What are the responsibilities and job description for the Bureau Chief, Human Resources position at City of Lancaster (PA)?
In collaboration with the ELT, this Chief Human Resources Executive leads the execution of HR strategy by providing leadership and guidance in developing, interpreting and revising legally sound policies, programs and procedures to ensure the attraction, engagement, and retention of the right talent for success.
This position leads a team of HR professionals, focused on building the capacity of team members to solve problems and provide excellent service to internal customers. The successful incumbent develops strong and collaborative working relationships across the city, focused on ELT and CLT team members.
The Human Resources Bureau Chief provides strategic direction and expertise in building the City’s leadership capacity by developing a clear vision of the leaders the City needs to drive results, and by developing and implementing a comprehensive leadership development program.
Accountability | Outcome |
Leads the human resources team, overseeing the allocation of work and performance against goals. Ensures the HR team is structured appropriately and has the required skills and capabilities to meet the talent needs of the City. Provides feedback, coaching, and mentoring, drives employee development, and performs additional people management activities. | Effective leadership of the team, resulting in efficient operations of the HR function, delivery of value-added programs/services and exceptional customer service |
Oversees the Culture & Inclusion vision and strategy in alignment with organizational values to increase retention and engagement of employees. | Organization-wide progress on C&I initiatives can be monitored with the use of metrics to measure change. |
Oversees comprehensive Learning and Development strategy with a priority focus on leadership development. Develop an approach to professional skills development across all job levels | Leadership development program developed in alignment with the City’s organizational strategy to build the City’s leadership capacity and capabilities. |
Ensure a comprehensive Compensation and Benefits program is in place to effectively, fairly and competitively pay employees while providing a robust Benefits program. | A total compensation plan that is fair and robust. |
Leads the design and delivery of HR policies, programs, and procedures to align the workforce with the talent strategy and organizational culture. Remains up to date on HR best practices and industry trends in order to identify opportunities for improvement. | HR programs drive employee and organizational performance as well as positive employee experience throughout the employee lifecycle. Improved employee attraction, engagement, and retention. HR policies and procedures minimize costs through efficiency in operations and maximize organizational effectiveness by improving outcomes. |
Participates in strategic planning activities with the Executive Leadership Team, providing concise recommendations based on research, metrics, and organizational factors. Provides input and oversees annual budget expenditures and resource requirements. | HR is an active participant in strategic planning with the leadership team, ensuring HR is a significant contributor to organizational performance and success. |
Identifies, monitors, and analyzes HR metrics to measure trends and progress against strategic goal accomplishment. Uses data to make business cases to senior management and to identify when changes or modifications to HR programs or projects are necessary. | Decisions and recommendations are informed by data, leading to improved outcomes and buy-in from senior management. |
Negotiates and manages complex dispute resolution, handling confidential issues professionally and appropriately in accordance with relevant legislation. Ensures regulatory reporting obligations are completed in a timely and accurate manner. | Organization is legislatively compliant. Organizational and legal risk is mitigated in complex employee situations. |
Leads union relations. Fosters positive relations with three unions and serves as primary point of contact for all union representatives. Train on union matters and resolve labor disputes. Maintains records and ensures legal compliance in coordination with the Solicitor’s office. With the Director of Administrative Services, leads the union contract negotiations, and administration. Participates in resolving disputes and elevated grievances. Ensures effective Labor relations. | Bargaining staff are engaged and have pathways to growth and leadership in the organization and the city’s labor costs are kept in line with best practices and market conditions. |
- Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in HR, Business, Industrial Relations, Organizational Development, or related field
- Minimum of 10 years of experience as a senior HR leader, with preference given to candidates with similar municipal experience at the leadership level
- Proven track record of building high-performing HR functions, ensuring a high level of team performance, capability, and service delivery.
- Built and maintained positive relationships across diverse internal and external stakeholder groups.
- Strong labor relations background, with significant experience leading in a unionized environment
- Advanced facilitation, mediation, advocacy, and interpersonal skills to cope with conflicting points of view, function under pressure while demonstrating integrity, fair-mindedness
- Strong relationship builder, with a persuasive, confident style and approach
- Understands how to use technology to enhance HR delivery of services
- HR certification (e.g. CHRL, SHRP, PHR, SHRM-SCP, SHRM-CP).
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) in HR, Business, Organizational Development, or related field.
Candidates must perform at the appropriate proficiency level for the organization’s core competenciesand leadership competencies, including People Leadership, Culture Management, Managing through Change and Uncertainty, Learning & Innovation, Problem Solving & Decision Making, Customer Focus, Teamwork, Relationship Building and Empathy. Please refer to the competency framework. Additionally, these competencies are required.
- Activating Networks: Uses deep understanding of their network to establish and activate connections between people to create value and make the organization stronger.
- Communicative: Comfortably delivers strategic messages supporting their function and the organization at the enterprise level; communicates with senior-level executives on complex organizational issues.
- Strategic Execution & Direction: Makes sound decisions that have organization-wide consequences and influence future direction.
- Normal HR activities may require travel and so incumbents must be able to obtain and maintain valid travel documentation at all times.
- Normal HR activities may require working outside of standard business hours (9:00am-5:00pm).
Salary : $120,000 - $130,000
