What are the responsibilities and job description for the PEOPLE AND CULTURE OFFICER position at City of Long Beach?
The City of Long Beach is seeking an experienced, creative, innovative and collaborative individual who is committed to develop and lead the Department of Public Works, People and Culture Projects Division.
THE COMMUNITY
Ideally located on the Pacific Ocean south of Los Angeles, adjacent to Orange County, the City of Long Beach, California (population 470,000) is frequently described as a series of strong, diverse interwoven smaller communities within a large city. Enjoying an ideal Southern California climate, Long Beach is home to an abundance of cultural and recreational options. The Long Beach Convention Center, Aquarium of the Pacific, Queen Mary, and the annual Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, plus a wide variety of other attractions (two historic ranchos, three marinas, and five golf courses), serve to draw 6.5 million visitors a year. The City is also home to California State University, Long Beach and Long Beach City College. Cal State Long Beach is the second largest university in the state and was recently ranked the No. 3 best–value public college in the nation. Covering approximately 50 square miles, Long Beach is supported by a wide mix of industries with education, health and social services, manufacturing, retail trade, and professional services comprising the highest representation. Known for its livable and desirable neighborhoods, Long Beach was named by America’s Promise Alliance as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People two years in a row. While it offers all the amenities of a large metropolis, many say Long Beach offers the added benefit of having maintained a strong sense of community and cohesiveness despite its growth. A superb climate, quality schools, a vibrant downtown, and a wide variety of neighborhoods help make Long Beach one of the most livable communities in the country.
CITY GOVERNMENT
Long Beach, a charter city formed in 1897, is governed by nine City Council Members elected by district and a city-wide elected Mayor. Other elected officials include the City Attorney, City Auditor, and City Prosecutor. The elected officials are elected to staggered four-year terms. The City Council appoints the City Manager and City Clerk. The City Manager is responsible for the efficient administration of all City departments, excluding those under the direction of a separately elected official, Board or Commission. Long Beach is one of only three cities in California with its own Health Department and one of the very few municipalities with its own Water and Energy Resources Departments. In 2019, the City of Long Beach and Plenary Properties Long Beach unveiled the completion of the new four-building Long Beach Civic Center, which includes a new City Hall and Port Administration Building. The tree-lined pedestrian plaza is reflective of an innovative public-private partnership and the Civic Center is designed to revitalize the civic core of downtown to serve residents, attract visitors, and provide safe and efficient city operations. The City is supported by a FY2023 total budget of $3.2 billion with a General Fund budget of $669 million. It has a FY 2023 Capital Improvement Budget of $500 million. Long Beach employs approximately 6,048 full-time equivalent staff.
THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
The mission of Public Works is to provide outstanding City-wide services improving the quality of life for the community while being responsible stewards of the city’s physical assets. Public Works does this through a customer service lens with specialized skills, innovation, and responsiveness. Core services include, preserving and enhancing the city’s infrastructure, transportation systems, streets, sidewalks, and urban forest. The Department has six bureaus: Business Operations, Traffic and Mobility, Engineering, Environmental Services, Public Services and Project Management. The bureaus jointly manage the collection of refuse and recycling, manage capital projects, manage the City’s stormwater systems, review and issue permits, provide emergency response, and safely and efficiently manage and maintain the city’s public right of way and public facilities. The Department has over 580 budgeted positions with an annual operating budget of $250 million and an annual capital improvement program budget of $150 million. Additional information on the Department can be found at www.longbeach.gov/pw.
THE POSITION
The People and Culture Officer is an at-will management position, reporting to the General Superintendent of Administration within the Business Operations Bureau. This position oversees wellness, employee engagement , and training initiatives within the Public Works department. Additionally, they will access the effectiveness of current service delivery methods by reviewing the existing policies and procedures that impact these services.
