City of San Marcos, TX – Director of Human Resources

Please follow this link to view the full brochure: https://www.affionpublic.com/position/director-of-human-resources-city-…

The Community

Conveniently located in Central Texas between Austin and San Antonio, San Marcos truly is the center of everything. Founded in 1851 along the spring-fed San Marcos River, the city has a rich history dating back more than 12,000 years, with artifacts from ancient Native Americans discovered along its banks. Today, San Marcos offers a blend of natural beauty and modern convenience, with rolling hills, crystal-clear rivers, and outdoor activities like swimming, kayaking, and hiking at Purgatory Creek and Spring Lake.

San Marcos is home to Texas State University, bringing energy and educational opportunities to the community. The city also boasts the San Marcos Premium Outlets and Tanger Outlets — the largest outlet shopping destination in the Southwest. Its historic downtown features a thriving arts and music scene, with iconic venues like Cheatham Street Warehouse and the Texas Music Theater. Events like the Mermaid Festival and the Hill Country Jazz Festival add to the city’s vibrant cultural life.

With a lower cost of living than the national average, San Marcos offers affordable housing and a family-friendly atmosphere. Its central location provides easy access to major cities while maintaining a laid-back, community-focused feel. Residents come from diverse backgrounds and are dedicated to a wide range of civic, cultural, and outdoor activities, making San Marcos not just a place to live, but a place to belong.

Government

San Marcos operates under a council-manager form of government. The City Council holds the authority to enact local legislation, adopt budgets, and establish city policies. San Marcos is a home-rule city, giving it full power of local self-government, including the ability to amend its charter under Texas law.

The City Council consists of a Mayor and six Council Members elected at-large for staggered three-year terms, ensuring continuity in leadership. The Mayor serves a two-year term and represents the city at official functions while working with the Council to set strategic direction. The City Manager is responsible for administering city government, ensuring efficient operations, and executing the Council’s policies.

The Position

The Director of Human Resources provides strategic leadership and oversight of the City’s human resources programs, working collaboratively with city leadership to develop and implement best workplace practices while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. This position also serves as the Civil Service Director, leading the meet and confer process for police and fire negotiations, and providing guidance for risk management and the citywide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) program. The Director of Human Resources is a key advisor to senior leadership on human resources strategy, talent management, and employee engagement, ensuring alignment with the City's goals and fostering a positive and productive work environment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders. Collaborates with leaders across the organization to understand business needs and align HR programs and services. Develops and maintains strong relationships with peer municipal colleagues and attends conferences and programs to stay relevant and have peer resources.
• Serves as a trusted advisor and partner. Provides human resources advice and recommendations to departments. Collaborate with senior leadership to develop and support human resources philosophy and strategic plan and total rewards program.
• Foster HR team collaboration, development, implementation and monitoring of programs to meet organizational needs. Lead and mentor HR team to ensure professional delivery of high-quality services and programs.
• Provide guidance and support to the HR team, foster a positive work culture within HR. Delegate responsibilities among the team fairly and support the HR team to make decisions within their purview.
• Collaborates with departments regarding staffing needs including hiring, retention, and employee development.
• Directs the management and administration of department programs including, but not limited to, compensation, benefits and leave; disciplinary matters; disputes and investigations; performance and talent management; productivity, recognition, and morale; occupational health and safety; drug and alcohol policy and training and development.
• Oversight of department budget and expenditures.
• Works closely with the City Attorney to resolve complex and/or sensitive issues. Lead high level and/or sensitive investigations.
• Serves as Civil Service Director including supporting the Civil Service Commission as provided in the Texas Local Government Code Chapter 143 and assures compliance regarding appointments, compensation, disciplinary actions, leaves, entry and promotional examination processes and other statutory provisions.
• Serves as a member of Meet and Confer negotiating teams; provides leadership and support to the teams; serves as a subject matter expert, develops information and manages the negotiation process; administers agreements.
• Provides direction for the Risk Management Program including mitigating loss and managing claims against the city for workers compensation, all lines of liability, property, crime and cyber coverage and contractual risk transfer. Oversight of citywide ADA compliance and programming.
• Implements the Employee’s Compensation Philosophy and provides oversight of employee benefits, compensation and total rewards
• Stay abreast of developments within public administration and human resources.
• Monitors and ensures the organization’s compliance with federal, state and local employment laws and regulations.
• Facilitates citywide learning and development program. Professionals l development, training, and certification activities for HR staff.
• Monitors and ensures the City's compliance with all State and Federal employment laws.
• Knowledge of laws and regulations pertaining to benefit administration to include self-insurance, GASB, FMLA, HIPAA, ACA.
• Leads the Benefits Advisory Team which is comprised of City staff and provides input regarding the benefit offerings and status of the medical and dental funds, working closely with our benefits consultant.
• Understands the Request for Proposal process.

Education and Experience

Qualified applicants will have a Bachelor’s degree in human resources management or a similar degree from an accredited college or university, and a minimum of ten (10) years of increasingly responsible experience; a SHRM-CP, SHRM-CP, and/or a Master’s degree are highly preferred. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will be a strategic, innovative, creative, and collaborative leader with experience managing compensation, benefits, talent management, and employee development. This individual should have extensive experience developing and implementing HR programs that align with organizational goals while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. A strong background in civil service, labor negotiations, and employee relations is essential, as the Director will oversee the meet and confer process for police and fire departments and serve as a trusted advisor on complex employment matters. The ideal candidate should have the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with city leadership, employees, and stakeholders, fostering a positive, inclusive, and transparent workplace culture.

The Director should have a proactive approach to managing risk, including oversight of the City’s workers’ compensation, liability, and safety programs. Strong communication and problem-solving skills are essential. The Director will work closely with the City Attorney to resolve sensitive issues and lead high-level investigations. Experience in developing and managing budgets, monitoring compliance with employment laws, and implementing employee engagement and recognition programs is also key to success in this role. Experience in embracing technology to create process efficiencies and to eliminate manual processes.

The ideal candidate will be a forward-thinking leader who stays current with trends in human resources and public administration. This person should have the ability to lead and mentor a high-performing team, influencing organizational change and enhancing employee morale through thoughtful leadership and strategic planning. A commitment to fostering a positive work environment and supporting the professional growth of staff will be essential in driving the City’s human resources strategy. The ideal candidate will have strong process improvement skills and organizational leadership capabilities.

Salary

The City of San Marcos is offering a salary range between $153,000 - $191,000, commensurate with experience, and a comprehensive benefits package. Relocation assistance will be available for the successful out of area candidate.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should forward a cover letter and resume to:

resumes@affionpublic.com
Reference: SMTXDHR

Affion Public
PO Box 794
Hershey, PA 17033
717-214-4922
www.affionpublic.com
*The deadline to receive resumes is May 05, 2025*
The City of San Marcos is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.