Assistant Employee Relations Manager

The right person for this role will be focused on collaboration with unions, managers, and employees, creating strong cross-functional partnerships across the business, and developing innovative and impactful solutions to support the organization. You will have opportunities to help drive the long-term vision of the Employee Relations function and our priorities, and work closely with the Employee Relations Manager and executive leadership to ensure our mission and values are represented in the ways we do our work. If you want to be part of a dynamic, growing City, with the opportunity to have a voice in strategic planning, and touch all levels of the organization, keep reading

The City of Fort Lauderdale employees possess a passion for public service demonstrated by a high degree of enthusiasm, self-reliance, and job proficiency. They effectively convey the vision and mission of the organization and provide excellent service and satisfaction to our internal and external customers.  

 

Interprets and explains Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and employee relations laws, statutes, and regulations.  Advises management staff, department heads and/or their designees regarding employee relations issues. Assists and actively participates in contract negotiations. May act as management spokesperson on behalf of the City Manager and in coordination with department heads to assure reasonable uniformity in contract settlement and grievance settlements. 

PLEASE NOTE: 

The duties of this position will include all of those duties set forth in the official job description. 

This position shall remain open until a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received.

The City offers a wide variety of benefits to employees. In addition to the competitive benefits package and salary, the City participates in the Florida Retirement System (FRS) which offers an investment option and a pension option, and requires a 3% contribution from employees.  New hires are automatically enrolled in FRS.    

This job classification is in Management Category II for benefits purposes, which includes Eight (8) additional Management Vacation Days and a Vehicle Allowance of $340/month.   

Say "Hello" to the City of Fort Lauderdale and Say "Goodbye" to Your Student Loan

That's right Under the U.S. Department of Education's Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, the remaining balance on your student loan may be forgiven after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments while working full-time at the City of Fort Lauderdale  Please visit www.fortlauderdale.gov/PublicServiceLoanForgiveness for more information or to see if you qualify. 

This is a classified position covered by the Personnel Rules. 

Essential functions are the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The list of essential functions, as outlined herein, is intended to be representative of the tasks performed within this classification.   The omission of a function does not preclude management from assigning essential duties not listed herein if such duties relate to the position.

* Advises and confers with City management staff, department heads, and/or designees on discipline administration issues, contract interpretation issues, and EEO practices


* Meets with employees and union organizations regarding employee relations and EEO matters
* Advises department heads and/or designees in areas of department policy, rules and regulations for attendance, overtime, use of City property, and other employee relations issues
* Attends various department head staff meetings to discuss and advise officials regarding a variety of employee relations, discipline, and EEO issues
* Maintains knowledge of laws, Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC) rulings, court decisions, statutes, arbitrators' decisions, and other current activities related to employee relations and EEO issues
* Confers with and advises department heads and/or designees regarding appropriate written grievance responses and compliance with City discipline and grievance procedures
* Conducts training sessions for City management officials and new supervisory employees regarding discipline administration, grievance handling, and current developments and practices in the field of employee relations and contract administration
* Performs special projects and participates in specific internal investigations at the request of the City Manager's Office and makes recommendations on a variety of management/employee issues
* Meets with City Attorney's Office representatives and/or outside counsel as needed regarding employee relations issues
* Serves as the City's management representative at arbitration hearings; develops appropriate meeting strategy; prepares City witnesses; drafts strategic cross examination questions; prepares arbitration briefs when needed
* Serves as management representative in negotiating contractual agreements, when needed
* Maintains knowledge of the latest data concerning wages, salaries, EEO and labor contract cases, fringe benefits, hours of work, and conditions of employment
* Performs related work as required
* Bachelor's Degree in Labor Relations, Human Resources, Business or Public Administration or a related field.
* Three (3) or more years of experience in discipline administration, negotiating strategies and proposals; labor negotiations; contract interpretation and administration; EEO complaint resolution; grievance handling; EEO fact-finding and arbitration proceedings. Additional qualifying experience or completion of coursework at an accredited college or university in a job-related field, may substitute on a year-for-year basis for the required experience or education.

Preferences:

* Prior experience conducting labor relations investigations.
* Prior work experience within a Municipality or Government Agency.
* Professional in Human Resources (PHR) / Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) / Society for Human Resources Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) / Society for Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) or other human resources-related professional certifications.

Special Requirements: 

Essential Employees may be required to work during a declared emergency. The employee's Department Head will determine who will be required to work.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT: 

 

Work EnvironmentFrequency Working in Designated EnvironmentOffice or similar indoor environmentFrequently or OftenOutdoor environmentSometimesStreet environment (near moving traffic)Seldom or NeverConstruction siteSeldom or NeverConfined SpaceSeldom or NeverIn the community (homes, businesses, etc.)Seldom or NeverLabSeldom or NeverWarehouse environmentSeldom or Never

PHYSICAL STANDARDS REQUIRED TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

The position is generally sedentary. Employees sit most of the time but may walk or stand for brief periods of time.

                                                                                                   

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Depending on the number of applicants and the quality of their education and experience, the examination may consist of one or more of the following tests: Evaluation of Training and Experience, Oral Interview, Written Examination, or other assessment method.  Applicants must attain a minimum score of 70 in each part of the examination in order to qualify.  All successful applicants will be required to take a medical examination and/or pass a drug screening prior to appointment.

An eligible veteran who enters an open-competitive examination shall receive preference points added to the total passing score earned in the examination as provided for in the Florida Statutes. To obtain veteran's preference, candidates MUST submit a copy of separation papers and the City of Fort Lauderdale's veteran's preference claim form (J-204).