Interim Human Resources Service Partner

Human Resources Service Partner

The City of Ann Arbor, located in Southeast Michigan, within Washtenaw County and near to Detroit, is well-known for its vibrancy, high technology business community, social activism and is the home to the University of Michigan. The City is consistently featured by various media outlets on their "best places to live" lists. It is a community-oriented, progressive city that provides exceptional city services, and has a socially conscious Council that is innovative, creative, and responsive to new ideas that can benefit its residents.

The population of Ann Arbor is approximately 120,000 individuals and covers around 28 square miles with a variety of residential developments, diverse retail and commercial businesses, including multiple headquarters locations, and the University of Michigan academic and athletic campuses.

Ann Arbor provides its residents with excellent schools, a wide range of community amenities, a relatively stable employer base, and cultural and athletic attractions that are nationally recognized. The community is known for strong civic and community engagement and is viewed as progressive/liberal.

The City has recently prioritized climate action, affordable housing, inclusion, and other progressive values. The HR Service Partner (HRSP) position is responsible for aligning City objectives with employees and management in designated service units. The position formulates partnerships across the HR function to deliver value-added service to management and employees. This position serves as a coach and mentor for leadership in assigned service units as well as a resource for employees and other positions within the HR department. The HRSP acts as a strategic service partner to assigned service units, proactively understanding their operational goals and challenges, and aligning HR strategies and solutions to support the achievement of those objectives.

The City of Ann Arbor is seeking an experienced Human Resources professional to provide interim support during a period of significant organizational transition within the Human Resources Department. This 10-month assignment will focus on maintaining critical HR operations and advancing key initiatives including recruitment and selection, classification and compensation projects, performance management, policy review, employee relations, and organizational development efforts. The successful candidate will be expected to quickly assess priorities, work independently, and provide immediate value to assigned projects. Key responsibilities include:

• Work with individual units, the recruiting team, and supervisors on effective and comprehensive interviewing and onboarding processes.
• Lead the creation, updating, and modification of progressions by partnering with compensation and supervisors.
• Lead and participate in classification studies, job analysis, compensation reviews, and progression development projects.
• Manage and execute strategic HR initiatives related to performance management, policy development and review, workforce planning, and organizational effectiveness.
• Support supervisors with interpreting and following individual contracts and timelines established.
• Analyze trends and metrics to develop solutions, programs, and policies.
• Identify training needs for units and individual employees and assist with individual development needs.
• Independently manage multiple projects and competing priorities while maintaining a high level of customer service and responsiveness.

About You:

• Bachelor's degree in business or public administration, Human Resources, Labor Relations, or related field.
• Experience leading classification, compensation, organizational design, performance management, or policy development initiatives.
• Experience supporting multiple bargaining units and interpreting collective bargaining agreements is strongly preferred.
• Previous experience as a Generalist or Service Partner.
• Experience in labor relations, including participating in negotiations and grievances.
• Professional Human Resources Certification is preferred (PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP).
• Able to lead difficult conversations with diplomacy, tact, and appropriate assertiveness.
• Experience demonstrating high emotional intelligence in managing relationships and organizational dynamics and applying critical thinking and sound judgment to complex HR situations.
• Knowledge of Federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations (FMLA, FLSA, ADA, EEO, etc.)
• Knowledgeable in the principles and practices of labor relations and collective bargaining.

Why work for us?

• Benefits offered for this opportunity: Temp Benefit Summary.
• This role follows a hybrid schedule, with at least two onsite days each week. Our standard hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and we offer flexible work arrangements.