Job Description
The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) Human Resources (HR) Program Specialist (Human Resources Specialist VI) reports to the DFPS Director of HR Programs and performs highly advanced and/or supervisory (senior-level) human resources management work. Works under minimal supervision, with extensive latitude in the use of initiative and independent judgment. Work involves administering or assisting in the administration of a human resources management program.
***This position will focus on the HR Program of Classifications and Compensation in overseeing the administration and coordination of classification program issues and responsibilities in the delivery of classification and salary administration policies, programs, and services for the agency. The position serves as the subject matter expert regarding state classification and compensation statutes, policies, procedures, and regulations.***
Essential Job Functions
Oversee, coordinate, review, and recommend human resources personnel actions, ensuring conformity with agency, state, and federal regulations.
- Oversees the administration, coordination, development, and evaluation of the designated HR Program activities to ensure the agency’s compliance with state, and federal regulations.
- Serves as the agency subject matter expert and point of contact for the HR Program.
- Coordinates HR Program activities and operations with agency leadership, human resources, legal services, and external stakeholders, and recommends changes and initiatives that comply with state and federal regulations.
Plan, develop, coordinate, and implement initiatives and strategic projects related to human resources operations including working on and/or overseeing the most complex program assignments.
- Manages complex projects and studies related to the HR Program, obtain reports, analyzes data, and develops guidance and recommendations.
- Facilitates and implements complex HR Program initiatives and leads ad-hoc projects related to all areas of HR management including research projects, workgroups, and other strategic initiatives.
- May represent HR in external and internal workgroups and initiatives to ensure HR Program representation is considered in the projects.
- Analyze and evaluate HR Program projects and initiatives to meet agency needs.
- Conducts surveys, inspections, or reviews of the HR Program to determine compliance with laws, policies, and procedures.
- Provides special project support and consultation to agency management and staff regarding HR Program and related policies, procedures, and regulations.
- Develops and supports special projects, surveys, studies and initiatives to evaluate trends and the effectiveness of HR policies and procedures.
- Provide special project support and consultation for HR-program initiatives including training, leadership assessment, and executive initiatives.
Prepare and/or oversee others who prepare, maintain, and distribute various human resources correspondence and reports.
- Prepares, or oversees others to prepare as needed, reports, data analyses, and policy interpretations on state and federal laws, regulations, policies, and procedures related to the HR Program.
- Develops methods and procedures for gathering, compiling, and analyzing statistical data and develops reports and analyses for the HR Program.
- Provides guidance and analysis related to the HR Program in action memos and correspondence being reviewed by agency leadership for final determination.
- Drafts action memos for Commissioner approval, as needed, related to HR Program requests and recommendations.
- Writes and edits agency HR communications targeted toward all level of agency staff related to the HR Program.
Provide direction and oversight regarding workforce planning and reporting and executes workforce planning solutions.
- Provides direction and oversight regarding workforce planning and reporting related to the HR Program and executes workforce planning solutions to identify, analyze and forecast the agency’s workforce skill sets required to meet agency goals and strategic objectives.
- Prepares executive reports for agency leadership related to HR Program workforce strengths and initiatives.
Administer disciplinary action.
- Administers and oversees the disciplinary action process related to difficult or complex disciplinary issues, as needed, to represent HR employee relations.
- Assists executive management with sensitive employment actions including but not limited to written warnings and disciplinary actions such as demotion, suspension, or dismissal, as needed.
Prepare budget estimates, fiscal notes, legislative analyses, and other human resources-related assistance to legislative staff during the legislative session.
- Reviews and analyzes current and proposed legislation and assesses potential or actual agency human resources-related impact changes to human resources policies and programs.
- Develops responses related to legislative changes or inquiries for management or agency leadership.
- Assists to oversee the legislative analysis for proposed legislation impacting DFPS HR policies or workforce.
- Prepares budget estimates and fiscal notes for proposed implementation that impacts HR Programs.
Make recommendations for selection of job candidates.
- Provides direction and guidance to agency recruiting programs in recruitment and evaluation of applicants and assists within making recommendations for selection of candidates for the agency.
- Serves as a point of contact for issues and oversees employment recruitment activities.
- Conducts outreach activities and establishes recruiting requirements to promote recruitment and retention for the agency.
Develop, review, revise, and implement human resources policies and procedures.
- Serves human resources policy subject matter expert for the HR Program, and provides guidance and consultation regarding human resources policies, processes, policy development and revision to DFPS management, staff, and external agencies and entities.
- Reviews, analyzes, and recommends changes to human resources policies and procedures and monitors the effectiveness of human resources and administrative management programs to recommend solution to problems.
- Provides interpretations of human resources policies and processes, advises human resources staff and agency management and staff regarding complex policy, classification, compensation, recruitment and selection, due diligence or employee relations matters and problems, and develops solutions.
- Evaluates problems, deficiencies, and inadequacies in classification programs and policies, and develops proposals and recommendations to address identified issues.
- Serves as an advisor to ensure HR policies and procedures follow federal and state employment statutes, regulations and rules, and functions as a liaison for internal and external auditors to provide human resources policy and process interpretation and information.
- Coordinates the development of new human resources related policies and procedures to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations.
- Evaluates human resources industry trends, approaches, current and proposed legislation and case law, and develops written assessments evaluations and recommendations for human resources policy and procedures.
Provide and/or oversee others who provide advice and counsel to employees and management on issues, rules, and policies related to human resources management, including handling issues and questions referred by other human resources staff.
