Employee and Labor Relations Manager

Bernalillo County•Albuquerque, NM

About The Position

Employees at Bernalillo County enjoy the ability to team up with each other to build a high quality of life for our county residents, communities, and businesses. In addition to being an organization with a strong focus on work-life balance, building a culture of flexibility, learning, and belonging the County offers many benefits. Employees of Bernalillo County enjoy many thoughtful rewards such as, but not limited to generous leave accruals; career development opportunities; remote & flex-work options as appropriate; longevity pay; education assistance program; health benefits; lucrative retirement; and so much more. The Employee Relations and Labor Negotiations Manager leads, plans and oversees labor relations, including contract negotiation and administration, grievance procedures, and disciplinary actions to ensure compliance with laws and policies. Key duties involve advising management on labor and employment regulations, conducting investigations, and fostering productive relationships with unions and employees while managing HR policies and programs for a government entity. Supervises staff through hiring, training, performance assessment, coaching, discipline, and termination actions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, public administration, business administration, or a related field.
Seven (7) years of professional human resources experience managing labor and employee relations for large organizations.
Four (4) years in a management or supervisory capacity.
Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience may be considered for the above requirements.

Responsibilities

Develops and executes the County’s labor and employee relations strategies in alignment with HR policies, collective bargaining obligations, and fiscal priorities.
Serves as a key leader in collective bargaining negotiations, labor discussions, and related strategy sessions.
Oversees the administration and interpretation of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) to ensure consistency and compliance across departments.
Designs and directs fair, objective, and defensible processes for managing grievances, disputes, and investigations.
Provides expert consultation and coaching to HR staff, managers, and department leaders on complex employee and labor relations issues.
Develops and delivers training and communication programs to build management capability and promote effective labor and employee relations practices.
Conducts research and analysis to inform negotiations, policy development, and strategic decision-making.
Represents the County in arbitrations, mediations, and hearings before labor and employment boards.
Leads initiatives to strengthen employee engagement, workplace culture, and organizational trust.
Partners with Benefits staff to align health, welfare, and wellness initiatives with employee relations objectives.
Monitors trends and changes in labor and employment law to proactively adjust County policies and strategies.