The City of San Jose invites applicants for the position of Assistant to the City Manager in the Office of Employee Relations (OER), a division of the City Manager's Office. The Office of Employee Relations' primary functions are: labor negotiations; administration of labor contracts; investigation of employee performance, misconduct, and discrimination and harassment issues; employee-related policy development and interpretation; disability accommodation; and training. OER also manages the City of San Jose's Whistleblower Hotline where City employees, customers, and the public can raise concerns about City services. The City of San Jose has more than 7,000 employees, and the primary goals of OER are to encourage effective employee relations, support a positive, respectful and productive work environment, and to enhance the City's ability to deliver efficient, quality customer service.Salary range: $132,614.04 - $206.436.62
The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidate's qualifications and experience. This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation pay. In addition to the salary, the incumbent shall also receive a $90 per month non-pensionable technology stipend.
The incumbent in this position will be part of a high performing office of 11 employees and will report to the Director and Assistant Director of OER. OER's duties and responsibilities impact every department within the City and many assignments have visibility among senior and executive staff within the Administration.
Under general direction, the incumbent performs administrative functions of considerable difficulty in executing programs and projects for OER, including policy development and data driven decision-making requiring strong project management experience, planning skills, the ability to manage day-to-day tasks on multiple projects at one time, and the ability to effectively communicate with a broad set of internal and external stakeholders.
The incumbent in this position may supervise professional and/or support staff as assigned. Evening and weekend work is required as needed.
Key position responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Serve as a leader to achieve objectives:
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships;
- Ability to appropriately handle sensitive and confidential information;
- Ability to delegate effectively and encourage the development of staff; and,
- Demonstrate a positive attitude and flexibility to change.
An understanding of and appreciation for the complexities of local government processes and practices, including:
- Ability to maintain a positive attitude in challenging and fluid situations;
- Ability to learn quickly, be a self-starter, handle multiple assignments and deadlines, and work well under pressure; and
- Understanding the various facets of local government.
Proven record of building capacity to achieve goals, including:
- Experience in the development and implementation of strategies to solve complex labor relations, employee relations, and/or retirement-related matters;
- Strong project management experience;
- Proficiency in guiding data-driven decision making;
- Strong administrative, organizational, and planning skills;
- Detail oriented and can balance the high-level thinking with managing day-to-day tasks on multiple projects at the same time; and
- Proven ability to effectively communicate with a broad set of stakeholders including team members, senior and executive leadership, and internal and external stakeholders.
Functional areas of OER include:
Labor Relations:
- Researching, interpreting, and analyzing labor contracts and processing and responding to grievances according to the terms of each labor contract;
- Overseeing classification analysis assigned to staff as part of the labor negotiation process;
- Participating in various aspects of labor negotiations, including attending and/or leading labor negotiation sessions, drafting proposals/correspondence, and overseeing cost analysis of proposals of varying complexity;
- Participating in labor-management committee meetings;
- Responding to PERB complaints; and
- Responding to information requests from the City's bargaining units during and outside of the labor negotiation process.
Employee Relations:
- Consulting with and advising OER staff on employee performance and conduct matters;
- Developing, revising, and interpreting employee-related policies;
- Giving oral presentations to small and large groups of employees and supervisors on employee relations issues;
- Conducting investigations involving potential employee misconduct, writing investigative reports, and assisting departments with the disciplinary process as needed; and
- Administration of the City's reasonable accommodation program.
Retirement-Related Projects:
- Managing retirement board governance issues;
- Serving as the liaison to the Federated Retirement Plan and the Police and Fire Department Retirement Plan;
- Serving as a resource for the Office of Retirement Services as needed; and
- Addressing any issues that may require the City to meet and confer with the City's bargaining units.
Education and Experience: A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in public administration, business administration, or a discipline related to the business performed by the department, AND six (6) years management and/or administrative experience in government or private business/industry. A master's degree is preferred and may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.
Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent, or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.The ideal candidate will possess the most desirable combination of skills, abilities, and experience. These include:
- Honesty, integrity, and a strong work ethic;
- Ability to evaluate information through the lens of City policies and/or labor contract language and then exercise sound, independent judgment;
- Excellent written communication, including a demonstrated command of grammar and report-writing ability;
- Proven record of successful project execution, including working in team settings to deliver quality results on time and with the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously; and
- Possession of significant experience in policy analysis, proficient understanding of data collection and data-driven decision making, labor and employee relations experience
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the job specific questions. Only the candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to the interview. The recruitment may include an assessment as part of the selection process.
The supplemental questionnaire is required for all applicants and must be submitted along with a resume and a cover letter. The supplemental questionnaire will be used to assist in the selection of applicants that will be invited to participate in an interview process and will be assessed for both content and writing ability.
If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact becki.gervin@sanjoseca.gov .
For more
information about the City Manager's Office of Employee Relations, please click here .
For more information about City benefits, please click here .
This position will remain open until filled and the first application review date will be July 5, 2024.
Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third-party job board application system. To apply, applicants must complete an application via the City of San Jose's website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers . If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application. Please contact Human Resources at (408) 535-1285, or Human.Resources@sanjoseca.gov if you have any questions.
