Human Resources Analyst 2

Class Characteristics

Under direction, to perform human resources administration assignments of a professional nature where the actions and recommendations directly and consistently influence management's decisions on the employment and economic impact to County employees; to apply human resources and organizational design principles and practices in the provision of difficult and technical human resources support to County departments, employees, customers and Human Resources Managers; and to do other work as required.

Distinguishing Characteristics

The Department of Human Resources provides human resources services to all County departments, including recruitment and selection, HR policy administration, employee and labor relations, classification, compensation and pay equity, organizational development, employee engagement and development, employee wellness and benefits administration, risk management, workers' compensation, liability and casualty claims management, and human resources information systems.

The Human Resources Analyst 2 performs professional human resources assignments within a specialized human resources functional area that directly defines and impacts employee relations and labor relations, including compensation actions and decisions. Work involves providing advice, information, guidance, conflict resolutions, and recommendations to management, elected officials and employees regarding economic actions, impact and decisions. Incumbents compile and analyze data, identify trends, prepare reports, make recommendations, and provide insights for process improvements. The HR Analyst 2 may perform lead work responsibilities, if assigned, within their specialized human resources functional area.

Human Resources Analyst 2 differs from Human Resources Analyst 1 as the latter is not regularly involved in the decisions that have employment and economic impact to county employees. It also differs from Human Resources Analyst 3 which performs advanced professional level work and provides subject matter expertise within a specialized human resources discipline, and from Human Resources Specialist which performs routine professional and technical human resources assignments under guidance of higher level professional staff.

Typical Tasks

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

1. Regularly provides assistance, explanations, advice and guidance to department leadership, management and employees regarding County personnel policies, practices and procedures with a concentration on those that impact the economic conditions of county employees; resolves or assists in resolving difficult and sensitive employment issues; recommends actions for management that address, reduce or resolve conflict between management and employee(s) and/or labor unions.
2. Participates in monitoring and maintaining compliance; interprets union contracts, County personnel policies, and federal and state laws; identifies and resolves or escalates issues related to compliance and/or business processes; analyzes and regularly provides guidance on employee and classification economic issues and associated impacts to organizational structures within County departments, divisions, and work groups; consults with higher level HR professional staff to ensure consistent interpretation, application, and compliance; builds, maintains and leverages collaborative and effective relationships with all levels of County personnel; establishes and maintains effective communications with union leadership; assists with creating effective and consistent communication plans and messaging.
3. Analyzes and ensures County's human resources policies and procedures relevant to administration of employee relations, labor relations and employee compensation are administered consistently within the scope of Federal and State regulations, laws, County initiatives and best practices/industry standards; analyzes and recommends changes to human resources procedures, methods and processes to maintain compliance and improve internal operations/processes, service delivery, and the relationship/interface between county management and union leadership; reviews changes in legislation, rules, regulations, or industry standards to determine effects on existing human resources programs, services, policies and procedures.
4. Conducts studies and research and develops reports with analysis and recommendations; gathers and analyzes employment information; prepares reports, statistics and costing; uses the County's human resource information system (HRIS) and reporting tools in conjunction with other computer tools to select or query data; prepares and reviews payroll and personnel documents for compliance with human resources policies; as requested provides user/business analyst testing support for system upgrades.
5. Manages and coordinates defined projects and/or manages assigned components of large and/or complex projects; develops or participates in project definition, scope, schedules, timelines and action plans; analyzes HR business and operational requirements and impacts; organizes, leads, facilitates or participates in meetings to identify needs, build consensus and collaboration, and coordinate project activities and time commitments; coordinates activities, resources and work among project team members to meet deadlines and achieve desired outcomes and expectations; manages and monitors project to ensure deliverables are completed on time and within scope; establishes, maintains and manages relations with project team members and stakeholders to move project forward and/or resolve issues; receives guidance and direction from HR manager appropriate to project's scope and complexity; informs HR manager and stakeholders of changes in project scope or schedule.
6. Participates in the creation, analysis and implementation of strategic plans, planning efforts, operational/business processes, and special projects related to human resources administration in the areas of employee relations, labor relations and/or compensation administration; identifies and analyzes issues; gathers information and statistical data; participates in developing recommendations including addressing potential impacts; works collaboratively and effectively with Human Resources Department co-workers/teams/department staff; researches best practices and industry standards.
7. Represents and provides support to HR Department programs, activities and human resources administration; responds to or escalates employee concerns and complaints; presents or assists in presenting trainings at the department level and/or county-wide; creates training specific to a department need or HR business process; assists in efforts and outreach in reaching and maintaining a diverse workforce/workplace; educates and provides information regarding cultural competency issues; provides assistance to support County departments with their department-specific human resources administration strategies; networks, gathers and shares key issues and industry insights in human resources administration at conferences and community events and with local agency partnerships and industry groups.

