Human Resources Assistant Director — Talent Management

City of Durham•Durham, NC

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The City of Durham's Human Resources Department is an accomplished, diverse, energetic team embracing and inspiring the joy of public service. We aggressively challenge assumptions of what is possible, moving towards a future that is more just, productive and rewarding for all employees. Join us if you're ready to share your talents, learn new skills and build relationships in service to the City of Durham! The Human Resources Department serves approximately 2,800 employees across 26 departments. The department is in a period of significant transformation, including the implementation and stabilization of a new enterprise HCM platform, a restructured service delivery model, and a renewed focus on operational excellence. POSITION SUMMARY The Assistant Department Director of Talent Management is a senior leadership role reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer. The incumbent oversees multiple divisions within the HR department and serves as a second-level supervisor, providing strategic direction and management oversight to Human Resources Managers and their divisions. This position is responsible for the programs and functions that attract, develop, support, and retain the City’s workforce. The incumbent oversees recruitment, onboarding, learning and professional development, performance management, and employee relations. The ideal candidate is a strategic, people-centered leader who can build sustainable talent programs, strengthen the City’s employer brand, and create infrastructure for employee development and accountability. This role requires someone who understands the productive tension between competing HR functions, such as the urgency of talent acquisition and the discipline of equitable process and can lead across those boundaries.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, public administration, organizational development, business administration, or a directly related field.
Nine (9) years of progressively responsible professional experience in human resources, with demonstrated experience in at least two (2) of the following areas: talent acquisition, learning and organizational development, performance management, or employee relations.
Five (5) years of supervisory or management experience.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a related field.
Demonstrated experience in at least two of the following areas: talent acquisition, learning and organizational development, performance management, or employee relations.
Experience managing or overseeing workplace investigations and employee relations matters.
Experience developing workforce planning, succession planning, or employee engagement strategies.
Professional HR certification (SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or IPMA-CP/SCP).
Experience in municipal or public-sector human resources.

Responsibilities

Leads the development and execution of recruitment, selection, and retention strategies aligned with the City’s workforce needs.
Ensures promotional and hiring processes are equitable, efficient, and legally compliant.
Builds partnerships with departments to understand staffing needs and develop proactive recruitment pipelines.
Monitors trends in public-sector recruiting and adapts strategies to remain competitive.
Oversees vendor relationships for recruiting platforms and contingency recruiting services, ensuring performance and cost-effectiveness.
Oversees the City’s learning and professional development programs, including supervisory training, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness initiatives.
Identifies skill gaps and develops targeted training strategies in partnership with department leaders.
Manages onboarding programs to ensure new employees receive a consistent, high-quality introduction to the City’s culture, expectations, and systems.
Leads the City’s performance management program, including annual evaluations, continuous feedback processes, and the EPEP framework.
Provides guidance on probationary extensions, performance improvement plans, and related corrective actions.
Identifies strategies to strengthen performance management as a tool for both development and accountability.
Provides oversight and strategic direction for the employee relations function, ensuring timely, thorough, and legally sound responses to complaints, investigations, and workplace concerns.
Establishes clear intake, tracking, and resolution processes for ER matters.
Ensures responsiveness to complainants as both a service priority and a risk management imperative.
Partners with the City Attorney’s Office and HR leadership on high-visibility or legally sensitive matters.
Oversees vendor relationships for ER-related services, including case management systems and mediation resources.
Partners with department leaders and HR peers to support workforce planning, succession planning, and talent pipeline development.
Develops and oversees employee engagement strategies, including exit interviews, stay interviews, and engagement survey design and analysis.
Uses engagement and retention data to identify trends and recommend interventions.
Directly supervises managers and staff within assigned functional areas; serves as a second-level supervisor overseeing multiple divisions.
Prioritizes the growth and development of direct reports and their teams, conducting regular 1:1 meetings and managing performance through the City’s EPEP framework.
Invests in building team capacity, initiative, and professional skills — team growth is a core leadership expectation.
Operates in alignment with the department’s operational excellence framework, ensuring all work within assigned divisions reflects a commitment to customer service, communication, compliance, and continuous improvement.
Collaborates with peer leaders in the HR department to ensure alignment of talent programs with department strategy and organizational needs.
Serves as HR Director in the Director’s absence when designated.
Represents the HR department at meetings, proceedings, and presentations, including City Council when designated.
Manages assigned projects, vendor relationships, and budget responsibilities within the division.