Employee Relations Business Partner - Human Resources

State of Washington • Thurston County – Olympia, WA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Employee Relations Business Partner independently provides expert labor relations guidance and consultation to supervisors throughout the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), ensuring compliance with collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). The role develops effective working relationships with state agencies, union representatives, and shop stewards, ensures unions receive required notices on time, and collaborates with HR consultants and managers to resolve employee concerns and grievances. Although primarily focused on labor relations, the position also provides generalist HR support to the HR team and agency.

The position is full-time and permanent, based in Olympia, Washington, with possible partial telework combining in-building and off-site work. It is a Washington Management Service position and is not represented by a bargaining unit. The annual salary range is $89,250–$105,000, with compensation dependent on experience, education, qualifications, and potentially work-location differentials.

Requirements

• One of the following education and experience combinations: bachelor’s degree focused on business, human resources, social or organizational behavioral sciences, or a related field, plus three years of broad-based professional HR experience; associate degree in one of those fields plus five years of broad-based professional HR experience; or seven years of broad-based professional HR experience.
• The required professional HR experience must include interpreting union contracts, advising and consulting on labor-specific issues, grievance management, and dispute or conflict resolution.
• Demonstrated relationship-building skills with people inside and outside the organization.
• Ability to respond to difficult, stressful, or sensitive interpersonal situations with tact and diplomacy.
• Professional, composed communication skills, including the ability to convey clear, timely, persuasive messages.
• Analytical ability to attend to details and connect them to broader issues.
• Initiative and focus on results and desired outcomes.
• Planning skills, including developing effective goals, timelines, action plans, and solutions.
• Self-awareness, openness to feedback, empathy, flexibility, and willingness to challenge assumptions and consider alternate approaches.

Responsibilities

• Consult on and interpret applicable collective bargaining agreements, ensuring consistent compliance with agreements, agency policies, and sound HR and business practices.
• Research labor relations trends, employment and wage data, and other labor-related information; present relevant findings to the Chief Human Resources Officer and OSPI executive leadership.
• Oversee mandatory subject notifications to ensure unions are notified about changes to working conditions, and manage responses to union demands to bargain in collaboration with OFM State Human Resources labor relations staff.
• Coordinate scheduling and agendas and lead Union-Management Communication Committee meetings.
• Process and case-manage grievances, union notifications, demands to bargain, requests for information, unfair labor practices, arbitrations, and other labor activities, tracking them through completion.
• Review, research, and track union requests for information; gather data and respond to union requests.
• Work with the HR Training Team to identify, develop, and deliver collective bargaining training for supervisors and managers, including those who may be union members.
• Ensure policies and policy updates do not conflict with collective bargaining agreements; submit proposed policy changes to the exclusive representative before distribution to staff.
• Create, organize, and maintain comprehensive labor relations filing and tracking systems.
• Provide expert consultation on human resource rules, policies, procedures, RCWs, WACs, and internal agency policies.
• Partner with agency administrators and recommend and assist with staff selection, training, direction, and evaluation; establish and monitor performance standards.
• Compose letters, memorandums, and other materials on behalf of the Chief Human Resources Officer.
• Coordinate union release-time requests.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Retirement plan
• Optional deferred compensation program
• Flexible or alternative work schedules and mobile and telework options, depending on job duties and work location
• Infant at Work Program for eligible employees who are new parents or legal guardians, allowing an infant aged six weeks to six months to accompany the employee at work, depending on job duties and work location

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level