Manager Human Resources & Benefits #2209-0888-01

The City of New Haven, one of Connecticut’s largest urban centers representing a major hub for business activity, architecture, culture and entertainment is seeking a high caliber individual for the position of Manager of Human Resources and Benefits. This is a dynamic hands-on position that offers the right candidate the opportunity to set the direction of change and make a significant contribution to the future of the City’s Workforce and workplace culture.

The Manager of Human Resources & Benefits is responsible for coordination of and supervision of staff including the Director of Personnel and staff of professional, administrative, and clerical employees, as well as personnel program specialists under contract with the City in performance of their duties.

• Provides oversight of all human resources, civil service and medical benefits operations.
• Provides proactive advice to department heads on handling of personnel matters including, but not limited to, professional development, morale/motivation issues, inter-office conflicts, absentee issues, etc.
• Evaluates related policies, goals and objectives to determine the efficiency of human resources and benefits operations.
• Develops/revises, implements and administers all personnel and medical benefits related policies and procedures.
• Develops overall plans for recruitment, selection/testing and hiring operations, including overseeing adherence to rules and regulations of the Civil Service Board.
• Manages the operations and administration of all medical benefits related programs and activities, including executing annual open enrollment processes and overseeing flow of information, interpreting and administering pertinent laws, maintaining contact with internal and/or external individual or entities who might impact on benefit administration activities, and recommending changes to increase efficiency, and/or ensure compliance with all applicable laws and collective bargaining agreements.
• Provides oversight of FMLA administration and employee leave programs/policies.
• Provides technical assistance related to employee relations practices and problems.
• Assists the Office of Labor Relations in developing City-wide collective bargaining strategies related to healthcare and pension benefits and personnel matters, including but not limited to, medical benefit and pension plan design, FMLA entitlements, and employee leave policies.
• Provides oversight of workplace investigations and coordinates related activities.
• Administers affirmative action functions including affirmative action plan and compliance efforts.
• Develops overall plans for performance management and training programs.
• Participates in developing strategies that address compensation, workers’ compensation and risk management issues.
• Performs related work as required.

Graduation from an accredited four year college or university with major course work in public administration, business administration, or related field; and at least 5 to 10 years' experience of increasingly responsible supervisory and management experience in public or private human resources and benefits management; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the following knowledge, abilities and skills:

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of human resources management and benefits administration.
• Knowledge of relevant federal and state laws, statutes and regulations, such as but not limited to employment practices related to EEO or affirmative action plans or programs and ability to interpret same.
• Knowledge of job classification systems, organizational design and development.
• Knowledge of labor relations practices.
• Considerable ability to supervise, plan, assign and coordinate the activities of professional, technical and clerical staff.
• Considerable ability to strategically develop and implement policies, goals and objectives and apply innovative solutions to organizational problems.
• Considerable ability to express ideas effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to conceptualize personnel programs, to lay out a schedule of these and resources necessary to accomplish such programs, and to execute the accomplishment of such programs according to agreed upon schedules.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with department heads, supervisors, officers of municipal employee organizations, City advisory and policy-making bodies, and general public.

This position is covered by the Executive Management & Confidential Employee Policy, available to review HERE.
Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of: (1) a pre-employment background check, (2) a pre-employment physical examination, including pre-employment drug screening, (3) registration in the New Haven COVID Vaccination/Testing portal and providing proof of Vaccination status, as per the Mandatory COVID Vaccination/Testing Policy, and (4) a 90-day probationary period. Instructions and information on this pre-employment process are included in Conditional Offer of Employment.

This is a General Fund, "Tested" position.

Applicants meeting minimum requirements will be invited to participate in a Civil Service exam process at a later date.

Information regarding the employment and selection process can be found HERE.

Please note that the only method of communication with applicants for this position will be by email. You must provide a valid, working email address and you will need to monitor your email, including spam/junk folders, for correspondence from the New Haven Human Resources Department.