Roles and responsibilities of the People and Culture Officer:
- Develop and implement a wide range of special projects, programs, and initiatives, and will work closely with the Department’s management team to increase staff satisfaction, engagement, and retention;
- Oversee a review of all 234 actively utilized classification specifications to ensure that accurate job duties, qualifications and skills are being recruited;
- Provide essential oversight of a department supervisory skills and core competencies analysis to close gaps in performance and reset leadership expectations while using that data to develop a new supervisory training plan;
- Lead implementation of a department level New Employee Orientation and well as develop an onboarding training tools kit and guidelines for supervisors;
- Act as liaison with the Department of Human Resources in coordination of a complete revision of all department policies and procedures;
- Participate as a member of the Leadership team to provide a united, visible, and strong leadership presence across the organization;
- Collaborate on strategic staffing plans, compensation, benefits, training and development, budget, and employee relations;
- Foster a positive and engaging work environment, promoting a culture of teamwork that supports the well-being, professional growth and job satisfaction of all employees;
- Identify opportunities to cultivate leadership among staff, including developing and enhancing mentoring and communications systems, and serving as an internal consultant to managers in various employee situations;
- Lead organizational change management and communications, including approaches, policies and procedures to improve overall efficiency across agency.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate will embody the attributes of principled leadership: trusteeship, values, ethics, commitment, honesty, involvement, and vision. The People and Culture Officer will possess a demonstrated ability to provide committed leadership in a changing government environment. The ideal candidate will demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
- Knowledge of Human Resources best management practices;
- Knowledge of public sector employment including labor relations and merit based employment systems;
- Knowledge of employee training and development practices;
- Ability to handle confidential department and employee information with complete discretion;
- Ability to use a high level of tact, diplomacy, and discretion in dealing with sensitive confidential situations;
- Ability to provide advice and guidance to department managers, supervisors, and staff;
- Ability to assess and organize work and set priorities;
- Ability to communicate expectations and hold staff accountable;
- Ability to take initiative and exercise sound independent judgement;
- Ability to handle frequent interruptions while completing multiple assignments with competing deadlines;
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders at all levels including City and department management, public officials, employees, labor associations, and the public;
- Creative problem-solving skills;
- Exceptional customer service skills and dedication to continuous improvement;
- Excellent oral and written communications skills including the ability to serve as a department spokesperson in small or large group settings;
- Experience in organizations of similar size and complexity is desirable.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
The Department of Public Works invites candidates who meet the following minimum requirements to apply:
EDUCATION:
A Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Psychology, Organizational Development, Communications, Human Resources, or closely related field from an accredited college or university is required; however, candidates may substitute experience offering specific and substantial preparation for the duties of the position for the required education on a year-for-year basis.
EXPERIENCE:
Three years of progressively responsible experience, involving tasks in the management of human resource programs related to employee wellness, engagement, training, retention, or similar HR responsibilities, providing suitable readiness for the role; two years of the required experience must have been at a lead or supervisory level.
Additionally, the candidate should have:
- Successful track record of progressive responsibility in human resources/talent management;
- Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate and address HR-related challenges;
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal;
- Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively at all levels of the organization.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Possession of a valid Class C Driver License.
This recruitment will close at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on September 19, 2023. To be considered, please submit an online application, including a cover letter, resume, and proof of education (if applicable) in PDF format. Applications that fail to include all necessary documents will be considered incomplete and will not be taken into consideration.
Applications will be reviewed for depth and breadth of experience, and for level and relatedness of education. The most qualified candidates will be invited to participate in further selection procedures. The selected candidate may be required to go through a background check and a physical examination prior to appointment. Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements, including submission of all required attachments, will not be considered. For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact 562-570-4686.
The City of Long Beach is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value and encourage diversity in our workforce. The City of Long Beach is committed to creating a workplace where every employee is valued for who they are. Having our workforce reflect the diversity of our community at various levels of the organization is a continuous goal embraced by our departments, management staff, and policymakers. To support efforts of fairness and diversity, City Leadership is committed to incorporating equity and inclusion into our work by supporting staff and community partners. We are committed to promoting transparency by publishing updated demographic information for employees, including workforce diversity data and pay by race and gender.
The City of Long Beach will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You are not required to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until you receive a conditional job offer. If the City of Long Beach has concerns about a conviction that is directly related to the job after making a conditional job offer and conducting a background check, you will have the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide evidence to mitigate concerns, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act
The City of Long Beach intends to provide reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If a special accommodation is desired, or if you would like to request this information in an alternative format, please call 562-570-4686.
For technical support with your governmentjobs.com application, please contact (855) 524-5627.
Salary : $105,000 - $125,000
People & Culture Director
SCAN and its subsidiaries -
Long Beach, CA
People & Culture Director
SCAN -
Long Beach, CA
