District Manager

District Manager

Human Resources

Our Role:

Want to do meaningful work that has a real impact on our community? Come join our team-oriented, family-friendly organization of over 100 talented public health professionals! Every day, our team works to prevent diseases and injuries, promote health and wellbeing, and create safe and supportive environments where everyone can thrive. View our Program Guide to learn more about our agency and services.

The Position:

Under the direction of the Administrator and within agency policies, the Human Resources District Manager oversees the Human Resources program ensuring its effectiveness across the District. This role requires strong leadership skills, professional expertise, and technical knowledge in human resources and risk management. The incumbent performs professional duties involving employee recruitment, selection, testing, retention, classification analysis, compensation and benefits administration, safety, and risk management. The incumbent advises directors, managers, supervisors, and staff regarding personnel and risk management programs, rules, regulations, and policies, and resolves grievance issues. The incumbent exercises direct supervision of Human Resources staff. Individuals in this position are expected to operate with initiative, discretion, and independent judgment in the performance of duties based on extensive knowledge of District policies, procedures, and operations.

The Human Resources District Manager is accessible to employees at all levels within the District. The incumbent is occasionally involved in highly sensitive and emotional interpersonal interactions, requiring skill in gaining trust and confidence from others.

Hours:

40 hours per week - 100% FTE, requires occasional evening and weekend hours.

Status:

Regular - Permanent full-time position

Benefits:

• The District offers a comprehensive health benefit plan that includes medical, dental, vision, and life coverages, including several voluntary plan selections through The Standard, MetLife, and Aflac.
• The District provides medical and dental coverage, contributing percentages of the average medical and dental insurance premium cost for full time employees as follows: Employee @ 100%, Employee & Spouse @ 90%, Employee & Child(ren) @ 90%, and Full Family @ 85%.
• Benefits include generous paid time off, and twelve paid holidays per year.
• Employees participate in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), a defined benefit retirement plan managed by the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and Social Security.
• Employees also have access to several 457 deferred compensation plans.
• Benefits for part-time employees are prorated based on full-time equivalence.

Please note: Applications will be reviewed upon receipt. Candidates may be invited to interview prior to the closing date.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Position-Specific Functions:

• Manages all human resource programs, staffing, activities, and functions. Manages the activities of human resource staff including hiring, training, coaching, performance evaluations, and disciplinary actions.
• Provides guidance to the Administrator on complex business administration and risk management issues.
• Manages the development, implementation, communication, and understanding of human resources goals, objectives, policies, priorities, and systems. Ensures consistent interpretation and application of laws, rules, policies, and procedures.
• Fosters employee trust and positive employee relations.
• Performs mediation and conflict resolution services for managers and employees; manages investigations, grievances, and EEO complaints; approves reports and recommendations; resolves issues.
• Coordinates and performs a variety of professional human resources duties including personnel recruitment, testing, selection, and retention.
• Reviews, recommends, and interprets personnel laws, rules, and regulations, policies and procedures. Ensures compliance with regulatory agencies; participates in the development, modification, and implementation of District policies and procedures.
• Administers and maintains the employee classification and compensation plan, involving the preparation of position descriptions, job analyses, and classification studies and recommends pay adjustments in accordance with District policies and union agreements.
• Conducts or directs research and analysis of salary data and makes recommendations on wage and salary information; designs, conducts, or directs salary surveys and compensation studies and analyzes compensation data; and provides information to other agencies and jurisdictions.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of existing policies, processes, and strategies to facilitate and improve human resource operations; directs the preparation and implementation of long-range planning activities.
• Ensures managers are informed and trained on HR topics such as performance evaluation, personnel documentation, etc.
• Administers the employee benefits programs; researches and recommends appropriate changes to these programs; plans and implements employee benefits fair events.
• Provides support and guidance to directors, managers, and other supervisory staff regarding personnel policies and procedures, conflict identification and resolution, training, disciplinary actions, and other sensitive personnel issues; and responds to human resources related questions from staff.
• Manages the evaluation and training of staff and ensures that the evaluation activities maximize the employee’s ability to succeed; ensures that evaluation and training occur in a timely manner; monitors the performance evaluation program and revises as necessary.
• Plans and implements employee recognition programs.
• Investigates or provides consultation to investigators of complaints of harassment or violations of District policies or ethical standards.
• Researches and assesses the impact of new legislation, case law, and regulations; recommends and implements changes in personnel and risk management policies/procedures as needed.
• Participates in labor relations activities; provides research and analysis in support of negotiations; administers and interprets labor law and collective bargaining agreements; provides recommendations to the appropriate subject matter as applicable; coordinates meetings for, and participates as a member of, the District’s labor-management (conference) committee; develops and maintains mutually trusting and collaborative labor-management relations.
• Administers federal and state regulations including the Fair Labor Standards Act, ADA, OSHA/WISHA, and the Family and Medical Leave Act, and provides expertise in issues related to ADA and EEOC compliance.
• Maintains the District’s Personnel Manual, revising and updating as appropriate.
• Coordinates and ensures the completion of new employee orientations and conducts or supervises the conduct of new employee administrative orientations.
• Maintains master personnel files and related confidential files such as workers’ compensation and medical files; develops and implements control systems for personnel practices.
• Manages human resources budget, authorizes and monitors expenses, forecasts personnel requirements, authorizes purchases within allocated budget.
• Stays abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of human resource management.
• Performs special projects to upgrade/enhance human resources systems and policies.
• Proactively manages workers’ compensation claims and coordinates modified duty assignments and return to work dates for injured workers.
• Contributes to the oversight of the District’s Safety Committee. Receives, reviews, and processes all of the District’s incident reports according to District procedures and recommends preventive actions, as needed, to address incidents, injuries, accidents, and losses. Completes and maintains all required Washington Department of Labor & Industry records and reports.
• Coordinates with the Executive Leadership Team, managers, and Safety Committee to develop safety policies and procedures, making recommendations for policy/procedural changes as appropriate; ensures compliance with OSHA/WISHA regulations.
• Monitors claims and lawsuits against the District and acts as liaison between the District and its insurance carrier and/or legal counsel as assigned. Assists in claims settlement as requested.
• Researches and assesses the impact of new legislation, case law, and regulations, and recommends and implements changes in risk management policies and procedures as needed.
• Attends and participates in professional group meetings, stays abreast of new trends and innovations in the field of risk management.

