CITY OF LIMA
DIRECTOR of HUMAN RESOURCES & LABOR RELATIONS
Under the administrative direction of the Mayor, the Director of Human Resources & Labor Relations serves as the City's principal executive responsible for internal workforce strategy and principal advisor on human resources, labor relations, employee relations, organizational development, workforce planning, compensation, and personnel administration.
The position is responsible for developing and maintaining internal labor relations expertise, strengthening labor-management relationships, reducing organizational risk, and reducing the City's long-term reliance on outside labor relations consultants for routine labor-management matters while collaborating with the Law Director and outside legal counsel on specialized legal issues, collective bargaining strategy, arbitration, litigation, and other matters requiring legal representation.
The Director leads the Human Resources Department in supporting approximately 420 employees represented by five collective bargaining units operating within a civil service environment. The Director provides executive leadership and strategic oversight of recruitment, employee development, compensation and classification, employee relations, benefits administration, workers' compensation, personnel policies, and regulatory compliance while ensuring these functions are delivered efficiently, consistently, and in accordance with applicable federal and state laws, collective bargaining agreements, civil service rules, and City policies.
The Director serves as a trusted advisor to the Mayor and department directors regarding workforce strategy, labor relations, organizational effectiveness, personnel administration, and emerging employment issues. The Director works collaboratively with the Civil Service Board and its Director/Secretary on matters involving personnel processes, Civil Service compliance, and classified employment while respecting the independent authority of the Civil Service Board established by the City Charter.
The Director is expected to foster a culture of professionalism, accountability, collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement, and exceptional public service throughout the organization.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Required Education
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, Labor Relations, Organizational Leadership, or a closely related field.
Required Experience
Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in public-sector human resources, labor relations, employee relations, or public administration. Three (3) years of supervisory or management experience.
Demonstrated experience in:
- Collective bargaining.
- Grievance administration.
- Public safety labor relations.
- Civil service administration.
- Interpretation and administration of collective bargaining agreements.
- Municipal, county, state, educational, or other public-sector organizations.
- Employee investigations.
- Employee relations.
- Personnel policy interpretation and administration.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience serving as lead negotiator or chief spokesperson during collective bargaining negotiations.
- Experience representing management in mediation, arbitration, fact-finding, or SERB proceedings.
- Experience working with police, fire, and AFSCME bargaining units.
- Experience administering self-insured employee benefit programs.
- Experience overseeing workers' compensation programs.
- Experience with classification and compensation studies.
- Master's Degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Labor Relations, Business Administration, or related field.
- SHRM-SCP, SHRM-CP, SPHR, PHR, IPMA-HR, or comparable professional certification.
Interested candidates should submit a resume and salary history to:
City of Lima
Attn: Human Resources
50 Town Square, 3rd Floor
Lima, OH 45801
OR
Position Open Until Filled. First review of applications will be August 21, 2026
Equal Opportunity Employer
