Penn State Job Catalog

Additional levels that exist for this job profile can be seen below.

The defined natural career progression within or between job profiles.

Labor and Employee Relations 

Labor and Employee Specialists develop, interpret, apply, and enforce employment policies, procedures, practices, guidelines, collective bargaining agreements, and labor law legislation/regulations; advise unit management, employees, and Human Resources partners; conduct investigations; facilitate conflict mediation and negotiations; conduct grievance hearings in accordance with various collective bargaining agreements; participate in grievance, arbitration, and other labor proceedings; participate with bargaining unit contract negotiation.

• Serve as a primary point of contact for workplace issues, policies, and conflict resolution; address and resolve workplace concerns promptly, ensuring fair and consistent solutions
• Advise leadership, managers, and HR partners on policy and contract application for disputes involving pay discrepancies, safety matters, harassment allegations, disciplinary actions, performance issues, layoffs, terminations, workplace conflicts, and other management/employee/labor union concerns
• Ensure the university’s policies and procedures are up-to-date and comply with all federal, state, and local labor laws; advise both management and HR partners on policy interpretation and implementation
• Lead investigations into employee grievances, complaints, and workplace conflicts; maintain documentation of findings and outcomes; recommend resolutions in alignment with university policies
• Provide guidance to managers on handling sensitive employee situations
• Develop and deliver training programs related to employee relations best practices, conflict resolution, and effective communication
• Assist with performance management processes, providing guidance on addressing performance issues and developing improvement plans
• Collaborate and consult with university partners, including Ethics and Compliance, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access, General Counsel, and University Police
• Serve as grievance hearing officer in accordance with various collective bargaining agreements; conduct hearing and provide written decision
• Participate in grievance, arbitration, and labor/legal proceedings; facilitate attorney requests for information
• Draft contract proposals or counterproposals for collective bargaining or other labor negotiations
• Maintain accurate records of employee relations cases, resolutions, and trends; provide reports to HR leadership on employee relations matters and metrics
• Stay informed of changes in labor laws and regulations, ensuring the university’s practices remain compliant and mitigate potential legal risks
• May supervise staff members, including hiring, development, and performance management

Level:

– Principal Professional

Base Description:

– Completes activities, tasks, and/or projects of a functional nature.

Level Summary:

– Displays mastery of defined skill areas/applications, principles, theories and practices. Evaluates and enhances existing practices. Recognizes emerging trends in area of expertise. Works independently on complex or strategic assignments. Directs and delegates appropriate tasks to others. Implements strategies to ensure achievement of initiatives. Prepares written and/or verbal presentations or proposals on complex issues and deliver to broad audiences. Identifies and implements innovative solutions to important, highly complex strategic and/or operational issues.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Indirect supervisor for other full–time employees
– May serve as direct supervisor for part–time, student, and/or temporary workers, volunteers, or a full–time employee

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Validates and pays invoices
– Monitors and tracks budgets and funding
– May plan and forecast budgets

Problem Solving:

– Encounters complex and novel problems
– Applies policies, practices, specialized knowledge, and skills to resolve problems
– Understands benefits, limitations, and impact of potential solutions
– Anticipates potential problems and recommends possible solutions within general guidelines

Independence of Action:

– Works independently on complex or strategic assignments
– Uses existing practices as guidelines as well as working knowledge to determine specific work methods
– Carries out work activities independently, with supervisor available to resolve problems
– Reviews work of others to verify technical soundness

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates with both internal and external audiences
– Collaborates closely with team members and area leads across the University
– Prepares written and/or verbal presentations or proposals on complex issues and delivers to a broad variety of audiences
– Establishes and maintains networks to facilitate successful communication among units

• Comp Grade – 13
• Minimum – $86,300.00
• MidPoint – $107,900.00
• Maximum – $129,500.00