Employee Relations Manager

Employee Relations Manager City of Covington, KYHuman Resources Department

Reports To:

Director of Human Resources

Location:

City HallFLSA Status:
Full-Time, Exempt

Hours:

Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pmSalary Range: $90,000 - $110,000

SUMMARY The Employee Relations Manager serves as a strategic leader responsible for administering and advancing the City’s labor relations and employee relations functions. This position ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, collective bargaining agreements, and City policies.

The role provides expert guidance to City leadership on complex employee relations matters, grievance administration, discipline, investigations, and collective bargaining. The Manager plays a critical role in maintaining productive labor-management relationships and supporting organizational effectiveness through sound human resources practices.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

These tasks are typical for this position and may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Administers labor contracts; provides interpretation of labor contracts (e.g., AFSCME, IAFF, FOP) to all levels of City leadership.

Advises managers and employees on sensitive labor and employee relations matters, including grievance and arbitration procedures, performance, and disciplinary actions; advises and assists managers in identifying employee relations issues and determining appropriate course of action.

Maintains current knowledge of employee and labor relations trends, legal decisions, and statutory changes; conducts research necessary to support contract negotiations and employee relations.

Advises on policies and procedures concerning employee relations and personnel practices.

Conducts workplace investigations.

Participates in the development and delivery of management training programs designed to advance staff knowledge of labor relations and collective bargaining.

Attends staff, committee, and other professional meetings to exchange information; attends technical or professional workshops, seminars, or conferences to improve professional skills; works with safety consultants to prepare periodic risk analysis reports for City leadership.

Ensure compliance with employment laws, including FLSA, FMLA, ADA, EEO, and applicable Kentucky statutes.

Analyze trends in grievances, discipline, turnover, and employee engagement to inform decision-making.

Contribute to the development of HR metrics and dashboards aligned with public sector performance standards.

Participate in budget planning related to HR initiatives.

Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:

Employees at all levels are expected to work effectively together to meet the needs of the community and the organization through work behaviors demonstrating the City’s values. Employees are also expected to lead by example and demonstrate the highest level of ethics.

EDUCATION AND/OR

EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, psychology, or public administration or related field.

Minimum of 5 – 7 years of progressively responsible experience in labor and employee relations in a public sector unionized environment.

Demonstrated experience in collective bargaining, grievance handling, and workplace investigations.

Experience working with multiple unions is preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

PHR and/or SPHR and/or SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP, CLRP are preferred but not required.

Possess and maintain a valid Driver's License KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Ability to apply an analytical approach to gather and summarize data for reports, find solutions to various administrative problems, and prioritize work.

Practical application of public sector collective bargaining and employment laws.

Ability to reconcile labor relations issues in the context of both existing labor…