HR Specialist or HR Analyst - Employee Engagement and Development

This is a professional position responsible for work in the office of Employee Engagement and Development.  Work activities involve the designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating professional and leadership development programs, organizational development, talent management workshops, employee engagement events, rewards and recognition initiatives, team building, and organizational culture. Work will involve participating in and developing programs related to new hire employee onboarding, role assimilation and engagement, recognition, and development.  This employee is expected to function with a high degree of independence.   Work is conducted under the general guidance and supervision of the Employee Engagement and Development Manager. Work is reviewed by the manager through periodic conferences, observations, reports, and feedback.

• Consults with City leadership on talent management strategies and needs.
• Customizes and facilitates workshops, programs, and interventions to address organizational/departmental needs.
• Coaches individual managers/employees for professional growth and leadership development.
• Designs processes and programs to improve organizational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Consults with managers to vet participants for leadership programs.
• Follows up with participants after leadership workshops to build a continuous partnership and offer coaching and resources as needed.
• Conducts design and development work in programs such as the Employee Rewards and Recognition programs and leadership development series.  
• Evaluates the effectiveness of various programs (e.g., Rewards and Recognition, talent management programs, learning platforms, and post-training retention via boosters program).
• Designs and implements need analysis planning efforts; interprets data from needs analysis in order to make recommendations for changes in processes and offerings.
• Designs, plans, coordinates, and participates in the development and delivery of mandatory and professional training course offerings and modifies existing offerings to improve alignment with organizational and talent needs.
• Continually reviews and updates course offerings to ensure current relevancy and quality.
• Creates instructional materials for the use of facilitators’ training classes.
• Designs, updates, and conducts onboarding processes for newly hired employees.
• Completes monthly rotating lead duties for new hire onboarding events, which include contacting the CMO office, speakers, and managers of participants, creating the agenda and seating charts, and ensuring that all materials and media are up to date.
• Works with managers and other City employees to design, plan, coordinate, and implement employee and team effectiveness strategies.
• Distributes information on a City-wide level regarding recognition, awards, developmental opportunities, and other special programs.
• Creates content for and updates the Microsoft Teams Portal for advanced leadership programs within the City.
• Consults with departments to develop programs and provide information designed to enhance employee engagement, team building foundations, and cultural change initiatives.
• Participates in conferences and certification programs to provide continuous improvement of organizational offerings and to network with fellow professionals in other organizations.
• Researches and prepares the monthly/quarterly EE&D Performance Measures.
• Prepares special reports from source materials in files, including confidential material.
• Utilizes Microsoft Office to develop, format, prepare, and update media, including PowerPoints, agendas, evaluations, and handouts for workshops and training.
• May be required to work alternate hours, as necessary for the efficient operation of the department.  

ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS:

• Researches, selects, and initiates surveys to gather data regarding organizational needs prior to, during, and/or after an organizational initiative.
• May develop and conduct related programs to build and maintain a culture of continuous process improvement.
• May use INSITE and other forms to communicate information about professional and “in-place” developmental opportunities to City employees.
• Assists in workforce development initiatives (e.g., succession management programs).
• Participates in the development of webinars and online meetings.
• Coordinates and schedules makeup classes and one-on-ones as needed.
• Sets up and tears down events requiring the ability to follow predesignated plans/seating layouts
• Runs training reports in Peoplesoft.
• Performs related work as required.
• Position may be designated as Mission Critical by Department Director.

• Graduation from a four (4) year college or university with major course work in Human Resources, Business Administration, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Leadership Development, Organizational Development, or a closely related field.
• Two (2) years of progressively responsible experience developing, presenting and facilitating talent management and leadership development programs.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must possess a valid driver’s license.
• Must maintain a valid contact telephone number.

• Knowledge of the organizational structure of a medium to large municipality or equivalent employer.
• Knowledge of the City of Lakeland’s vision, mission, values, and strategic goals.
• Knowledge of current professional learning and development approaches and resources.
• Knowledge and understanding of Organizational Development, including best practices in employment engagement.
• Knowledge of leadership and best practices and employee development processes.
• Knowledge of training needs analysis.
• Knowledge of conducting surveys and interpreting survey data.
• Knowledge of basic statistical methodology.
• Knowledge of methods and tools for creating effective presentations to a targeted audience.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply various computer software programs to include MS Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook).
• Knowledge of methods and practices of data analysis and program design.
• Skill in facilitating large and small group meetings/workshops/classes.
• Skill in public speaking.
• Skill in instructional design.
• Skill in feedback, questioning, and organizational processes.
• Skill in tracking data over time and interpreting output (e.g., from needs analysis and surveys) and making recommendations for changes in processes.
• Skill in researching, collecting, and interpreting data.
• Ability to develop and customize organizational development interventions.
• Ability to develop effective partnerships with leaders.
• Ability to lead projects and solicit buy-in from end users.
• Ability to listen effectively to others and probe with follow-ups tactfully.
• Ability to plan, coordinate, and direct activities among groups and manage resources for the completion of group tasks.
• Ability to identify problems and creatively research and develop solutions to organizational issues.
• Ability to address and balance the concerns of different constituencies.
• Willingness to maintain confidentiality of departmental records and sensitive situations.
• Willingness to establish and maintain effective working relationships with supervisors, co-workers, other City employees, and the general public.
• Ability to perform the physical tasks involved with organizing, setting up, and presenting information at assigned department programs and functions.
• Ability to deliver professional products and documents, including accuracy and proofing.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Requires sedentary work that involves walking or standing some of the time, exerting up to ten (10) pounds of force on a recurring basis, and routine keyboard operations.
• The job risks exposure to no significant environmental hazards.
• The job requires normal visual acuity, field of vision, hearing, speaking, fine motor skills, and color perception.