Job Description

THIS IS A NON-CIVIL SERVICE POSITION

CITY OF BALTIMORE, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES

ASSISTANT DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE - OPERATIONS DIRECTOR I

SALARY RANGE: $122,569.00 - $202,068.00, Annually

Get to Know Us

Welcome to the City of Baltimore! Experience the reward of a fulfilling career and enjoy the added element of excitement in a vibrant, diverse atmosphere. The City of Baltimore offers limitless opportunities to help drive social impact, both on the job and in the community, while serving its citizens. Join us in making Baltimore a great place to live and work. In the City of Baltimore, we hire great people and provide them with the skills and opportunities to grow toward their career aspirations. If you are looking for a career change or interested in learning more, explore our opportunities. We are excited to have you as a part of the City of Baltimore Team! The city offers medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, optional life, AD&D, and FSA plans. This office also supplies wellness programs, support groups, and workshops. You can learn about our benefits here: https://humanresources.baltimorecity.gov/hr-divisions/benefits

The City of Baltimore's Department of Human Resources (DHR) is seeking a strategic, relationship-driven Assistant Deputy Director of Employee Relations and Organizational Culture (Operations Director 1) to help lead citywide efforts that strengthen trust, accountability, and engagement across Baltimore's workforce. Reporting directly to the City’s Director/Chief Human Capital Officer, this role serves as a key advisor and thought partner to agency leaders, HR liaisons, and DHR colleagues, translating policy and best practice into practical, consistent approaches that work across the City's diverse departments.

The Assistant Deputy Director is a key member of the Department’s Senior Executive Leadership Team and is responsible for advancing components of the Department’s Strategic Plan; coordinating, assigning, and tracking executive-level work priorities; and ensuring the timely and effective execution of departmental initiatives. This role exercises significant independent judgment and discretion in a complex public-sector environment and requires strong business acumen, political awareness, and the ability to lead through influence and collaboration.

The Assistant Deputy Director represents the Department in high-level internal and external engagements, including presentations to boards, City Council, community stakeholders, and staff, and serves as a principal liaison between the Director, City leadership, and external partners. Success in this role requires demonstrated alignment with the City of Baltimore’s and DHR’s mission, values, and strategic vision, as well as the ability to lead diverse teams, manage competing priorities, and navigate a fast-paced, highly visible operating environment.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Citywide Employee Relations Strategy

• Set citywide standards, frameworks, and guidance for handling employee relations issues, ensuring consistency with City policy, civil service rules, and collective bargaining agreements.
• Serve as a strategic advisor and escalation point for agency leaders and HR liaisons navigating complex or high-risk employee relations matters.
• Provide executive oversight of DHR's ER investigation function, ensuring timeliness, consistency, and credibility across civil service and employee relations cases.
• Serve as the department's senior voice on ADA, FMLA, and employment law compliance, advising agency HR directors and escalating appropriately.
• Equip agency HR teams with tools, training, and frameworks to manage employee relations with consistency and rigor.
• Build agency HR capability through training, coaching, tools, and strategic guidance.
• Establish citywide metrics on employee relations trends to inform strategy and resourcing.

Organizational Culture Strategy

• Own the citywide organizational culture strategy, driving engagement, recognition, and belonging across all agencies.

• Translate workforce data (surveys, focus groups, exit trends) into actionable insight on culture and morale citywide.
• Build scalable programming and communications that reinforce City values and a respectful workplace, adaptable across agency contexts.
• Embed diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into citywide HR strategy in partnership with relevant City offices.
• Develop long-term strategies and sponsor key initiatives to promote and achieve a culture of service excellence and employee engagement.
• Establish citywide metrics on engagement and retention to inform strategy and resourcing.

CORE Team (Complex Organizational Resolution Experts)

• Provide executive leadership for the CORE Team, a senior-level strategic advisory function deployed to agencies to help manage complex, high-stakes HR matters, including workforce planning, organizational design, and elevated employee relations issues.
• Establish the vision, operating model, governance, and service standards for the CORE Team, ensuring consistent, high quality strategic support across City agencies.
• Develop enterprise criteria, engagement protocols, and service delivery standards that clearly distinguish the CORE Team's strategic advisory role from agency HR operations and DHR's transactional HR Service Delivery functions.
• Serve as the senior advisor to agency executives on workforce strategy, organizational design, workforce planning, executive coaching, change management, and complex employee relations matters.

Executive Leadership

• Provide leadership, guidance and support to the DHR Employee Relations, CORE and Workforce Engagement and Culture teams.

Direct and implement operational and work-process improvements to ensure efficiency, accountability, and timely completion of departmental priorities.

• Advise the City’s Director/Chief Human Capital Officer on workforce risk, climate, and strategic priorities at the enterprise level.
• Represent DHR before City Council, cross-agency task forces, and executive leadership on workforce strategy.
• Support continuity of operations during emergencies and perform other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor's or Master's degree from an accredited college or university in Human Resources Management, Organizational Development, Business or a related field. At least 10 years of progressively responsible management experience, at least 5 of which are in key management role(s) in a large, complex, diverse enterprise.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

The role requires a significant body of knowledge in:

• Creating and managing a multi-million-dollar budget
• Effectively problem solving, gathering and analyzing data
• Aligning programs with organizational goals
• Leading program and project management initiatives
• Seamlessly managing multiple competing and shifting priorities
• Coaching, training and influencing a diverse groups of professionals
• Creating and maintaining robust relationships with other City agencies
• Demonstrating thought leadership, conflict management and critical thinking skills

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Background Check

Eligible candidates under final consideration for appointment to positions identified as positions of trust will be required to complete authorization for a Criminal Background Check and/or Fingerprint must be successfully completed.

Probation

All persons, including current City employees, selected for this position must complete a 6-MONTH mandatory probation.

Residency and Financial Disclosure

This position is required to complete an Affidavit for Political Appointees and Public Officials as part of the City’s Residency Requirement. You will also be required to complete a Financial Disclosure pursuant to Sections 7-7, 7-8, and 7-9 of the City Ethics Law.

Baltimore City Government is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The City of Baltimore prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Department of Human Resources directly. Do not attach your request for accommodation to the application.

BALTIMORE CITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER