Director of Human Resources (E5)

March 14, 2026

Behind every city service from public safety to infrastructure is a team of dedicated professionals. As our Director of Human Resources, you are the champion of their success. You will lead a multifaceted department dedicated to recruiting top-tier talent, ensuring equitable workplaces, and managing the comprehensive benefits that support our employees from their first day through retirement. Under the strategic direction of the City Manager, the Director of Human Resources provides executive leadership for the City’s comprehensive human resources functions. This role is technically authoritative, serving as the final advisor to the Mayor and City Manager on all personnel matters, labor relations, and workforce development.The person in this role s responsible for cultivating a high-performing organization by attracting and retaining qualified talent while ensuring all Human Resources initiatives align with the City's broader mission. The incumbent must balance complex objectives, including productivity, employee morale, and legal compliance, while driving business process improvements through data analytics.Whether you’re collaborating with the Mayor or refining our performance management system, your work ensures that those who serve our city are supported, valued, and empowered. Join us in making the City of Annapolis the premier employer in the region. Set and Enforce HR Rules: Create and implement the City’s policies for all personnel matters. Executive Leadership & Strategic Governance<ul style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>Principal Advisor: Serve as the final authority and subject matter expert on HR regulations for the Mayor, City Manager, and senior leadership, balancing complex objectives such as organizational morale, productivity, and legal risk.</li><li>Charter & Policy Administration: Act as the primary administrator for City Charter and Code provisions, creating and enforcing all personnel policies to ensure every departmental action is legally sound, ethically grounded, and consistently applied.</li><li>Board & Commission Support: Provide high-level strategic guidance and staffing support to the Civil Service Board, Public Safety Disability Retirement Board, and the Human Relations Commission.</li><li>Departmental Management: Direct all HR Department operations, including the hiring, professional development, and performance evaluation of HR staff and subordinate managers.</li></ul>Labor Relations & Risk Mitigation<ul style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>Collective Bargaining: Serve as a core member of the City’s negotiating team, collaborating with the Chief Labor Negotiator to develop and administer contracts for Fire, Police, Trades, and Clerical unions.</li><li>Employee Relations: Provides employee relations guidance and support to supervisors and staff within a municipal government environment, including interpreting City Policies, Civil Service rules, applicable collective bargaining agreements and City Code. Conducts workplace investigations, facilitates conflict resolutions and recommends appropriate corrective or disciplinary action consistent with due process and public sector regulation.</li><li>Conflict Resolution & Discipline: Oversee the City’s disciplinary programs, grievance procedures, and appeal processes, ensuring strict adherence to union contracts and civil service provisions.</li><li>Fiduciary Oversight: Act as a key member of the Risk Management Policy Group and the Police and Fire Retirement Plan Commission, ensuring the long-term stability and compliance of pension and disability retirement documents.</li></ul> Organizational Equity & Employee Experience<ul style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>DEIB & EEO Leadership: Champion the City’s commitment to a respectful workplace by leading Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) initiatives and overseeing EEO investigations in coordination with the Office of Law.</li><li>Recruit-to-Retain Strategy: Lead the "Talent Lifecycle," from modernizing recruitment and civil service examination processes to enhancing employee engagement and retention strategies</li><li>Total Rewards Oversight: Direct a comprehensive benefits portfolio—including medical, VEBA/OPEB, deferred compensation, and fitness-for-duty programs—to ensure the City remains a competitive "employer of choice."</li></ul> Workforce Planning & Business Intelligence<ul style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>Strategic Workforce Planning: Partner with the Finance Department and City Manager to align staffing levels, job classifications, and compensation plans with long-term organizational goals.</li><li>Data-Driven Improvement: Leverage HRIS analytics and business process reviews to research best practices, identify efficiency gaps, and implement data-backed recommendations for departmental improvements.</li><li>Professional Development: Conduct organization-wide needs assessments to design and deliver training programs that foster administrative excellence and align with the City’s mission.</li></ul> Operational & Fiscal Excellence<ul style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>HRIS & Systems Management: Oversee the optimization of the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) to ensure data integrity across personnel transactions, position control, and applicant tracking.</li><li>Budgetary Stewardship: Manage the Department of Human Resources budget and resources with fiscal precision to meet the operational mandates of the 2026 fiscal year and beyond.</li></ul>Lead HR Strategy and Management: Planning for future staffing needs (workforce planning and development), hiring and retaining employees, managing employee benefits, performance reviews, job classification, pay, and leave and handling employee and labor union relations.Oversee the HR Department: Manage, direct, and make decisions for HR staff and subordinate managers. This includes hiring, training, evaluating, promoting, and, if necessary, disciplining employees. Serve as the HR Expert: Act as the final authority on HR regulations, solving complex personnel issues, and advising senior management on sensitive employee matters. Provide guidance to the Mayor, City Manager, and senior departmental management on all HR issues in light of the need to balance conflicting objectives such as productivity, morale, and legal concerns. Improve Organizational Effectiveness and Employee Development<ul style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>Oversees training and professional development programs aligned with the City’s mission</li><li>Conducts needs assessments along with department directors to improve departmental efficiency and effectiveness.</li></ul>Drive Business Process Improvement and Data Analytics: Analyze HR data and business processes to research best practices, make strategic recommendations, and ensure consistency across departments. Coordinate Workforce Planning Initiatives: Partners with the City Manager, Finance Department, and department directors to align staffing and workforce planning with organizational goals.Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities<ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>HR Expertise: Mastery of recruitment, compensation, benefits, labor agreements, and performance management.</li><li>Regulatory Knowledge: Deep understanding of relevant county, state, and federal laws and the ability to interpret complex union contracts.</li><li>Strategic Leadership: Ability to partner with senior leaders to solve critical organizational problems and make sensitive, data-driven decisions.</li><li>Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to build positive professional relationships and oversee presentations.</li></ul>Minimum Qualifications<ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Business/Public Administration, Human Resources, Labor and Employee Relations, and/or a related field.</li><li>Experience: Five (5) years of progressively responsible human resources or employee relations experience, including at least three (3) years at an executive or supervisory level.</li></ul>Preferred Qualifications<ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>Advanced Education: Master’s degree in Business/Public Administration, Human Resources, or a related field.</li><li>Certification: IPMA-SCP or SHRM-SCP is preferred. (IPMA-CP, PHR, or SPHR is desirable) .</li></ul>Physical/Mental Demands:<ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><li>Judgment: Requires expert judgment, initiative, and resourcefulness to research trends and develop new City policies.</li></ul><ul><li>Environment: Work is performed in a dynamic environment requiring responsiveness to changing goals and organizational needs.</li></ul>

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