Director of Personnel

Collaborative Strategies, Inc. is conducting this search on behalf of the City of St. Louis. St. Louis is a historic area with a family-friendly reputation and tight-knit community. The low cost of living and central U.S. location make it an attractive area for many, including companies ranging from tech startups to aircraft manufacturing. The “Gateway to the West” is famous for its iconic Gateway Arch, the second largest park in America (Forest Park), fiercely loyal sports fans and a vibrant cultural scene. Becoming an employee of the City of St. Louis means becoming part of the team that is leading the region’s resurgence. It means doing important, significant work that directly affects the lives of more than 300,000 residents. As an employee of the City of St. Louis, you join a staff of thousands of people who love St. Louis and are committed to serving the City.

The City of St. Louis has an immediate need for a strategic Director of Personnel to direct all human resources functions, including compensation, employee benefits, employee relations, personnel services, police (personnel), recruitment, training and organizational development. Additionally, this role serves as the secretary to the Employees’ Retirement System of the City of St. Louis, Firefighters Retirement Plan and the Civil Service Commission.

If you are a change agent and want to make an impact on an organization, then this is the job for you! Your knowledge of human resources trends and solutions will be utilized to meet today’s employees’ needs and challenges and make the City of St. Louis a best place to work. Your ability to evaluate existing human resources policies/programs, effectively influence and advocate for revisions and develop solutions that empower the City with sound and data-driven human resources decisions will have a profound impact on the organization. Ensuring personnel decisions are handled in a fair and equitable manner while balancing the interests of a variety of parties (i.e., employees, management, the Mayor, the Commission and Board of Alderman) and still abiding by employment laws and regulations will make you a trusted and valuable partner to employees and others.

In this role, the Director of Personnel will:

ADMINISTER HUMAN RESOURCES POLICIES – Oversee the development and implementation of human resources policies and procedures in compliance with the city charter, and/or state and federal laws. This includes developing any and all necessary regulations related to the administration of personnel provisions of charters, ordinances, rules and administrative regulations that are consistent with the charter and applicable ordinances.

BE A BUSINESS PARTNER –  Build effective working relationships and become a trusted partner with City officials, department heads, the Civil Service Commission and others. Work cooperatively with the Mayor and operating department heads to provide advice and strategic human resources support that aids in advancing the goals and policies of the City. Advise City officials, department heads and employees regarding human resources management issues. Conduct employee investigations in a fair and respectful manner. Effectively work with the Civil Service Commission on their review of plans, programs or disciplinary actions.

MANAGE COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS – Develop and recommend a compensation plan and rules for the interpretation and application of the plan. Direct the bidding process for employee health insurance, life insurance and other benefit contracts. Participate with others in the review and management of the employee’s retirement plan and the firefighter’s retirement plan.

PROVIDE DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES - Collaborate with appointed authorities and others to provide training programs for employee welfare and to enhance performance. Partner with management to grow and mentor existing bench strength, focusing on developmental opportunities and career pathing.

NEGOTIATE WITH UNIONS – Serve as the City’s chief negotiator in the collective bargaining process with the responsibility to negotiate fair and equitable pay and benefits packages with multiple organizations representing various employee groups.

PROMOTE DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION – Manage Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and diversity matters in a respectful and equitable manner. Work closely with the City’s Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer to develop and implement programs that address diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

MANAGE A HIGH PERFORMING TEAM - Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing team. Inspire trust and credibility while creating a culture of empowerment as modeled through personal leadership. Promote the City’s culture by conveying a high degree of emotional intelligence and fostering an atmosphere of open communication and strong personal accountability.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Human Resources Management, Business, Public Administration or a closely related field.
• Minimum of five years of experience in personnel or human resources administration.
• Minimum of two years of experience in public personnel administration. Previous senior-level experience directing public sector human resources functions for a large municipality with at least 3,000 employees.
• Experience negotiating collective bargaining agreements and/or Memoranda of Understanding for represented employees.
• Experience working with employee-defined benefit pension systems. Experience negotiating contracts for health insurance and other employee benefits programs.
• Conversant in the principles and techniques of modern public personnel administration.

Other Skills & Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to adapt to the evolving needs of a growing and changing organization and its employees.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate when appropriate.
• High level of integrity and proven ability to maintain confidentiality.

Location

The candidate for this position must reside in the City of St. Louis.

Ready to Apply?

If you are interested, qualified and ready to take the next step, apply on-line at www.getcollaborative.com/careers. All inquiries and resume submissions will be treated as strictly confidential. Please do not contact the City of St. Louis directly.

Collaborative Strategies, Inc. is a St. Louis-based consulting firm with a dedicated search practice and has been connecting talent with opportunity since 1994. We take pride in matching talented leaders seeking mission-critical endeavors with entrepreneurial organizations. For more information, visit us at www.getcollaborative.com.

| The City of St. Louis is an Equal Opportunity Employer |