- Evaluates the rationale and basis for requests for exceptions to agency human resources policies, conducts related research of relevant statutes, regulations, policies, rules, regulations and processes; assesses impact and outcome of exceptions to human resources policies and develops written recommendations and reports for agency leadership review.
- Researches and develops solutions to complex employment and human resources management issues.
- Evaluates problems, deficiencies, and inadequacies in classification programs and policies, and develops proposals and recommendations to address identified issues.
- Serves as an advisor to ensure HR policies and procedures are in compliance with federal and state employment statutes, regulations and rules, and functions as a liaison for internal and external auditors to provide human resources policy and process interpretation and information.
Conduct job analyses to determine proper classification and prepares new or revised job descriptions and job postings.
- Provides consultation to agency management and staff regarding the state classification plans, policies, regulations, statutes, requirements, and procedures, as directed.
- Reviews job audit determinations and develops analyses and written recommendations.
- Reviews, analyzes, and recommends changes to human resources policies and procedures on classification and compensation.
- Prepares reports, data analyses, and policy interpretations on state and federal laws, regulations, policies and procedures and classification and compensation issues, as directed.
Conduct classification compliance audits, review position questionnaires, interview employees, and prepare reports of findings, making recommendations as appropriate.
- Supports classification and compensation projects and studies and develops technical guidance and recommendations, as directed.
- Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to conduct classification compliance audits, review positions questionnaires, interview employees, and prepare report of findings to ensure compliance with the State’s Position Classification Plan, as needed.
- Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to recommend appropriate actions and guidance on addressing misclassifications identified within the agency, as directed.
Conduct objective and thorough internal investigations of grievances and complaints and assist in recommending appropriate action for resolution.
- Leads objective and thorough internal investigations of grievances and complaints that violate human resources policy and procedures.
- Recommends appropriate action by completing a final report of findings for management’s corrective action in compliance with policy and regulations.
- Assists external stakeholders, as requested, with any investigations or concerns related to the HR Program.
- Prepares executive reports for agency leadership to assist with recommendation appropriate action for resolution, as requested.
- Assists to oversee the work of Human Resources and Payroll/Personnel System (HRPS) contractor activities.
Develop solutions to highly complex human resources problems by following procedures or applying policy.
- Collaborates and develops successful solutions with agency leadership to address highly complex human resources related matters and issues related to the HR Program while ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations, policies and procedures.
Plan, design, and conduct general meetings, workshops, and human resources trainings, and delivers training to managers and staff.
- Plans, develops, and delivers in-depth human resources-related training for agency management and staff and supervisors on employment concepts and human resources and policy-related topics for the HR Program.
- Represents Human Resources by coordinating, planning and conducting meetings, conferences, workgroups, and other events as needed to discuss implementation and special projects related to the HR Program.
Provide routine support for requests made under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and other benefits programs.
- Provides support and guidance to Human Resources Employee Relations and FMLA Unit, as needed, in responding to request from agency management and staff as it relates to ADA, FMLA and other benefits programs outlined in policy and procedures.
Enters, updates, and retrieves information from various automated human resources and/or payroll systems.
- Manages, updates and, retrieves information and access from the Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System (CAPPS) system to perform activities and operations within the HR Program.
May supervise the work of others.
- Provides direction, guidance, and technical assistance to peers, as needed, for the HR Program.
- Oversees assignments and projects for the HR Program, as directed.
Performs related work as assigned.
Knowledge Skills Abilities
Knowledge of the principles and practices of human resources management.
Knowledge of human resources programs such as employment, compensation, classification, employee relations and engagement, benefits, workers’ compensation, workforce planning, or
organizational development applicable to the position.
Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing human resources activities.
Knowledge of employee relations and employee investigation procedures, strategic
planning, and budgeting.
Skill in oral and written communication.
Skill in conducting interviews.
Skill in using a computer and applicable software, including human resources-related applications; in problem solving.
Skill in prioritizing and handling multiple tasks.
Ability to explain policies and procedures to staff and the public.
Ability to maintain confidential and sensitive information; to develop and analyze human resources processes.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with applicants, employees, and
the general public.
Ability to communicate effectively.
Ability to manage.
Ability to provide leadership and resolve conflicts, grievances, or disagreements in a constructive manner to minimize negative personal impact.
Ability to identify rules, principles, or relationships that explain facts, data, or other information.
Ability to analyze information, make correct inferences, and draw accurate conclusions.
Registration Or Licensure Requirements
Certification from Society of Human Resource Management, or the Human Resources Certification Institute.
Initial Selection Criteria
- Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major course in human resources management, business or public administration, organizational development or a closely related field is required.
- Minimum of three years of full-time employment experience in human resources.
Preferred Experience
- CAPPS experience
- State Classification experience
- Legislative Analysis experience
- Research/Project analysis
- Action Memos/Policy Exceptions
- Knowledge of DFPS Programs
Additional Information
MOS Code:
42A, 42B, PS, 0111, 3F5X1
As a state agency, DFPS is required Texas Administrative Code (TAC 206 and 213) to ensure all Electronic Information Resources (EIR) follow accessibility standards. The staff must be familiar with the WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 to create accessible content including but not limited to; Microsoft Office documents, Adobe PDFs, webpages, software, training guides, video, and audio files.
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In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), HHS agencies will provide reasonable accommodation during the hiring and selection process for qualified individuals with a disability. If you need assistance completing the on-line application, contact the HHS Employee Service Center at 1-888-894-4747. If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodation to participate in the interview process, please notify the person scheduling the interview.