Labor & Employee Relations Manager (46705)

Labor & Employee Relations Manager
City of Covington, KY
Human Resources Department
Reports To: Director of Human Resources
Location: City Hall
FLSA Status: Full-Time, Exempt
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm
Salary Range: $90,000 - $110,000

SUMMARY

The Labor & Employee Relations Manager serves as a strategic leader responsible for administering and advancing the City’s labor relations and employee relations functions. This position ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, collective bargaining agreements, and City policies.  

The role provides expert guidance to City leadership on complex employee relations matters, grievance administration, discipline, investigations, and collective bargaining. The Manager plays a critical role in maintaining productive labor-management relationships and supporting organizational effectiveness through sound human resources practices.
 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: These tasks are typical for this position and may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Administers labor contracts; provides interpretation of labor contracts (e.g., AFSCME, IAFF, FOP) to all levels of City leadership.
• Advises managers and employees on sensitive labor and employee relations matters, including grievance and arbitration procedures, performance, and disciplinary actions; advises and assists managers in identifying employee relations issues and determining appropriate course of action.
• Maintains current knowledge of employee and labor relations trends, legal decisions, and statutory changes; conducts research necessary to support contract negotiations and employee relations. 
• Advises on policies and procedures concerning employee relations and personnel practices.
• Conducts workplace investigations.
• Participates in the development and delivery of management training programs designed to advance staff knowledge of labor relations and collective bargaining.
• Attends staff, committee, and other professional meetings to exchange information; attends technical or professional workshops, seminars, or conferences to improve professional skills; works with safety consultants to prepare periodic risk analysis reports for City leadership.
• Ensure compliance with employment laws, including FLSA, FMLA, ADA, EEO, and applicable Kentucky statutes.
• Analyze trends in grievances, discipline, turnover, and employee engagement to inform decision-making. 
• Contribute to the development of HR metrics and dashboards aligned with public sector performance standards. 
• Participate in budget planning related to HR initiatives. 
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:

Employees at all levels are expected to work effectively together to meet the needs of the community and the organization through work behaviors demonstrating the City’s values.  Employees are also expected to lead by example and demonstrate the highest level of ethics. 

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, psychology, or public administration or related field.
• Minimum of 5 – 7 years of progressively responsible experience in labor and employee relations in a public sector unionized environment.
• Demonstrated experience in collective bargaining, grievance handling, and workplace investigations.
• Experience working with multiple unions is preferred. 

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

• PHR and/or SPHR and/or SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP, CLRP are preferred but not required.
• Valid Driver's License

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• Ability to apply an analytical approach to gather and summarize data for reports, find solutions to various administrative problems, and prioritize work. 
• Practical application of public sector collective bargaining and employment laws.
• Ability to reconcile labor relations issues in the context of both existing labor agreements and desired future states of labor and employee relations within the City.
• Quickly learn the customized HRIS necessary to input and maintain personnel records. 
• Knowledge of applicable labor & employment laws and practices.
• Provides excellent customer service for internal departments and a diverse public. Oral and written communication skills are clear, concise, and diplomatic.
• Effectively manages time and prioritizes workload appropriately.
• Resourceful, self-starter skilled at managing multiple tasks without supervision.
• Has a high level of interpersonal skills to handle sensitive and confidential situations. Position continually requires demonstrated poise, tact, and diplomacy. 

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Able to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. In addition, writes reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals in a professional, organized, and standard format.  Effectively communicates information and responds to questions from a diverse group of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

Competently add, subtract, multiply and divides of all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.  Compute rate, ratio, and percent; draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY:

Ability to think critically and strategically in evaluating complex development scenarios involving multiple stakeholders, regulatory requirements, and financial constraints. Ability to synthesize diverse information, such as legal, financial, technical, and market-based reports to inform recommendations and decisions. Ability to exercise sound judgment, anticipate challenges, and develop practical solutions in dynamic and sometimes ambiguous situations. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.  The employee frequently is required to sit.  The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; use hand to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 (Twenty-Five) pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus. 
 

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  

TRAVEL:

Travel is minimal (estimated ~5%) and consists mostly of local travel to clients and stakeholders with potential overnight travel for conferences in and out of state. 

POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK:

This is a full-time position.  Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.  Evening, weekend and work hour adjustments may be required as job duties demand. 

Why Join Us?

• Comprehensive Benefits Package: Includes health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, and 12 paid holidays.
• Impactful Work: Your efforts directly impact the City’s operations and ensure consistency and compliance across Covington’s departments and divisions.
• Collaborative Environment: Work within a team-oriented culture that values your contributions and promotes continuous improvement.

EEO Statement

The City of Covington is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the rich variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences in our community. We encourage individuals from all walks of life to apply and proudly provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants, regardless of race, color, sex (including gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity), religion, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic.