People Strategy, Equity, and Culture

Employee & Labor Relations Manager

  • Title: Employee & Labor Relations Manager
  • Category: Management
  • FLSA: Exempt
  • Grade: O

Nature and Scope of Work

Under the direction of the Director of Human Resources, manages and directs the employee and labor relations program of the College. Program activities include: negotiation of collective bargaining agreements; contract administration and interpretation; and, guidance/coordination of related management activities consistent with the mission of the college and the direction of the College Board of Directors. The Employee & Labor Relations Manager supervises a team of professional Human Resources staff providing direct service to college campuses and administrative departments and serves as a key contributor to development and maintenance of comprehensive Human Resources policies and strategies.

Typical Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Administers and manages administration of labor contracts; provides interpretation of labor contracts to managers, employees and HR staff; oversees processes for review and resolution of employee grievances.
  2. Advises managers and employees on sensitive labor and employee relations matters, including grievance and arbitration procedures, performance issues and disciplinary actions; advises and assists managers in identifying employee relations issues and determining appropriate course of action.
  3. Serves as the College’s chief negotiator in contract negotiations with recognized employee organizations. Maintains current knowledge of employee and labor relations trends, legal decisions, and statutory changes; conducts research necessary to support contract negotiations and employee relations. Uses appropriate negotiation strategies to develop bargaining goals and negotiate contracts consistent with the College’s mission, values and goals.
  4. Manages the employee relations team to provide guidance to management staff by contract interpretation, investigation and advice on a full range of employee relations matters including informal and formal grievances, development of performance management plans, disciplinary issues, employee assistance referrals, and reduction in force issues.
  5. Facilitates on-going communication and working relationships with employee representative organizations including coordination of joint labor-management committees.
  6. Provides information, advice and assistance to Human Resources department managers and staff regarding application of statutes, regulations, contracts and employee relations practices relating to their functional areas.
  7. Acts as a member of the Human Resources department management team and participates in setting the direction of human resources support activities for the College. Develops and recommends to the Director of Human Resources policies and procedures concerning employee relations and personnel practices.
  8. Supervises staff.  Hires, evaluates, trains, disciplines and recommends dismissal of staff as necessary.
  9. Manages the process to investigate and respond to complaints from the Bureau of Labor or other agencies.
  10. May represent the College in arbitrations and Employment Relations Board hearings related to unfair labor practice complaints.
  11. Participates in the development and delivery of management training programs designed to advance the human resources skills of the College management staff.
  12. May be assigned responsibility for program administration in areas such as ADA compliance or other related Human Resource programs.
  13. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Human Resources or related field. Relevant experience may substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis. Five years progressively responsible, professional experience in collective bargaining and labor relations activities, including two years of supervisory experience.

Experience must include leading contract administration, grievance processing, performance management and disciplinary activities, as well as facilitating on-going communication and working relationships with employee representative organizations and other college stakeholders.

Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge of:
  • Principles and practices of employee and labor relations, collective bargaining and employment laws;
  • Human Resources theories, practices and techniques;
  • Supervisory principles;
  • Program development and administration principles and practices.
Skills in:
  • Practical application of collective bargaining and employment laws;
  • Effective written and oral communications, listening, presentation, group facilitation; influencing and negotiations;
  • Application of processes for influencing performance management;
  • Effective use of mediation and conflict resolution techniques;
  • Computerized systems for word processing, spreadsheet applications and data bases to retrieve and analyze data and/or create reports;
  • Coordinating activities with other internal departments and/or external agencies;
  • Effective project and time management.
Ability to:
  • Reconcile labor relations issues in the context of both existing labor agreements and desired future states of labor and employee relations at PCC;
  • Work with diverse academic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds of community college students and staff;
  • Manage multiple complex projects concurrently.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

Work is generally performed in an office environment with frequent interruptions and irregularities in the work schedule. No special coordination beyond that used for normal mobility and handling of everyday objects and materials is needed to perform the job satisfactorily. Frequent travel to other college campuses and off-campus sites is required.

Reviewed: 12/2018
Revised: 4/2014
Replaces: Human Resources Manager II