City of Evanston, HR Generalist

JOB DESCRIPTION/JOB POSTING

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER M/W/D

*Starting salary is dependent upon qualifications, but in most cases is no higher than the midpoint for the range.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday: 37.5 + Hours per week (potential for hybrid-remote/in-person).

NATURE OF WORK:

Performs professional human resources duties in the provision of services to City departments and employees in the areas of employee relations, training needs identification and program development, recruitment and selection, employee benefits, labor relations and related duties.  Provides assistance in identifying, evaluating and resolving human resources and work performance challenges to facilitate open and interactive communications and improve employee skills and work performance.  Carries out policies and programs relating to all phases of personnel activity in accordance with the mission and operations of the Division of Human Resources and the Public Safety Civil Service Commission.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (Specific assignment will include some or all of the following):

• Provides advice and counsel to managers, supervisors and employees regarding human resources policies, procedures and employee benefits, including collective bargaining agreements and the personnel rules.
• Researches questions, verifies answers, makes decisions and interpretations within broad guidelines; checks for consistency in implementation and interpretation; reviews historical events and precedents to ascertain consistency or differences in situations; notifies appropriate management or supervisory staff of issues that need wider discussion; keeps managers and supervisors of assigned departments informed of decisions made, interpretations given and issues that arise from their departments and other departments as appropriate. Keeps appropriate records for future reference.
• Keeps current on available training needs, providers and resources; utilizes resources to locate appropriate training and development opportunities. Develops and coordinates the provision of training in identified areas.
• Reviews individual employee or groups of employee performance with assigned department supervisors and managers to determine specific training needs; locates or assists in locating training opportunities to meet the need; may develop and conduct in-house training programs where appropriate.
• Confers with operating departments to determine job specifications and descriptions; designs recruitment and testing efforts to fill vacancies; coordinates activities necessary to fill vacant positions including recruitment sources, conducting interviews and administering tests, checking references, evaluating applicants’ qualifications, developing orientation and training for newly-hired employees.
• Becomes familiar with classification standards and positions within assigned departments, including field observation and training as appropriate. Revises and/or develops new classification standards based on discussion and observation; reviews and recommends compensation level changes, considering internal and market equity issues.
• Coordinates post-hiring processes of orientation, training, performance measurement and evaluation. Conducts exit interviews of terminating employees.
• Conducts surveys and gathers data in the areas of wages, benefits, practices and policies; analyzes data; makes recommendations for changes to maintain competitive position for City to attract and retain highly-qualified employees.
• Administers FMLA according to collective bargaining agreements, personnel manual, and Federal guidelines.
• Supports supervisors and directors through the disciplinary process. From verbal warnings up to and including grievances through arbitration if necessary.
• Support of payroll administration – From Personnel Change form review/entry to bi-weekly review/verification of payroll registers.
• Support union negotiations and union/employer relations.
• Receives complaints and conducts investigations as necessary.
• Entrusted with confidential information – will protect information according to policy and law.
• Work with IT system administrator(s) to conduct HR system updates when necessary.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF WORK:

Must possess a bachelor’s degree in human resources, industrial relations, psychology, public administration, communications or related field.

Must possess at least five years of proven experience as Human Resources Generalist/Human Business Partner/Human Resources Specialist, or similar position;

Experience working with collective bargaining agreements highly preferred.

Must possess a valid driver’s license and safe driving record.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas:

• Demonstrated skill in the provision Human Resources services of a general nature to internal and external customers.
• Excellent communications skills, including verbal, written and presentation; ability to develop communications tools keyed to intended audience.
• Knowledge of generally accepted Human Resources practices and procedures in accordance with federal and state laws and other guidelines. Labor relations experience, required.
• Excellent analytic and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Ability to multitask and work with a high-volume workload.
• Skill in computer hardware and software including networked files, word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications. Additionally, having the ability to learn and navigate within New World Systems or similar software.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse group of individuals and staff throughout the City and outside of the organization.
• Ability to work independently without close supervision and work in a collaborative manner to accomplish the mission of the department.
• Ability to read, understand and interpret manuals, laws, ordinances, policies and procedures, statutes, rules, regulations, journals, newspapers, memos, letters, reports, guidelines, personnel rules, union contracts, work rules, and similar documents, including requests for service, applications, resumes, bills, federal and state laws, local ordinances, reports, budgets.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF WORK:

The ability to work in a primarily sedentary position, with the ability to occasionally use force to exert up to 25 pounds. The ability to lift, carry or otherwise move objects, books, materials, etc. using up to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.  The employee is subject to inside environmental conditions: protection from weather conditions, but not necessarily from indoor temperature changes.  Employee travels between various City worksites in order to accomplish position goals.  There are no environmental hazards associated with this classification.

SUPERVISION:

Under the direction of the Chief Human Resources Officer, work is performed independently within general guidelines, policies and practices.  Much of the work is self-generated, working with the management and employees of their assigned operational departments; other assignments vary between general concepts and specific detailed assignments.  The employee usually decides the proper methods of accomplishing the goals and objectives of the work, and is responsible for completing the work in accordance with City policies and procedures.

PUBLIC CONTACT:

The employee has regular and constant contact with other City employees at all levels to provide services, information, resolve problems and concerns, and otherwise advance the mission of the department.  The employee has regular and constant contact with the general public in person and over the phone, with applicants at all phases of the selection process, and with new employees.  The employee also has regular contact with suppliers, vendors and providers of services or goods.

SELECTION METHOD         TYPE OF ELIGIBILITY LIST            LIFE OF ELIGIBILITY LIST

Structured Oral Interview

To apply for this position, please apply online at www.cityofevanston.org on or before the closing date.

Chosen candidates will be subject to a qualifying drug screen.

The City of Evanston is committed to making all public meetings accessible to persons with disabilities.  Any citizen needing mobility or communications access assistance should contact the Human Resources Office at 847-448-8204 (voice) or 847-866-5095 (TTY).