General Agency-Wide Functions:

• Accurately completes and submits electronic timecards on a weekly basis.
• Maintains accurate and organized records, databases, systems, and files.
• Prioritizes and plans own work activities. Uses work time and resources effectively.
• Prepares a variety of letters, memos, forms, reports, and other documents; operates computers utilizing various software applications to produce materials with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation, and grammar.
• Responds to public health emergencies as required by the District.
• Participates in quality improvement efforts.
• Serves as a resource person for staff in their area of expertise.
• Demonstrates cultural humility and embeds health equity into all aspects of assigned work and interactions.
• Works both independently and within a collaborative team-oriented environment; contributes openly, disagrees respectfully, understands the ideas of others, listens well and works for consensus.
• Models an organizational culture rooted in respect, transparency, and collaboration, utilizing data-informed management to drive continuous improvement.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative, effective working relationships with other District employees and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Participates in and contributes to staff meetings, ad hoc committees, special activities, and assignments.
• Reports for scheduled work with regular, reliable, and punctual attendance.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Work is performed primarily indoors in an office setting or telework remote location. Occasional travel to meeting, trainings, and conferences is required.
• Requires the ability to communicate with others orally, face to face and by telephone. Requires manual and finger dexterity and hand-eye-arm coordination to write and to operate computers and a variety of general office equipment. Requires mobility to accomplish other desktop work, retrieve files, and to move to various District locations. Requires visual acuity to read computer screens, printed materials, and detailed information. Essential duties may involve occasional kneeling, squatting, crouching, stooping, crawling, standing, bending, climbing (to stack, store or retrieve supplies or various office equipment).
• May be required to work a varying schedule which includes evenings and weekends.
• This is an exempt classification, which may require working beyond the normally scheduled workweek, modifying existing work schedules, or flexing hours.
• Requires the ability to alternatively sit and stand for sustained periods of time to deliver presentations.
• May be exposed to individuals who are upset, angry, agitated and sometimes hostile, requiring the use of conflict management and coping skills.
• Frequently required to perform work in confidence and under pressure for deadlines, and to maintain professional composure and tact, patience, and courtesy at all times.
• The environment is dynamic and constantly changing, resulting in continually re-evaluating and shifting priorities.
• Requires the ability to lift and/or carry objects and materials weighing up to twenty pounds.
• May be required to stay at or return to work during public health incidents and/or emergencies to perform duties specific to this classification or to perform other duties as requested in an assigned response position. This may require working a non-traditional work schedule or working outside normal assigned duties during the incident and/or emergency.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• A master's degree in a field related to the position; and
• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible and relevant professional experience, of which a minimum of two (2) years of recent relevant management or supervisor experience.

An equivalent combination of education, experience and professional certification may be qualifying provided the individual's background demonstrates the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Degrees must be from appropriately accredited institutions.

LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS, & OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• None

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Certification as a Human Resources Professional.
• Human resources experience in the public sector and/or a unionized workforce.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of public sector organization and program operations.
• Project management, including planning, scheduling, monitoring, and problem solving.
• Federal, state, and local laws and regulations relevant to assigned areas/program(s).
• Trends, principles, and practices within assigned specialized areas.
• Principles and practices of supervision, personnel development, and group dynamics.
• Principles of public relations and customer service.

Ability to:

• Open to change and adapts to shifting circumstances, considers and develops alternative strategies; recover quickly from setbacks.
• Understand, interpret, explain, and apply best practices, laws, rules, and regulations within assigned specialized areas.
• Coordinate, organize, and prioritize work, follow instructions, directions, and protocol in the course of duties assigned. Delegate effectively to accomplish tasks and deadlines.
• Make timely and sound independent decisions considering relevant information while exercising discretion. Anticipate problems, sets clear, realistic and achievable goals; holds self and others accountable for deliverables.
• Gather and analyze data and develop clear, concise, and comprehensive reports, correspondence, and other written materials.
• Communicate orally and in writing to a variety of audiences in a clear, comprehensive, effective, and professional manner.
• Plan, direct and evaluate the work of staff. Provide both positive and constructive feedback to create a culture of continuous improvement.
• Create and meet schedules and timelines and work independently with little direction.
• Utilize computers and related software and automated equipment to produce documents and reports, typing with sufficient speed and accuracy to accomplish assignments in a timely manner.
• Perform duties in confidence and under pressure for deadlines, and to maintain professional composure and tact, patience, and courtesy at all times.
• Facilitate meetings to achieve desired outcomes; employs techniques to ensure that meetings remain focused, enabling the team to accomplish objectives in a timely manner.
• Work both independently and within a collaborative team-oriented environment; contribute openly, respectfully disagree, understand the ideas of others, listen well and work for consensus.