Duties also include, within HR functional area – Employee and Labor Relations:

1. Assists with the administration of labor agreements, basic contract compliance, and documentation; helps to ensure consistent application of policies and procedures and supports ongoing contract compliance by advising departments on labor contract language; assists in preparing communications, supporting meetings, and maintaining labor-related records; identifies and assists efforts to modernize ELR processes, resources, and technologies; supports grievance responses including issue assessment, fact-finding, and resolution recommendations; drafts union notifications and represents the County in discussions related to changes in policies, working conditions, and procedures, ensuring compliance with PECBA; investigates allegations of collective bargaining agreement and HR policy violations; formulates recommendations to resolve labor disputes; supports union communications and collaborates with union representatives to resolve contract interpretation and workplace concerns through labor/management committees; participates in and supports interest arbitration preparations and strategy development; coordinates layoff processes and works with managers to verify employee qualifications to ensure bumping rights are followed in line with union contract; responds to public records requests, RFIs, and litigation support requests.
2. Participates and supports collective bargaining and negotiating sessions; assists with drafting contract language, collective bargaining side agreements, memorandums of understanding or agreements; coordinates internal stakeholder communications to support contract alignment with organizational goals; identifies and researches significant or controversial issues; takes variety of input from management to craft initial proposals; communicates and/or presents proposal(s) to union leadership for more clearly defined matters under the guidance of HR Management; documents negotiations and prepares summaries; helps organize bargaining materials and track proposed changes; prepares exhibits for fact-finding and interest arbitration hearings; for clearly defined assignments, researches, analyzes and reports on cost and operational impacts of contract proposals; conducts costing analysis work.
3. Advises management on employee/labor issues including performance management, discipline, and conflict resolution; interprets, applies, explains, and promotes consistent application of rules, policies and collective bargaining agreements; prepares coaching letters and formal letters of disciplinary action such as letters of reprimand or reduction in pay; coaches managers on employee performance management techniques; partners with other HR functions to ensure holistic support; provides proactive problem-solving and strategic issue prevention through resource development; prepares and delivers trainings to build leadership's capability in managing performance, navigating discipline, and interpreting contract language.

Duties also include, within HR functional area – Classification and Compensation:

1. Conducts classification, organization and salary studies; conducts analysis of individual positions, classifications and internal relationships through questionnaires, surveys and interviews; recommends appropriate classification assignments; creates and revises classification descriptions including developing new classification(s); conducts market studies; analyzes market and other data and internal equity relationships to recommend salary grade adjustments; drafts official staff reports; forecasts budget personnel impacts; explains implementation impacts and costs to managers and employees; explains classification and compensation analyses at appeal meetings and to legal counsel; researches and responds to salary surveys from other agencies.
2. Prepares, reviews and determines salary placements for all new hires, employee promotions, new classification assignments, and salary grade changes to classifications; conducts salary placement analysis and provides official pay rate; reviews documentation and analysis of employment requirements provided by Recruitment and Selection and approves or requests clarifications/adjustments; performs analysis of salary placements to determine employee placement into new salary grade; analyzes and responds to employee requests for review of salary placement; reviews employee request, salary placement analysis and internal alignment factors to make determinations for necessary pay adjustments.

