Salary: $130,000.00 - $150,000.00 Annually
Location : Garner, NC
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 2024-00019
Department: Human Resources
Opening Date: 06/03/2024
Closing Date: 7/1/2024 11:59 PM Eastern
Description
The Town of Garner, NC, a growing and thriving community of the desirable Research Triangle region,
seeks a Human Resources Executive who is...

• a visionary and forward-thinker with success in strategically positioning fast growing organizations for the future;
• approachable by all and an empathetic listener with proven interpersonal skills;
• adept in technology and experienced in transitioning processes to electronic platforms; and,
• a proven leader and collaborator recognized by others as trustworthy and a team player.

The Town of Garner, NC, seeks an innovative, visionary, and transformational Human Resources (HR) Director . As part of the executive team, the HR Director will provide leadership and oversight to develop and carry out the goals of the Town of Garner. Additionally, this HR Director will have experience supporting major transitions within departments and will play a key role in helping the town transition a separately chartered fire department to a municipal fire department. The next HR Director is a highly trusted leader who holds others and themselves accountable to high standards of excellence.
About the Community:
This All-America City of over 39,000 residents is in Wake County, adjacent to Raleigh, the capital city of North Carolina. Wake County is part of the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area, one of the largest research parks in the world. Located in a region consistently ranked among America's best places to live, work, raise a family, and earn a quality education, Garner is a diverse community that truly offers something for everyone.
In addition to being known for its hometown character, historic downtown area, good schools, and quiet neighborhoods, Garner residents enjoy over 540 acres of parkland and recreational open space, a thriving economy, and great community events, with various shopping and local entertainment venues. Through public and private investment in Garner's historic downtown, the Town continues to expand its effort to make historic downtown a destination for recreation, entertainment, and entrepreneurialism.
White Deer Park and neighboring Lake Benson Park-located in the heart of Garner near or adjacent to numerous neighborhoods-have 160 acres of open space and several miles of paved and unpaved trails. White Deer Park's LEED Gold-certified Nature Center offers educational programming year-round for kids and adults. Residents can also enjoy boating and fishing on scenic Lake Benson. Garner has retained the hometown persona that reminds us that family, quality of life, and service to others are keys to a thriving community. Garner is conveniently located between the striking Blue Ridge Mountains and the beautiful North Carolina coast.
About the Department:
Operating under a non-partisan Council-Manager form of government, the Human Resources Director reports to the Town Manager. The HR Director oversees a department budget of $718,000 and 5 staff, including four direct reports to administer the HR functions of position classification and compensation, leadership development, employee relations, training and development, recruitment and selection, benefits management, policy administration, performance evaluation programs, safety and risk management, personnel database and technology management, and wellness initiative management. The HR Director must consistently apply HR policies and procedures across the town.
Current and future plans for Garner are guided by its strategic plan,which staff uses in developing and implementing the annual budget and work plans within the following focus areas:

• Fiscal Responsibility
• Efficient and Timely Service Delivery
• Orderly Growth
• Quality of Life

Though the staff is strong in carrying out the compliance function of HR, the HR Director performs many day-to-day duties while balancing the department's transformation into a strategic operation. Goals for the next HR Director include streamlining and enhancing processes, such as recruitment and selection while enabling department directors to make more efficient and sound HR decisions. The Town is seeking a sound customer-service approach to HR and one designed around customer needs while reducing legal liability. Thus, technological skills and the ability to lead change efforts are essential.
Examples of Duties

About the Position:
The HR Director must find purpose and meaning in executing the Town of Garner's vision to "nurture a hometown charm and natural environment for residents and businesses while encouraging new economic, recreational and cultural opportunities through wise planning and investment." More information about the department can be found at https://www.garnernc.gov/departments/human-resources.
The focus of the HR Director will be to continue transforming the department into a strategic operation that positions the town as a leader in recruitment, retention, job fulfillment, and belonging. Goals will include streamlining and enhancing processes, leveraging new technology for HRIS initiatives, employee relations and engagement, organizational professional development, and guiding department directors to make efficient and sound HR decisions.
Key Priorities for the next HR Director:

• Lead efforts to implement cutting edge human resources best practices and apply the most effective use of current technology solutions while evaluating ways that make HR services more convenient for employees and supervisors.
• Utilize knowledge, expertise, and experience of fire service operations and major departmental municipal transitions to support the fire department's conversion from separately chartered to municipal.
• Initiate a new performance evaluation document and transition to a universal evaluation anniversary date to result in ease of tracking, minimization of late evaluations and retroactive merit payments, while allowing for easier funding estimates and processing of merit adjustments.
• Collaborate with fellow department directors and senior management to align HR policies and goals with organizational goals and needs.
• Initiate a review of the town's training and development needs to create initiatives that ensure effective employee development, engagement, satisfaction, retention, and succession planning.
• Strategically evaluate and update of the Town's personnel policy manual to ensure the Town is aligned with changes in the workplace, culture, and legal requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

