Assistant Director of Human Resources

Some HR leadership roles are about maintaining what already exists. This isn't one of them!

We're looking for an Assistant Director of Human Resources who is ready to help shape what comes next. We're not looking for someone who checks every box. We're looking for someone who can help us build better ones.

If that sounds like the kind of work you want to be part of, we'd like to hear what you can bring to our team!

What does success look like here? Not simply a checklist of transactions completed. Success looks like stronger leaders, better decisions, trusted partnerships, meaningful follow-through, and an HR team that leaves the organization better than it found it.

The Assistant Director of Human Resources helps set the standard for how Human Resources shows up across the City: credible, responsive, thoughtful, courageous, and accountable. The role exists to extend the Director’s leadership capacity, turn strategy into action, and ensure the HR team delivers work that earns the confidence of team members, leaders, and the community we serve!

Success requires more than technical HR knowledge. It requires sound judgment when the answer is not obvious, the confidence to address difficult issues directly, and the discipline to follow through. This leader must be equally comfortable advising an executive, coaching an HR team member, challenging a process that no longer works, and stepping into a high-stakes moment with calm and clarity.

• Lead beyond a portfolio. See the whole organization, connect work across HR functions, and make decisions based on what best serves the City, not one program or area.
• Turn direction into momentum. Translate priorities into clear ownership, realistic plans, visible progress, and completed work. Anticipate barriers and address them before they become excuses or surprises.
• Be a trusted advisor. Offer candid, balanced, and practical counsel. Understand when to listen, when to challenge, when to elevate, and when to make the call.
• Build a strong HR team. Create clarity, develop capability, set expectations, address performance, and build an environment where people can do meaningful work and grow.
• Protect trust and credibility. Handle sensitive matters with discretion, apply standards consistently, communicate honestly, and recognize that every HR interaction shapes confidence in the department and the City.
• Lead through complexity. Bring structure to ambiguity, remain steady under pressure, and move complicated or politically sensitive matters toward responsible resolution.
• Improve the system. Question outdated practices, simplify where possible, use data and feedback wisely, and design solutions that are sustainable beyond one person’s moment.
• Share ownership of the department. Serve as a true partner to the Director, represent HR effectively in the Director’s absence, and take responsibility for the department’s performance and reputation as a whole.

The Assistant Director provides executive-level leadership across assigned and evolving areas of Human Resources. The specific portfolio may change as organizational needs change. Accountability is defined by the outcomes below, not by a fixed list of transactions.

• Organizational confidence. City leaders and team members receive timely, thoughtful, consistent, and well-grounded HR guidance.
• Strategic execution. Department priorities move from discussion to implementation with clear ownership, communication, measures of progress, and follow-through.
• Leadership capacity. HR leaders and team members understand expectations, receive meaningful coaching, and are prepared to assume greater responsibility.
• Responsible…