Director of Human Resources

Location:  City of Boulder, CO Download:  City of Boulder, CO - Director of Human Resources BrochureDownload City of Boulder, CO

City of Boulder
Human Resources Director

The Boulder Community
Boulder is located at the edge of the Rocky Mountains, 35 miles northwest of Denver. The city is home to the main campus of the University of Colorado (a world-class research university with 29,000 students) and several national labs including the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric, Administration (NOAA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Boulder has a diverse economic base grounded in high tech companies with expertise in aerospace, bioscience, photonics, data storage and software, nanotechnology, and renewable and alternative energies. Since 2003, the city of Boulder has had the highest concentration of software engineers of any community in the U.S. Boulder's manufacturing sector draws upon the area's highly educated workforce and benefits from the concentration of related businesses.

Though not immune from recent business and job losses in sectors like professional/technical services and retail, Boulder has fared better than many cities in the recent economic downturn due to a diverse industry base. Boulder's unemployment rate has been consistently lower than Colorado's rate and much lower than the national unemployment level. Also, access to venture capital funds has been significant for entrepreneurs choosing Boulder to start their new ventures. Both of these trends help fuel start-ups and Boulder business growth.

The city of Boulder is 5,430 feet above sea level and covers 27.8 square miles. Boulder’s location at the base of the Rockies, surrounded by over 45,000 acres of open space and mountain parks, and over 120 miles of hiking trails provide stunning views and amazing recreational opportunities. The town is known for its natural beauty, its moderate climate with four distinct seasons and over 300 days of sunshine a year.

The city’s 100,000 residents support many arts and cultural events, including one of the three remaining Chautauqua’s in the nation, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, the Colorado Music Festival, a twice-weekly farmers’ market in the spring, summer and fall, the annual Bolder Boulder 10K race, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art and the Boulder International Film Festival.

Boulder is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s healthiest places to live. Boulder’s municipal services, such as recreation, transportation and senior services, have earned the city numerous awards and put Boulder on many magazine lists in categories including “Best Place to Live,” “Bicycle-Friendly Communities,” “Best Art Town,” and one of “The Smartest Towns in America.”

The Governing Body and City Management
Boulder is a charter city with council-manager form of government. The city is governed by nine City Council members. Council members are elected at-large and are non-partisan. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are chosen by the council from its nine members for two-year terms.

The city employs a full-time City Manager, appointed by the City Council to oversee the operations of the city. The City Council also appoints the City Attorney and the Municipal Judge. The city provides a full range of services. The total approved city budget for 2013 is $254,693,000 and reflects a staffing level of 1,260 full time equivalent positions.  There are three bargaining units in the city, representing police, fire and other municipal employees.

The Human Resources Department
The mission is of the Human Resource Department is “To provide strategic human resource solutions to support City of Boulder employees, goals and outcomes. We do this to help build a thriving and sustainable community.”

In furtherance of this mission, the Department is currently comprised of 18.63 full time equivalent positions and is responsible for the following functions:

Administration: includes strategic direction of the department, as well as general administrative functions including customer service, budget, bill paying, communications and the city’s Human Resources Information System.

Employment and Diversity: includes analysis of hiring priorities based on the city’s business needs, assisting managers and applicants regarding the recruitment process, and policy/ procedure development, interpretation and compliance. Diversity provides oversight for the Inclusiveness and Diversity Team, which serves as a catalyst and promoter of a welcoming and inclusive environment by facilitating training, tools, resources, ideas and coaching.

Talent Management: is responsible for performance management and training.

Employee Relations: involves working with managers to ensure respectful relationships exist within work groups and providing coaching and training to managers on resolving conflicts and dealing with sensitive issues.

Compensation: develops ad administers the city’s compensation programs and policies, and conducts market and job studies to provide favorable salary relationships with labor markets while maintaining internal equity.

Benefits and Payroll: includes the administration of the city’s benefit programs, including insurance (medical, dental, vision, life and disability), retirement, deferred compensation, paid time off, and leaves of absence. Payroll is responsible for paycheck processing, W-2’s, vendor payments, and the Federal and State legal compliance regarding payroll, pension and other tax reporting obligations.

The Position                            
Under general direction, the Human Resources Director plans, directs and manages the Human Resources Department and performs related duties as required.  This position serves by the appointment of and at the discretion of the City Manager.