Qualifications: Graduation from a four-year college or university with a major in human resource management, public administration, psychology, business, or related human service field and considerable experience of a progressively responsible nature in human resource management, including supervisory experience is required. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. Prefer a Master of Public Administration degree. Local government/municipal experience and SHRM or PSHRA (formerly IPMA) certification is preferred.
The Successful Candidate is:

• knowledgeable of organizational development, human behavior, and the laws and regulations affecting the human resources management field, including confidentiality regarding personnel actions;
• experienced in the development of programs and policy interpretation and application, someone with sound judgment in decision-making and problem-solving who demonstrates effective judgment and initiative;
• someone who sees HR as a strategic function that impacts the employee experience from recruitment to retirement, moving beyond the day-to-day transactions of managing a large workforce;
• knowledgeable of best practices and trends, with significant breadth in the HR competency areas of recruitment and selection, benefits, classification, and compensation, health and safety, employee training and development, diversity initiatives, and performance management;
• a tech-savvy innovator who will be actively engaged in applying the most effective use of current technology solutions while evaluating ways that make HR services more convenient for employees and supervisors;
• well-experienced in applying change management practices to HR processes to enhance efficiency, transparency, and effective decentralization in areas where appropriate to do so;
• an excellent communicator both orally and in writing and a reflective listener who can articulate information and related plans and programs across diverse groups and stakeholders including policymakers and community members;
• someone who fosters teamwork through facilitative and collaborative approaches in leading cohesive and systematic change;
• a results-oriented leader who can effectively incorporate the input of multiple stakeholders to deliver collaborative solutions;
• a goal-oriented professional who thrives in a culture of high-performance expectations by using metric-based evaluations of programs to carry out timely, evidence-based changes as data warrants;
• someone with outstanding interpersonal and communication skills who seeks to proactively, authentically, and transparently engage with others while building a trusting reputation with departments;
• a champion for employees regardless of department, tenure, or position; and,
• an empowering leader who advocates for resources needed to deliver a cohesive HR vision throughout the town while working with stakeholders to deliver creative and collaborative solutions and execute the vision.

Additional Information

Salary and Benefits:
The anticipated hiring range is $130,000 to $150,000 commensurate with qualifications and experience. The Town of Garner offers comprehensive benefits, including a generous 401K contribution with a 5% match and a supplemental 457 retirement plan. More information on the Town's benefits can be found here: Employee Benefits | Town of Garner, NC (garnernc.gov).
Application Process:
To apply, please visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/developmentalassociates and click on the Human Resources Director - Town of Garner, NC title.

• All applications must be submitted online via the Developmental Associates application portal (link above) - NOT the town's employment application portal or any other external website.
• Resumes and cover letters must be uploaded with the application.
• Applicants should apply by July 1, 2024 .
• Successful semi-finalists will be invited to participate in virtual interviews and skill evaluation interviews on August 6 - 7, 2024 . Candidates are encouraged to reserve these dates for virtual meetings should they be invited to participate.
• Interviews with the leadership team will follow quickly at a subsequent time in person.
• Direct inquiries to hiring@developmentalassociates.com

The Town of Garner, NC, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Developmental Associates, LLC manages the recruitment and selection process for this position. To learn more about our selection process, visit https://developmentalassociates.com/client-openings/, select "Client Openings," and scroll down to "Important Information for Applicants."
The Town of Garner offers the following comprehensive benefits package to all regular, full-time employees:

• Employer-paid Medical Insurance with optional dependent coverage
• Employer-paid Dental Insurance with optional dependent coverage
• Participation in the North Carolina Local Government Employees' Retirement System (LGERS)
• Five percent (5%) employer contribution to the NC 401k
• Employer-paid Employee Life Insurance
• Employer-paid Short-term Disability insurance
• Paid Vacation Leave
• Paid Sick Leave
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Family Illness Leave
• Paid Bereavement Leave
• Paid Preventive Care Leave
• 13 Paid Holidays (Plus a Floating Holiday)
• Paid Community Involvement Leave
• Paid Wellness Leave
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral Bonus
• On-site Wellness Center
• Free membership to the Garner Recreation Center
• Membership with Local Government Federal Credit Union
• Membership with Civic Federal Credit Union
• Optional Supplemental Life Insurance
• Optional Vision Insurance
• Optional Accident & Cancer/Critical Illness Insurance
• Optional NC 457b Supplemental Retirement Plan