HR Manager I - HRBP

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work.

As the HRBP Manager, you will:

• Ensure you and the team are consistently delivering a high quality of service to support Metro’s HR needs.
• Guide HRBP team, set goals, and create a supportive environment for excellence through active listening, coaching, and feedback. Recognize strengths and navigate challenges.
• Collaborate with Employee Services and Metro teams to collectively address challenges. Identify and resolve issues that could hinder success in daily, short-term, and long-term work.
• Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal policies, procedures, regulations, and contracts.
• Develop and implement an HRBP orientation for both current and future team members on HR processes and systems at Metro ensuring the team is up to date on HR best practices, laws, policies, processes, and contracts.
• Work collaboratively with the team by involving them in decisions and listening to and incorporating their feedback and suggestions.
• Evaluate individual and team performance, work collaboratively with the individuals to coach and develop performance.
• Contribute to the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of Metro’s strategic plan.
• Manage complex policy exceptions and service issue escalations to root cause and resolution.
• Be the HR point of contact for Metro’s enterprise-wide Divisions or Divisions as assigned by the HR Manager III. Serve as backup support for the HR Manager III as needed.
• Internally collaborate with Employee Services teams and externally with DHR, BRC, Office of Labor Relations (OLR), and Central Payroll to ensure HRBP team provides compliant advice to managers and employees. This includes adherence to collective bargaining agreements, Contingent Worker Manual, Master Labor Agreement, government regulations, benefit plans, King County, and Metro policies and procedures.
• Attend Labor/Management and third-party hearings as necessary.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

• Three to Five years of proven experience in Human Resources
• Experience supervising employees including performance appraisals, coaching, and constructive feedback.
• Demonstrate strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effectively communicate technical concepts and processes using clear, simple language and visuals.
• Proficient in planning, prioritizing, resource allocation, and managing intricate tasks, including coordinating with individuals and teams across the department.
• Capable of anticipating, drawing informed conclusions, and adapting to evolving needs.
• Able to identify gaps in processes, gather information from partners and customers, and develop plans to mitigate those gaps.
• Possess skills in healthy conflict resolution and a demonstrated ability to apply them.
• Foster strong collaborative partnerships, exercising a high level of tact, good judgment, discretion, diplomacy, and cooperative working relationships with diverse groups of people.
• Perform all tasks with integrity and extreme confidentiality, handling confidential information with the highest level of discretion.
• Have excellent customer service and communication skills with an ability to answer questions tactfully and diffuse difficult situations with employees, supervisors, managers, and leaders throughout the organization.
• Demonstrate experience designing and/or providing ongoing training for management and staff regarding their roles, responsibilities, and legal obligations on issues such as federal, state, and King County regulations, as well as leave benefits, medical absence and accommodation issues, and disability discrimination or harassment, and other topics.
• Illustrate organizational skills including ability to prioritize workload, balance conflicting priorities, and show attention to detail.
• Possess comprehensive knowledge of human resources processes and procedures throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Experience working in the public sector, in a highly unionized workforce

Highly competitive candidates will also have (not required): 

• Bachelor’s degree and/or any combination of education and progressive human resources experience that clearly demonstrates the ability to perform the job duties of the position.
• Related vocational certifications such as Professional Human Resource designation (SPHR, PHR, SHRM-SCP,SHRM-CP, or IPMA-HR).
• Experience with PeopleSoft Human Resources Software.

Required Application Materials

• An online employment application, to include all relevant employment history and experience related to this role as well as responses to supplemental questions.
 • Supplemental questions must be completed.
 • A cover letter no longer than one page outlining your experience and qualifications that uniquely position you for the HR Manager I role. Highlight any specific achievements, projects, or initiatives from your career that demonstrate your expertise in HR strategy, employee relations, talent management, and navigating complex Challenges within an organizational setting.