Department of Justice - Director of Human Resources (HR Administrator I/Merit comp)

Administrative Div./Statewide position/NCC work location

Recruitment #112025-MUAH09-150100

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Introduction


Delaware's Attorney General, the State's chief law enforcement officer, has a broad responsibility to combat crime, uphold civil rights, safeguard families, fight fraud, and protect consumers in the First State.

In meeting this mission, Attorney General Kathy Jennings is supported by teams of talented lawyers and staff in the Criminal, Civil, Family, Fraud and Consumer Protection, and Civil Rights and Public Trust Divisions. Each of the more than 500 staff who work in the Office of the Attorney General are dedicated to serving all Delawareans with integrity and passion.

Deputy Attorneys General, with critical support from criminal special investigators, victim service specialists, paraprofessionals, and administrative staff, prosecute criminal cases, enforce consumer laws, provide counsel to state agencies, ensure the public's access to open government, protect the abused, and much more.

Summary Statement

The Delaware Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking a strategic and experienced leader to serve as its Director of Human Resources. This leadership position is responsible for overseeing the administration of all human resources functions supporting the DOJ’s more than 550 employees, which include both union and non-union staff. The DOJ operates statewide through its Criminal, Civil, Family, Fraud & Consumer Protection, and Administrative Divisions, with offices in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties. The Director leads a dedicated HR team and plays a key role in shaping and advancing the DOJ’s workforce strategy. The incumbent works closely with DOJ leadership to develop and implement personnel policies, practices, and initiatives that align with agency goals and operational needs.

The Director will be responsible for a wide range of strategic and operational human resources functions critical to supporting the DOJ’s mission, including but not limited to:


Strategic HR Leadership: Develops and executes HR initiatives that align with DOJ’s mission and operational goals, fostering a positive, compliant, and high-performing work environment.

Policy Development and Compliance: Leads the creation, review, and implementation of HR policies and procedures, including updates to the DOJ Employee Manual, to ensure compliance with federal and state employment laws (such as FMLA, ADA, and FLSA), as well as DOJ-specific policies and practices

Employee Relations and Labor Management: Serves as a key advisor to DOJ leadership on employee and labor relations matters, offering guidance on workplace issues such as performance, conduct, and disciplinary actions. Manages bargaining unit certification and decertification activities within required timeframes and participates in collective bargaining negotiations. Oversees the administration of collective bargaining agreements in alignment with state, federal and DOJ policies. Assists in the preparation and presentation of grievance cases and arbitrations to represent the DOJ’s interests. Promotes effective labor-management communication by working to resolve conflicts proactively, aiming to address issues before they escalate into formal grievances or complaints. Provides guidance to supervisors, managers, and administrators to ensure compliance with applicable state and federal policies and to support a positive, productive work environment.

Classification and Compensation: Oversees the administration of classification and compensation activities, including reviewing position descriptions, ensuring consistency with internal standards and statutory guidelines, recommending appropriate salary levels, and coordinating with the Department of Human Resources on classification actions and compensation matters.

Recruitment and Talent Management: Oversees the administration of recruitment and selection processes to attract and retain qualified talent, including the development of job postings, application review procedures, and coordination with hiring managers throughout the hiring process.

HR Collaboration and Compliance Coordination: Regularly interacts with DOJ staff, agency leadership, officials from other state agencies, and external stakeholders to provide guidance on business processes, represent DOJ management at meetings, and support the development and implementation of changes to programs, services, policies, and procedures. Responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, standards, and DOJ-specific policies. Attends meetings facilitated by the Department of Human Resources or similar agencies to stay informed of policy and operational changes that may impact the DOJ. Active participation in statewide HR initiatives is essential to ensure DOJ policies and practices remain aligned and compliant.

Coordination of HR and Fiscal Functions: The HR Director is responsible for working closely with the Controller to ensure alignment between fiscal and human resources operations. This includes coordinating with fiscal and payroll functions to ensure proper allocation of funding and the accuracy of employee payroll processing.

Preferred Qualification

The preferred qualification for this position is familiarity with the Payroll, Human Resources Statewide Technology (PHRST) system or a comparable Human Resources Information System (HRIS). 

