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Senior Labor Relations Manager

Arlington County, VA
Arlington, VA Full Time
POSTED ON 5/15/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 7/15/2026

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Arlington County requires all applicants to thoroughly complete each section of the application, including prior job responsibilities, duties, and supplemental questions. While you may attach a resume, it will not replace a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The County Manager’s Office is seeking a Senior Labor Relations Manager to join our team! This position will report to the Chief Labor Relations Officer (CLRO) and provide senior-level advice and consultation to the CLRO, County leadership, and other stakeholders on a broad range of collective bargaining matters, primarily including economic costing and fiscal analysis of economic proposals in contract negotiations. Additionally, this position will coordinate efforts with the Human Resources Department (HRD) to ensure that internal HR processes (e.g. pay-related changes, schedule changes, etc.) support implementation of agreements negotiated with the County’s certified bargaining units.


S pecific duties include:

  • Providing day-to-day guidance to managers and supervisors, in consultation with CLRO, on the interpretation and application of collective agreements, as well as on addressing labor relations issues and related work and pay practices ;

  • Assisting the CLRO and County leadership with designing and analyzing compensation and budget scenarios as they prepare, enter, and conduct contract negotiations, including interest arbitrations, with unions;
  • Leading and performing work related to conducting salary surveys, benchmarking County labor practices/policies with other organizations, and developing costing models to assist County leadership with planning for new contract negotiations;
  • Developing economic package alternatives/options for consideration, including multi-year cost projections and reviewing and drafting related proposals and counter-proposals;
  • Providing day-to-day guidance to managers and supervisors on collective bargaining and related work practices matters;
  • Coordinating with the HRD on key operational processes to ensure negotiated terms, particularly as they relate to pay, are properly executed, tracked, and audited.
  • Conducting meetings with the CLRO, employees, department representatives, and union representatives to negotiate both formal and informal resolution of disputes; and
  • Assisting the CLRO and County leadership with a wide range of administrative proceedings to resolve conflicts and complaints affecting unions and bargaining unit employees;

The Ideal Candidate will have experience in the following;

  • Employee relations;

  • Labor relations;

  • Collective bargaining;

  • Compensation design and analysis; and/or

  • Human Resources management.


Minimum Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree Human Resources, Employment and Labor Law, Public Finance or Business Administration, or related field. Graduate level degrees in these areas (e.g., Master’s, JD) may be given preference; and

  • Significant professional experience in compensation design and fiscal analysis, the navigation of employee relations, labor relations, collective bargaining, preferably in a government environment.

Substitution(s): Additional education can be substituted for the experience requirement.

Desirable Qualifications: Preference may be given to applicants with one or more of the following:

  • Thorough knowledge of compensation design and analysis, benchmarking, and budget formation techniques, including knowledge of how to develop multi-year cost projections.
  • Knowledge of labor law;

  • Writing skills to compose and edit reports, presentations, proposals, written agreements, procedures, policies, recommendations, etc;
  • Interpersonal skills to coordinate with and/or manage others, resolve complaints, maintain liaison and speak in public; and/or

  • Problem solving skills to define problems and collect relevant information to recommend policy solutions.

Special Requirements

Background Check: A pre-employment criminal records check will be conducted. It will include checks of the following: criminal record, driving record, education, professional licensure, and credit history. You will be required to sign a release authorizing the County to obtain your background information.

Driver's License: Applicant must possess, or obtain by time of appointment, a valid driver’s license, and must provide or authorize Arlington County to obtain a copy of the official driving record. Any offer of employment may be contingent upon favorable review of the applicant’s driving record. Alternatively, the applicant must have the ability and willingness to use alternative methods of transportation to perform assigned duties and responsibilities at locations other than the primary worksite.

Letter of Interest: A complete application includes a letter of interest. Please attach your letter to this application detailing your background and experience and how they have prepared you for this position.

Please complete each section of the application including the supplemental questions. Your responses to the supplemental questions are required because they provide us with specific information necessary to evaluate your qualifications for this position. These responses are considered part of the selection process. A resume may be attached; however, it will not substitute for a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please do not write "see resume" as a response to the questions.

Additional Information

Work hours: Full-time Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with flexibility and telework options pending supervisor approval.

This position is eligible for County government employee benefits that include health, dental, vacation and sick leave, commuter transportation subsidies, tuition reimbursement, as well as a generous retirement plan.

For more information on Arlington County’s generous benefits and retirement plan, click here .

Arlington County is committed to advancing diversity, equity, access, and inclusion across all our services, activities, and programs. Learn more about our commitment.

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