Labor Relations Administrator

Who We Are
The Office of Policy and Management (OPM), Office of Labor Relations (OLR) serves as the Governor’s designated representative, through the Secretary of OPM, for collective bargaining matters for state employees in the executive branch, other than the constituent units of Higher Education, the State Board of Education and the Division of Criminal Justice.

The State of Connecticut is centralizing its Labor Relations functions with the following goals:

• Support State Agencies – So they may serve our citizens, businesses, and other branches of government by providing the highest quality services at the lowest possible cost.
  
• Establish consistent and timely responses to workforce issues to improve the efficiency of the state employee workforce.
  
• Assist Agency Heads with planning and executing strategic initiatives that impact the Agency budget, current and future state employee workforce. 

The Role
Are you an experienced and innovative Labor Relations or Human Resources leader with a passion for administering comprehensive Labor Relations services?

Do you have what it takes to deliver collaborative and creative solutions to complex management challenges in a unionized environment?

We have an exciting anticipated opportunity for a Labor Relations Administrator in Hartford, CT to manage the agencies Labor Relations systems. This new role will be responsible for leading Labor Relations Program Managers and existing Agency based staff in the delivery of Labor Relations services to assist the Agency, in fulfilling its organizational mission. There will be an emphasis on the development of strong working relationships with both Agency Heads and Union leadership to ensure consistent and timely implementation of Labor Relations solutions.

*If necessary, the incumbent’s salary will be adjusted to reflect their current MP pay plan.

In order to be considered for this job opening, you must be a current State of CT employee of the Office of Policy and Management, who has permanent state status*, and meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening.  You must specify your qualifications on your application. 

*For employees in the classified service, permanent status is obtained after successful completion of a working test period.  For employees in the unclassified service, permanent status is obtained after serving in a position for at least six months (full-time or full-time equivalent).

Please ensure that your application is complete and have included a resume within the "Resume Tab" of your application. Candidates who do not submit the required document above will not be considered.

NOTE: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, performance reviews, supervisory references, college transcripts, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency

Questions about these required documents should be directed to the hiring agency's human resources office: Carolyn Kozak at (860) 418-6324 or opm.recruitment@ct.gov.  

In the Office of Policy and Management, Office of Labor Relations, this class is accountable for administering and providing leadership to all labor relations staff, assigned to state agencies.

• Provides leadership and vision so that there is direction, guidance, accountability, and creativity needed to advance labor relations activities in support of agencies’ employees, leadership, and missions;
• Creates and develops policies across the labor relations function to insure consistent application of labor relations principles;
• Designs and implement performance review standards for all agency labor relations staff;
• Administers, coordinates, and provides guidance over all agency labor relations activities;
• Mediates and resolves most complex labor issues;
• Administers collective bargaining agreements;
• Recommends economic guidelines for settlement;
• Identifies and measures key performance metrics and uses those metrics to analyze workforce problems and leverage solutions to maximize operational effectiveness;
• Assists in the formulation of budget and/or staffing plans and identifies and allocates resources in order to manage initiatives;
• Meets and confers with agency officials and management, union representatives and other stakeholders and renders appropriate advice;
• Collaborates and integrates activities with other divisions and agencies, as needed;
• Studies and comments on proposed legislation, rules and regulations, and other proposals;
•  Prepares and presents testimony before the legislature;
• Leads through significant change;
• Oversees the development of labor relations training programs for state agencies;
• May represent state at various hearings, adversary proceedings, negotiations and labor meetings;
• May direct labor relations functions in agencies as assigned;
• May serve as a project team leader on complex human resources projects involving labor relations initiatives, job classification issues and other projects with statewide impact;
• May lead contract negotiation teams;
• Performs related duties as required. 

• Considerable knowledge of and ability to apply management principles and techniques, within a matrixed organization;
• Considerable knowledge of: collective bargaining and labor relations, relevant state and federal laws, regulations, policies and procedures, program development and administration, investigatory practices, legal principles and practice, civil procedure and rules of evidence, rules of practice and procedures before administrative and judicial bodies, and principles and practices of public sector employment, job classification, compensation and benefits;
• Considerable: interpersonal skills; oral and written communication skills and negotiation and conflict resolution skills;
• Considerable ability to: deal tactfully and effectively with agency officials, management and union representatives, analyze and balance partners need with laws, regulations, policies, procedures and collective bargaining agreements, study and analyze emerging issues or problems and make sound evaluations, conclusions and recommendations;
• Ability to identify statewide labor relations training needs and develop relevant curriculum and materials.

Ten (10) years of professional experience in labor relations or human resources management.

Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been in a managerial capacity, with substantial responsibility, serving as co-chair over collective bargaining agreements.

For state employees, this interpreted at the level of Human Resources Business Partner 1, Assistant Human Resources Business Partner or Agency Labor Relations Manager.

1.    College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equaling one half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.

2.    A Master's degree in human resources management, labor relations, business administration, public administration or other closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.

3.    A law degree may be substituted for two (2) additional years of the General Experience.

• Graduate degree in business administration, human resources management, labor/employee relations, psychology, public policy/administration, juris doctorate or related field.
  
• At least five (5) years of experience as a Human Resources Administrator managing labor relations systems and human resources systems for an agency.
  
• Ability to evaluate labor relations systems and develop effective solutions to address multiple agencies’ needs.
  
• Ability to mange the scaling of broad statewide services in a centralized environment.
  
• Demonstrated ability to develop and sustain effective working relationships with a broad and contentious constituency.

1.    Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

2.    Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator's License.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut's Office of Policy and Management is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. If you are requesting special accommodations under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) please contact Carolyn Kozak at 860-418-6324 or carolyn.kozak@ct.gov.