Employee Relations Manager

BENEFITS OF WORKING FOR BERKELEY

Berkeley California is a small city with a big reputation. At just ten square miles of land and seven square miles of water Berkeley is famous around the globe as a center for academic achievement scientific exploration free speech and the arts and home to over 50 parks a top-ranked university and the largest public marina in the San Francisco Bay.

As an employer the City of Berkeley offers all the benefits of a career in the public sector while fostering diversity creativity and innovation. Join a team of high-caliber experienced staff with a shared mission of serving the Berkeley community and promoting an accessible safe healthy environmentally-sound and culturally-rich city.

JOB OPPORTUNITY

The City of Berkeley invites you to apply for Employee Relations Manager in the Human Resources Department! In this role youll have the opportunity to manage essential programs in employee and labor relations workers compensation safety and addition to supervising a team of up to ten professional and technical staff day-to-day responsibilities include interpreting and implementing labor contract language representing the City with its bargaining groups and resolving employee relations issues.

The City currently maintains agreements with eight bargaining units representing over 1000 employees. The Employee Relations Manager will play a key role in Spring 2026 renegotiations with public safety labor groups through research coordination and participation in negotiations training the management bargaining team and working closely with the Director of Human Resources to make recommendations for approval.

Our ideal candidate is a subject matter expert in the area of labor relations and negotiations who can tactfully navigate conflict and ambiguity. This person can confidently present information and recommendations to governing bodies develop and implement effective performance management and discipline procedures and effectively train assigned staff.

Employee Relations Manager is an unrepresented at-will classification. This classification receives a 5% salary differential (non-pensionable) for a total base salary up to $210513.

See the full job class specification here : QUALIFICATIONS

A typical way of gaining the knowledge skills and abilities for this position is :

Education

Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college with major course work in business or public administration industrial relations or a closely related field.

Experience

Four years of progressively responsible experience in public personnel administration and management and labor relations including one year in a lead supervising or management capacity. Experience in a municipal public agency setting is desirable. Additional professional-level experience as outlined above may be substituted for the college education on a year-for-year basis.

Licenses Certifications and Other Requirements

Must be willing to work such hours as are necessary to accomplish the job requirements. Must be able to travel to various locations within and outside the City of Berkeley to meet the program needs and to fulfill the job responsibilities. When driving on City business the incumbent is required to maintain a valid California drivers license as well as a satisfactory driving record.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications must be received by 5 : 00 PM Pacific on November 24 2025 and must include a completed application and answers to the supplemental questions. Please note that resumes are not a substitute for a completed application.

Applications are available in alternative formats (audio-format braille large print electronic text etc.) upon request to . Please allow 10 days for production of the material in an alternative format.

EXAM PROCESS

The exam process will include but may not be limited to :

• Application review for minimum qualifications (qualifying experience will be calculated based on the application filing period closing date)
• Review of answers to supplemental questions
• Oral Board Exam (tentatively scheduled for December 15 and / or December 16 2025)

Tests may consist of any combination of written oral or other exercises or assessment procedures that test content and may include but are not necessarily limited to typing math reading writing and analytical skills; problem solving ability; computer and software proficiency or any other job-related knowledge skill ability or qualification. The examination process and dates are subject to change. The City may without notice change or eliminate any assessment component as needs dictate. Applicants passing all examination phases will have their names placed on an employment eligible list that hiring departments will use to conduct final selection interviews (tentatively scheduled for early January 2026).

Reasonable Accommodations : The City is committed to making reasonable accommodations in the examination process and in the work environment. Individuals requesting reasonable accommodations in the examination process must submit a request in writing to at the time of application.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT PROCESS

Candidates under final consideration for employment with the City will undergo an employment background / reference check that may include but is not limited to : employment history confirmation of educational credentials and degrees licenses including drivers license registrations certificates other credentials credit check criminal history check and Live Scan fingerprinting.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO) EMPLOYER

The City of Berkeley is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. All employment actions shall be administered regardless of race color national origin ancestry religion age physical or mental disability or medical condition sex gender gender identity gender expression sexual orientation genetic information marital status pregnancy political affiliation veterans status or any other status protected under federal state or local law.

DISASTER SERVICE WORKER

All City employees are required to provide services as Disaster Service Workers in the event of an emergency / disaster.

Required Experience :

Manager

Key Skills

Employee Relations,Fmla,Human Resources Management,Mediation Experience,Conflict Management,HRIS,Performance Management,Employment & Labor Law,Qualitative Analysis,Alternative dispute resolution,Human Resources,Mentoring

Employment Type : Unclear

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1

Yearly Salary Salary : 149971 - 200489