Duties and Responsibilities 

·         Directs and manages the Human Resources Department.  This includes direction, general administration and management for the following functions: compensation, benefits, employment, diversity, employee relations, labor relations, training and development, payroll, and administrative support.

·         Plans, develops, and implements policies, procedures, programs, and services to support the recruitment, selection, compensation, management development and safety of the City’s human resources.

·         Functions as a member of the City’s Directors’ leadership group and serves on inter-departmental task forces.  Assists in the development of City strategy and long-term plans.  Consults with and advises senior management on sensitive personnel related matters.

·         Prepares and administers the annual Human Resources budget.

·         Manages/oversees internal investigations under city policies.  Serves as hearing officer for grievances under the city’s bargaining agreements and for complaints under the city’s management policies.  Coordinates with the City Attorney’s Office regarding the management of external complaints/lawsuits related to personnel matters.

·         Supports the city’s labor negotiation process, including but not limited to development of management strategy, participation in negotiations, hiring outside counsel or experts to assist the process, and analysis of proposals presented by collective bargaining units. 

·         Directs or leads communications and relationship building with collective bargaining units and management/non-union employees.

·         Assists in planning and oversight of executive level recruitment/selection processes.  Provides assistance to the City Council and the Council’s evaluation committee in personnel matters related to the three Council-appointed employees: City Manager, City Attorney and Municipal Judge.

City Vision and Values
The City of Boulder is committed to service excellence for an inspired future and the following values:

Customer service - We are dedicated to exceeding the expectations of our community and our co-workers by demonstrating consistent and professional service with a solution-oriented approach

Respect - We champion diversity and welcome individual perspectives, backgrounds and opinions. We are open-minded and treat all individuals with respect and dignity.

Integrity - We are stewards of the public’s trust and are committed to service that is transparent and consistent with city regulations and policies. We are honorable, follow through on our commitments and accept responsibility.

Collaboration - We are committed to organizational success and celebrate our shared dedication to public service. We believe community collaboration and the sum of our individual contributions leads to great results.

Innovation - We promote a forward-thinking environment that supports creativity, calculated risks and continuous improvement. We embrace change and learn from others in order to deliver leading edge service.

Position Requirements

·         Demonstrated superior staff management skills. 

·         Experience handling grievances/complaints or other difficult personnel situations. 

·         Experience in negotiating collective bargaining unit or other agreements. 

·         Excellent project management, organizational, problem-solving, mediation, interpersonal, and communications skills. 

·         Demonstrated ability to build an organization’s capacity in effective management and utilization of its human resources, to build successful partnerships, and to develop a highly productive, service-oriented staff.  Demonstrated ability to provide objectivity in analyses of difficult issues and situations; proven flexibility in decision-making and creative problem-solving skills. 

·         Have and maintain acceptable background information, including criminal conviction history. 

Education and Experience
Qualified candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in Human Resource Management, Business or Public Administration with an emphasis in HR, Industrial Psychology or a related field; a Masters degree is preferred.  In addition, candidates should have extensive experience in the Human Resources field to include a minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible broad-based, general management experience in the public and/or private sector as well as significant experience with collective bargaining units; municipal experience; compensation and benefits; payroll/human resources information systems; alternative dispute resolution techniques; and risk management/workers compensation.

Certifications
A PHR or SPHR certification or the ability to obtain within a reasonable period is desired.  

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in performance management, organizational development and policy/procedure implementation. Prior experience working with unions / labor relations is essential for this role; experience working with municipally owned utilities will be beneficial.

The ideal candidate should be diplomatic and flexible, yet willing to assert his/her professional expertise to educate staff at all levels, integrating the HR laws and regulations with leading practices in the field. This individual should have strong communication skills, be able to solve problems, think strategically and build strong relationships across the organization.  The ideal candidate will be skilled in creating a positive atmosphere for employees in the organization and within the HR Department.

Salary
The City of Boulder is offering a competitive salary commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package. Relocation assistance will be available for the successful out of area candidate.

How to Apply
Interested applicants should forward a cover letter and resume to:

resumes@affionpublic.com
Reference: BOULDERHR 

Affion Public
20 North 2nd Street, Suite 200
Harrisburg, PA 17101
888.321.4922
Fax: 717-214-2205
www.affionpublic.com

 

 
*Deadline to receive resumes is January 17, 2014

Posted: 03/22/2022