Deputy Director of the Employee and Labor Relations Division

State of Maryland•Baltimore City, MD

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Deputy Director of the Employee and Labor Relations Division (ELRD) within the Office of Personnel Services and Benefits (OPSB) is a primary steward of the State’s relationship with its SPMS unions as well as a leading authority on employee relations issues. Assisting the Director in managing ELRD’s operations, developing and pursuing State positions in union matters, overseeing the settlement process and related infrastructure, providing expert advice on discipline and grievance issues, this role plays a fundamental part in maintaining a fair, productive, and legally compliant workplace for employees in the SPMS. The ideal candidate will have deep subject matter knowledge of Labor Relations with public sector unions including experience with binding interest arbitration, specifically post-impasse, last, best, and final offer arbitration in which the arbitrator must select one party’s final offer in full. The ideal candidate will have also have knowledge of discipline and grievance laws, regulations, and policies, be an effective manager of a small team and a trusted partner to SPMS agencies, and will support the Director in engaging proactively to develop and effectively pursue strategic change. This is a management service position and serves at the pleasure of the appointing authority.

Requirements

Eight years of professional work experience, which must include at least 4 years of experience with public sector labor relations and employee relations topics.
The eight years of professional experience must also include at least two years in a supervisory role.

Nice To Haves

Substantive experience negotiating with public sector unions.
Experience with binding last best and final interest arbitration with regard to Collective Bargaining Agreements with unions.
Expertise in employee relations law, policy, and precedent.
Excellent emotional intelligence and exceptional leadership skills.
Knowledge of federal laws and state laws that impact labor relations.
Strong organizational skills, including project management skills.
Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
Ability to gather data, compile information, prepare reports, and prioritize and perform complex tasks on multiple projects.

Responsibilities

Assists the Director in overseeing all aspects of the division, including planning, organizing and managing staff workflow, and ensuring ELRD’s effective functioning and the performance of its responsibilities with excellence.
Is a driver of the State’s relationship with SPMS unions, including appropriately addressing union requests, proactively developing the State’s positions on matters that interact with SPMS unions, negotiating with SPMS unions on behalf of the State, and supporting non-SPMS State entities in their labor relations matters.
Provides sound guidance, advice, and assistance on interpreting State personnel laws, regulations, policies, and MOUs with the exclusive representatives of State employees, to DBM leadership, SPMS leaders, and all other relevant stakeholders, with special emphasis on employee and labor relations and absence/leave matters.
Proactively manages the State’s employee relations system to address State and employee concerns timely as well as to identify trends / reoccurring issues and seek to address them.
Oversees a variety of functions and their associated systems / infrastructure within the ELRD, such as the Employee Assistance Program and the work of the State Social Security Administrator.
Oversees and administers a robust training program on a variety of topics, such as supervisory training, PEP training, absence management, etc.