The incumbent will be responsible for running reports and extracting data from the HRIS to support workforce planning, monitor compliance, assist in compensation and classification reviews, track leave usage, and provide critical data-driven insights to DOJ leadership for informed decision-making. Additionally, the incumbent may be required to retrieve and analyze data for other operational needs, audits, strategic initiatives, or special projects as they arise.

(The preferred qualification is an additional skill or experience that is not required to meet the minimum qualifications but is considered beneficial for the role. Applicants who meet the minimum job requirements but do not possess the preferred qualification will still be considered)

Essential Functions

Essential functions are fundamental, core functions common to all positions in the class series and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties for any one position in the class. Since class specifications are descriptive and not restrictive, incumbents can complete job duties of similar kind not specifically listed.

  • Provides guidance, direction and recommendations to employees, management and others based on findings, rules, regulations, policies, guidelines and precedents that impact assigned area of human resources.

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  • Depending on the size of an assigned agency and operations, employees perform professional human resource work specializing in one or more human resource functions or perform professional human resource work as a generalist for all human resource functions of one or more assigned agencies.

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  • Applies, explains, and ensures compliance with state and federal human resource laws, rules, regulations, standards, policies and procedures.

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  • Analyzes inquiries, needs and challenges; assesses organizational impact; evaluates alternatives/options and makes recommendations.

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  • Explains and supports human resource related actions and recommendations.

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  • Reports workplace risk management issues to leadership (e.g., safety, health).

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  • Researches, collects, analyzes and evaluates data and information from a variety of sources and documents findings in narrative and statistical reports.

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  • Utilizes automated human resources information systems or other computerized systems to research and report on data; may perform quality reviews of data in systems.

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  • Conducts special assignments and studies.

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  • Participates in interviews, meetings, conference calls and/or presentations.

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  • May calculate, resolve discrepancies and report on data for an agency’s payroll. 

Job Requirements

Job Requirements

Applicants must have education, training and/or experience demonstrating competence in each of the following areas:

1. Applicants must possess at least one of the following:
Possession of a bachelor’s degree or higher.

OR

Four years of professional human resource experience.

OR

Three years of professional human resource experience AND a Statewide Human Resource Certification or professional Human Resource certification.


In addition to the above requirement, applicants must meet all of the job requirements below: 

1. Three years’ experience in providing subject matter expertise to employees, management or others on inquiries and/or challenges in assigned human resource function(s).
2. Two years’ experience in developing and evaluating human resource policies and procedures.
3. Two years’ experience in staff supervision which includes planning, assigning, reviewing, and evaluating the work of others.
4. Two years’ experience in establishing goals, objectives and priorities in accordance with an organization’s overall mission.
5. Six months’ experience in human resource management which includes planning, organizing, coordinating and implementing human resource operations for at least one human resource function.

Additional Posting Information

  • The Director of Human Resources is a statewide position with a primary work location in New Castle County. Travel to Kent and Sussex Counties may be required based on operational needs.
  • Please be sure to upload a recent copy of your resume, as you complete the application process for this posting.
  • This position is exempt from the State of Delaware Merit System.  

Conditions of Hire

  • Employment is contingent upon satisfactory background checks.
  • Direct deposit of paychecks is required as a condition of hire.
  • Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

Benefits

Department of Justice Benefits Include:

  • May be eligible Loan forgiveness (State and Federal).
  • State of Delaware healthcare plan.
  • State of Delaware pension plan.
  • Over 4 weeks of vacation per year.
  • 3 weeks of paid sick leave per year.
  • 12 weeks of paid parental leave.

To learn more about the comprehensive benefit package please visit our website at https://dhr.delaware.gov/benefits/

Accommodations

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities in all phases of the application and employment process.  To request an auxiliary aid or service please call (302) 739-5458. TDD users should call the Delaware Relay Service Number 1-800-232-5460 for assistance.

The State of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity employer and values a diverse workforce. We strongly encourage and seek out a workforce representative of Delaware including race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.


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Contact us via conventional means. For further assistance, you may contact us by phone at (302) 739-5458, or e-mail at jobs@delaware.gov.