Senior Employee Relations Consultant

The Human Resources Department’s mission is to support our customers in accomplishing their missions by attracting and retaining a highly skilled and diversified workforce that is compensated and rewarded for its effort in an equitable, safe and responsible work environment.

Our mission is accomplished within existing resources, in an environment of change, with integrity, and in a manner that is consistent with the City’s policies, Code of Ethics, merit system principles, and federal and state laws. We are responsible for recruitment and testing, classification and compensation, training, benefits administration, and workforce relations.

The Senior Employee Relations Consultant serves as a strategic partner providing expert guidance on complex employee relations matters, workplace investigations, and policy interpretation. This role is responsible for ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant resolution of employee issues while fostering a respectful and productive work environment across City departments.

This position plays a critical role in mitigating organizational risk, promoting accountability, and supporting a culture aligned with the City of Richmond’s values and administrative regulations.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to department directors, managers, and supervisors on employee relations matters.
• Provide guidance on disciplinary actions, performance management, conflict resolution, and workplace concerns.
• Ensure consistent application of City policies, administrative regulations, and employment laws.

• Lead and conduct complex, high-risk, and sensitive workplace investigations.
• Prepare detailed investigative reports, including findings of facts and recommendations.
• Ensure investigations are conducted in a timely, impartial, and legally defensible manner.
• Interpret City Administrative Regulations, and applicable federal/state laws (e.g., FLSA, FMLA, ADA, Title VII).
• Partner with HR leadership to recommend policy updates and enhancements based on trends and case outcomes.
• Advise leadership on progressive discipline and corrective action strategies.
• Review and recommend disciplinary actions to ensure consistency and equity across departments.
• Assist with drafting disciplinary documentation.
• Provide support during audits, litigation, and external agency inquiries.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES: 

• Knowledge of best practice procedures used to investigate and resolve employee or workplace concerns including best practices as they relate to reducing bias during the investigation process. 
• Extensive experience ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations such as ADA, FMLA, etc. 
• Sound judgment, high integrity and the ability to handle complex, highly sensitive and confidential information relating to HR. 
• Experience conducting fact-finding and tracking/reporting employee relations grievances using a case management system. 
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) 
• Flexibility and ability to balance conflicting priorities. 
• Works with a high degree of confidentiality, autonomy and accountability for decisions 
• Collaborative team player 
• Advanced Microsoft Office experience, including virtual team platforms for meetings, shared team documents, and instant messaging communications. 

QUALIFICATIONS/SPECIAL CERTIFICATIONS and LICENSES: 
Required: 

• 5 years of progressive experience in one or more of the following fields: Human Resources, Behavioral or Social Science or Organizational Psychology 
• Bachelor’s degree (equivalency not accepted in place of a required degree) 
  • Disciplines Preferred: Human Resources; Business; Public Administration  

Required Certifications/Licenses: 

• HRCI HR Certification (PHR/SPHR)  or SHRM HR Certification (SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP) is required upon hire or obtained within 12 months after initial hire date

Preferred: 

• 5 years of progressive experience in one or more of the following fields: Human Resources, Behavioral or Social Science or Organizational Psychology 
• Certification in Human Resources: SPHR, PHR, SHRM-SCP, SHRM-CP, or equivalent in HR field preferred

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. The essential duties of this classification may require the ability to regularly finger, talk, hear, see, and perform repetitive motions; frequently walk; and occasionally stoop, reach, stand, push, pull, lift, grasp, and feel. The working conditions may contain environmental hazards. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be sedentary, exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to move objects.

Salary : $82,289 - $136,341