Human Resources Department Manager

Lead with Purpose. Innovate with Vision. Make a Difference.

The City of Encinitas is seeking an innovative, strategic, and people-focused Human Resources Department Manager to provide leadership and direction for critical human resources programs and initiatives. This role provides leadership and oversight for key employee programs, including workers' compensation, leave administration, disability management, benefits administration, ADA compliance, labor relations, CalPERS liaison and organizational initiatives, while advancing workforce effectiveness and operational excellence.

The Position

Under the direction of the Human Resources Director, the Human Resources Department Manager plans, organizes, directs and evaluates human resources programs and services. The Human Resources Department Manager serves as a strategic partner to departments and executive leadership, leading key employee programs, advancing workforce initiatives, developing staff, and fostering a culture of accountability, engagement, and exceptional public service. The successful candidate will ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, labor agreements, and industry best practices while aligning human resources programs with the City's long-term organizational goals.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a forward-thinking human resources professional who sees beyond day-to-day operations, anticipates organizational needs, identifies opportunities for improvement, and inspires others to achieve excellence. They bring a strategic perspective to human resources and understand how effective programs, policies, and services contribute to a high-performing organization and engaged workforce.

This individual combines strong technical expertise with a practical, solutions-oriented approach. They are skilled at navigating complex workforce challenges, developing innovative and sustainable solutions, and building trusted relationships throughout the organization. As a key member of the leadership team, they serve as a valued advisor to employees, managers, and executive leadership, helping to advance organizational priorities while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will possess strong expertise in workers' compensation self insured program, leave administration, disability management, benefits administration, labor relations, and regulatory compliance, while maintaining a commitment to exceptional customer service and employee support. They will demonstrate sound judgment, professionalism, and discretion when navigating complex personnel matters and organizational challenges.

Key attributes include:

• Strategic leadership and the ability to align human resources programs and initiatives with organizational goals.
• Innovative and solution-oriented thinking to address complex challenges and improve organizational effectiveness.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with employees, managers, labor representatives, and stakeholders.
• A commitment to staff development, mentoring, and fostering a high-performing team environment.
• The ability to balance competing priorities while maintaining a high level of service, accountability, and professionalism.

Key Areas of Responsibility

In addition to overseeing core human resources functions, the Human Resources Department Manager will:

• Administer and oversee the city's workers' compensation program, including claim management, return-to-work coordination, modified duty assignments, and collaboration with third-party administrators, medical providers, and legal counsel.
• Manage employee leave programs, including Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), California Family Rights Act (CFRA), Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL), military leave, other protected leave programs and return to work program.
• Oversee the administration of employee benefits programs, including health, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement, wellness, and voluntary benefits.
• Coordinate and manage Short-Term Disability (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD) programs and employee accommodations related to medical conditions and workplace injuries.
• Oversee the city's internal and external Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance programs; coordinate compliance efforts across departments; monitor changes in federal and state accessibility laws and regulations; develop, implement, review, and update ADA-related policies, procedures, and programs; maintain the city's ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plans, and lead the city's ADA Committee.
• Lead and facilitate the interactive process and reasonable accommodation procedures in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and applicable state laws.

• Support the city's labor contract negotiations team and assist with labor contract administration, interpretation, and implementation as necessary.

Training/Experience

Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain these qualifications is a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field, and five (5) years of responsible human resources experience, including supervisory experience overseeing professional, technical, and administrative support staff.