Job Summary

Possibilities like this don't present themselves every day - and if you’re a passionate employee relations professional looking to make a change, this position might be for you! The Employee Relations Program Manager is an ideal opportunity for someone looking to take the next step in their human resources career. This is a new position responsible for providing expertise on employee relations, employee engagement, employee performance management, investigations, corrective actions and policy administration.

In this position, you will have the opportunity to work in a diverse organization committed to building an inclusive culture: one that values excellence, integrity, teamwork, trust, communication, and consistency. If you are a dedicated and passionate HR professional who wants to work hard with a team who laughs a lot, strives to balance conflict and stress with grace and gratitude, and embraces change with open arms, this could be the job for you.

The Employee Relations Program Manager will:

• 
  Have an advanced understanding of local, state, and federal employment and labor laws;
• Maintain an in depth knowledge of employee relations record keeping, practices and systems; have the ability to conduct effective investigative interviews; and an ability to negotiation labor and other agreements/contracts for the agency;
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced environment; therefore, organization, ingenuity, inherent curiosity and a strategic mindset will be keys to success;
• Demonstrate success in this role through proactive communication, teamwork and ownership of outcomes and work.

This position is open until filled; however, to ensure consideration applications should be submitted by April 11, 2023 at 4:30 p.m.

After initial onboarding, this role will have the opportunity to work remotely up to 60% in accordance with the KCHA's flexible work arrangements; however, remote work conditions will be reviewed on a regular basis based on business and program need. Employees must reside in Washington State and have the ability to report to the Central Office in Tukwila as required based on business need. Some local travel may be required to support KCHA business needs.

King County Housing Authority (KCHA), an independent municipal organization is a high performing nationally recognized leader in affordable housing. To learn more about KCHA and our Mission visit this link.

Essential Functions

Employee Relations

• 
  Conducts complex personnel investigations; oversees intake operations; determines scope of investigations; develops interview questions; schedules and conducts interviews; drafts investigation reports; meets with executive leadership to discuss reports; consults with internal/external partners (as needed) to determine next steps; drafts corrective action plans, pre-disciplinary, and disciplinary letters.
• Consults with supervisors and managers to provide advice and guidance on a full range of employee relations matters including corrective action and disciplinary processes, informal and formal grievances, employee assistance referrals, and other workforce management issues; recommends appropriate courses of action.
• Conducts investigations on personnel matters and in response to state or federally filed claims; consults with legal counsel as appropriate on personnel matters.
• Leads proactive employee engagement programming and communication efforts.
• Facilitates employee relations training and assistance activities; advises employees and management on policies, procedures, and documentation; provides needs assessments to inform training objectives; collaborates on the development and delivery of formal education and training.

Policy & Procedure

• Oversees policy and procedure development; coordinates meetings among constituents to ensure a consistent review process of new or revised policies/procedures; coordinates presentation of new or revised policies and procedures to Director/Associate Director of HR; recommends updates and revisions to the KCHA Employee Handbook.
• Analyzes laws, rules, policies, and practices; assists in developing, evaluating, revising, and implementing HR services, programs, policies, and procedures.
• Maintains a thorough understanding of federal and Washington state employment and labor relations laws; collaborates with the legal department as needed; provides information and assistance to the HR staff regarding application of statutes, regulations, and employee relations practices relating to their functional areas.
• Provides guidance on Human Resources policies, processes, procedures, laws, and regulations; advises employees and management on policies, procedures, and documentation; conducts research and identifies concerns; coordinates problem resolution; interprets policies and regulations; provides input to the development of policies in partnership with cross-functional leadership; guides managers on employee management, discipline, and terminations; works with Legal to resolve issues.

Labor Relations

• Serves as a labor relations consultant in explaining contract provisions and recommending appropriate practices to managers and employees in accordance with collective bargaining agreements; consults with managers and union representatives to resolve workplace issues.
• Participates and assists in labor negotiations; implements and administers labor contracts; investigates union grievances and provides guidance on resolutions.
• Assists in the response to grievances filed by Seattle/King County Building Construction Trades Council on behalf of union staff members; compiles data, coordinates consult with managers, and draft responses.

Other/Special Projects

• Leads or assists with the development and implementation of various HR programs and initiatives as requested.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Competencies

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field AND
• Extensive experience in employee relations, dispute resolution, human resources, labor relations, or legal experience OR
• An equivalent combination of experience and education that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of human resources administration such as the accepted methods of performance management, labor and employee relations, wage and salary administration, and federal and state employment labor laws and regulations.
• Understands technical aspects of the position and continuously builds knowledge, keeping up to date on the substantive and procedural aspects of the position including the ability to negotiate labor and other agreements/contracts for the agency.
• Clearly and effectively communicates both verbally and in writing by actively listening and sharing relevant information.
  • Ability to compose and prepare strong technical correspondence; demonstrated proofreading and editing skills;
  • Ability to understand, interpret and explain difficult materials with complicated information that may contain excerpts from regulatory and/or legal documents to all levels of the organization.
• Values diversity and possesses an understanding of multicultural and cultural competencies; ability to work effectively and positively with individuals of diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Ability to use tact, discretion, and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive or confidential information.
• Effective interpersonal relations skills with the ability to work collaboratively to garner the trust, respect, and confidence from others; can be relied upon to achieve excellent results; ability to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• A collaborative team member who is also a strong leader with well-developed organizational and time management skills; ability to develop effective working relationships; works cooperatively, exchanges ideas, and addresses issues in a constructive manner.

Special Requirements:

• Consent to and pass driver’s and criminal records background check.
• Must possess a valid driver's license to travel between work sites as required. Must have an acceptable driving record at time of appointment and throughout employment.

Position Information and Application Process

To be considered for this opportunity, you must:

• 
  Complete the online application profile in its entirety.
• Upload a cover letter that addresses how your experience and education qualifies you to perform the essential functions listed in the job announcement. (Cover Letter)
• Upload a detailed résumé of all educational and professional experience. (Résumé)

Salary & Benefits:
Salary range is $96,643.00 to $143,998.00, with a midpoint of $120,321.00. New hires typically receive between minimum and midpoint, however, we may go slightly higher based on experience, internal equity and market. Salary is negotiable. A comprehensive health care benefits package for you and your dependents includes medical, dental and vision insurance, life and long-term disability insurance plans, vacation, sick and personal leave, reduced tuition, and retirement benefits are also available.

Work Environment:
Incumbent(s) must be able to meet the physical requirements of the classification and have mobility, balance, coordination, vision, hearing and dexterity levels appropriate to the functions performed. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

After initial onboarding, this role will have the opportunity to work remotely up to 60% in accordance with the KCHA's flexible work arrangements; however, remote work conditions will be reviewed on a regular basis based on business and program need. Employees must reside in Washington State and have the ability to report to the Central Office in Tukwila as required based on business need. Some local travel may be required to support KCHA business needs.

Physical Requirements:
This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel and repetitive motions and occasionally requires standing, walking, climbing or balancing, reaching with hands and arms and pushing or pulling; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating machines and observing general surroundings and activities; work occasionally requires wet, humid conditions (non-weather) and exposure to outdoor weather conditions; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

Equal Opportunity:
King County Housing Authority is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.