Labor Relations Specialist

Job Description and Duties

Are you passionate about building strong relationships between labor and management? Do you thrive in high-impact roles where your expertise shapes policy, resolves conflicts, and drives organizational success? If so, the California State Lottery wants you on our team!

We are seeking a dynamic, collaborative, and strategic Labor Relations Specialist to support our mission of supporting California’s public schools and supporting the people who make it all happen.

Reporting to the Supervisor II, Labor Relations Manager, the Labor Relations Specialist plays a vital role in ensuring positive and productive labor-management relationships. This role is a trusted advisor to managers, a skilled interpreter of labor agreements, a strategic negotiator, and an advocate for fair and consistent workplace practices. The LRS also represents Lottery in joint labor management forum and expected to be a champion in conflict-resolution. This is an opportunity to influence decisions, resolve critical issues, and represent the Lottery in high-visibility conversations. This role also provides guidance and consultation on the more sensitive and complex labor problems and assists management in developing labor relations strategies to achieve goals and objectives in support of the Lottery's mission, vision and values (MVV).

This position requires a current Labor Relations Specialist exam. If you need to take the exam or if your score has expired, click here to gain list eligibility.

This position is headquartered at the (Location) and is eligible for a hybrid telework schedule. Employees must be able to report to their assigned headquarters office as assigned. Travel expense to and from the assigned headquarters are the responsibility of the employee. Eligibility for telework requires the employee to reside in California per California Government Code Section 14200 which states: “telecommuting means the partial or total substitution of computers or telecommunication technologies, or both, for the commute to work by employees residing in California.

When choosing a state organization to work for, there are a lot of options. Why choose the California State Lottery?

People are drawn to the Lottery because we:

• Are an energetic, creative, and talented team

• Value diversity and inclusion in the workplace

• Empower team members to bring their knowledge, expertise, and innovation

• Recognize individual and team contributions

• Support the importance of work-life balance

• Invest in the professional development of our team members

• Are dedicated to preserving our environment by lowering our carbon footprint

All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to clearly demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position on your State Application (STD Form 678). The application should also clearly demonstrate the candidate’s ability to meet the Desirable Qualifications identified in this job advertisement. The Classification Specification is located on this Job Announcement Posting under "Minimum Requirements."

It is highly recommended that you apply online using your CalCareers account. It is not necessary to return the contact letter if you applied electronically. Please ensure to monitor your email and/or CalCareers account for communication associated with your application submission.

Effective July 1, 2025, specific Bargaining Units and associated Excluded State employees are subject to a salary reduction between 2% - 4.62% in exchange for hours for Personal Leave hours each month. For more details, please click here to visit the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) website.

The Lottery is less than 30 minutes from all that Downtown Sacramento has to offer. Amenities include an onsite restaurant, free gym, close to the light rail station, electric car charging stations, and free parking!! Apply today to join a dynamic organization that is not only passionate about its mission, but also its people!!

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

a. Schedule: Monday through Friday, within HRD core business hours but may occasionally need to be available after hours and/or on weekends

b. Travel: Infrequent travel may be required

c. Other: The Labor Relations Specialist will need to have a good working knowledge of the State Employer Employee Relations Act; the Dills Act; and various laws, rules, and policies associated with civil service labor agreements.

Special Requirements

• The California State Lottery Act provides that no person may be hired as an employee of the Commission if that person has been convicted of a felony or any gambling related offense.
• The position(s) require(s) a Background Investigation be cleared prior to being hired
• If you are basing your eligibility on education, ( provide your transcripts and/or diploma. Applicants with foreign transcripts must provide a transcript evaluation that indicates the number of units to which the foreign course work is equivalent. Transcripts and evaluations may be unofficial; official transcripts will be required upon appointment.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Experience in state government interpreting and working with management on the Dills Act and/or labor relations experience interpreting laws governing collective bargaining, including but not limited to grievance and complaint responses, participating in collective bargaining negotiations.
• Strong verbal and written commuication skills.
• Flexibility to handle multiple tasks and changing priorities.
• Ability to read, analyze, and logically interpret and apply appropriate laws, rules, regulations, memoranda of understanding, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative relations and gain confidence with those contacted in the work environment.
• Ability to reason logically, analyze situations, and develop and evaluate alternatives and take effective action.
• Experience in handling stressful and/or sensitive situations with tact and labor-management diplomacy.
• Experience using good judgement and making sound decisions in critical situations.
• Creativity to address situations and/or scenarios that are not routine.
• Experience presenting information to management.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Statement of Qualifications

Candidates who fail to submit a statement of qualifications (SOQ) with their application or who fail to answer the below questions will be disqualified from consideration.

In less than two pages using Arial, size 12 font, please answer the following:

1) Describe a complex labor relations issue you assisted in resolving.
2) Describe your experience in drafting grievance responses.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.
• Statement of Qualifications - Please see Statement of Qualification requirements below.