERS retirement, City paid medical up to the Kaiser rate at every level with $0 employee cost for Kaiser family coverage in 2026, full family dental and vision at no cost, and a $550 monthly car allowance.

Job Requirements

Five years of increasingly responsible experience in public personnel administration, including management or supervisory experience.

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in human resources administration, public administration, political science, business administration, or a closely related field.

Highly desirable: an advanced degree and professional certification such as IPMA-SCP, SHRM-SCP, or SPHR. Prior experience with an ERP or HRIS implementation is also highly desirable as the City prepares for its January 2027 go live.

The City of Milpitas is an Equal Opportunity Employer.