Duties also include, within HR functional area – Recruitment and Selection:

1. Performs lead work responsibilities as formally assigned; leads the work of professional and support staff within a specialized human resources functional area; coordinates, assigns and reviews work; ensures consistency and conformance to business processes; provides input for skill development and training; addresses escalated issues; acts on behalf of functional area's HR Manager in their absence. 
2. Plans, develops, implements and evaluates recruitment and selection activities; identifies staffing needs within R&S; researches available labor pools and develops recruitment strategies to achieve organizational goals; develops and conducts outreach programs and presentations; fields and resolves escalated candidate questions and complaints; identifies and recommends changes in policy to address new or revised regulations or to implement court decisions; monitors effectiveness of various recruitment approaches; discusses and defends decisions affecting applicants in person and in writing; prepares and presents information at appeal investigations or hearings.
3. Manages full-cycle recruitment for the County's most complex, high-impact, and hard-to-fill positions, including executive, highly specialized, and confidential roles; serves as a lead resource for recruitment strategy, providing guidance, consultation, and workload support to department management and other recruiters as operational needs require; collaborates with executive leadership and senior management to design, adapt, and implement customized, equitable, and legally compliant recruitment and selection strategies;; evaluates processes for adverse impact and compliance with Equal Employment Opportunity; communicates clear expectations to all candidates and hiring managers regarding County's hiring process; establishes screening guidelines and reviews applications; develops questions, pre-interview exercises, rating criteria and scoring guidelines; conducts panel interviews and written tests; evaluates test results and modifies passing standards and test materials; makes employment offers to candidates; fields and resolves candidate questions and complaints; educates prospective employees about working for the county; attends career fairs and networking events to promote employment opportunities.
4. Participates in the salary placement process by analyzing and documenting employment requirements as they relate to minimum qualifications and candidate qualifications; reviews application materials and conducts preliminary assessments of candidate experience against minimum and preferred qualifications to determine relevance and potential impact on salary placement for Classification and Compensation (C&C) consideration; collaborates with C&C to clarify experience; facilities follow-up with hiring managers and candidates; implements agreed-upon placement decisions; makes recommendations to C&C for refining classifications and/or requirements; as assigned, performs initial market and match analyses as a component of C&C's salary studies; analyzes and documents employment requirements in support of layoff/ recall and bumping processes.

Required Knowledge and Skills

Working knowledge of: Principles and practices of human resources and personnel administration relevant to assigned HR functional area; principles and practices of public administration, including reporting and maintenance of public records; methods and techniques of statistical research and data analysis; applicable Federal, State and local human resources laws, rules, regulations, codes and ordinances; administration of human resources policies and labor contracts and human resource policies applicable to assigned HR functional area; County government organization and operations; automated human resource systems and associated software such as spreadsheets, word processing, and data base management systems.
Skill to: Collect, compile, analyze and interpret data; review and interpret relevant complex information and data to make appropriate recommendations; maintain strict confidentiality in all human resources matters; make accurate arithmetic calculations; analyze and resolve problems and/or prepare recommendations; prepare clear and concise reports; conduct effective interviews, meetings, and focus groups; communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, particularly in speaking before groups; incorporate collaborative team participation in decision making; establish and maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, County managers, employees, job applicants, union officials, other agencies, the public and stakeholders; investigate and mediate employment concerns, appeals, grievances, etc.; effectively recommend solutions; interpret and explain department and human resources related laws, policies and programs to County employees, elected officials and the public; operate computer equipment, including personal computers and software applications; develop spreadsheets and reports; provide effective coaching, counseling and advice regarding assigned HR functional area.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum qualifications are used as a guide for establishing the minimum experience, education, licensure, and/or certifications required for employment in the classification. The following minimum qualifications are established for this classification. Additional minimum qualifications and special conditions may apply to a specific position within this classification and will be stated on the job announcement.
Experience: A minimum of four (4) years of related experience with three (3) years of experience in area of HR specialization that would provide the required knowledge and skills to perform the responsibilities of this position.

Licenses/Certifications: None required.

Pre-Employment Requirements

Driving is required for County business to accomplish work. Incumbents must possess a valid driver's license, and possess and maintain an acceptable driving record throughout the course of employment.

Classification No. 449
Established: 12/25
FLSA: Exempt
EEO: 2