Human Resources Director

The City of Wausau is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and forward-thinking Human Resources Director to provide strategic and operational leadership for the City's human resources and labor relations functions.

Reporting to the Mayor, the Human Resources Director leads a three-person HR team supporting more than 375 full-time, part-time, and seasonal employees. The Director serves as a trusted advisor to City leadership and partners closely with elected officials, department leaders, supervisors, employees, and labor representatives.

This is a broad, hands-on HR leadership role with responsibility for the full range of human resources programs and services, including employee and labor relations, collective bargaining, classification and compensation, benefits, recruitment and talent management, performance management, policy development, organizational development, risk management and safety, compliance, and training.

The next Director will have the opportunity to help shape the future of HR for the City by strengthening HR's role as a strategic business partner, advancing workforce and succession planning, modernizing policies and processes, supporting leadership development, enhancing recruitment and employment branding, and expanding the use of data and technology to improve HR effectiveness.

The Director also serves as the City's chief negotiator in collective bargaining and provides leadership in administering agreements and maintaining constructive relationships with the City's Police, Fire, and Transit labor groups.

We are seeking a leader who combines strong technical HR expertise with sound judgment, relationship-building skills, and the ability to move comfortably between long-range strategy and day-to-day HR operations.

Starting Annual Salary: $105,913 - $126,464 DOQ
Benefits: Excellent comprehensive benefits package
Application Deadline: September 13, 2026

Lead People. Strengthen the Organization. Serve Wausau.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Public Administration, or a related field.
• Ten (10) or more years of progressive Human Resources administration experience.
• A combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Human Resources, Business, Public Administration, or a related field.
• SPHR or SHRM-SCP professional designation.
• Experience in public-sector human resources.
• Experience with labor relations, collective bargaining, and contract administration.

The Successful Candidate Will Demonstrate:

• Broad technical knowledge across multiple HR disciplines, including employee and labor relations, compensation, benefits, recruitment, performance management, policy development, compliance, and risk management.
• The ability to serve as a credible and trusted advisor to organizational leadership.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build productive relationships at all levels of an organization.
• Sound judgment and the ability to address complex or sensitive workplace matters with professionalism, consistency, and discretion.
• Experience leading HR staff, establishing priorities, delegating effectively, and ensuring high-quality service delivery.
• The ability to balance strategic initiatives with the operational demands of a busy HR department.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex HR issues clearly to a variety of audiences.
• A commitment to ethical HR practices, continuous improvement, and public service.