Senior Human Resources Consultant

Department: Human Resources / Administrative Services
Location: Gunnison, Colorado
Work Arrangement: Primarily On-Site
Employment Type: Consulting / Part-Time

About the Role

The City is seeking an experienced Senior Human Resources Consultant to provide strategic and operational HR leadership and advisory support to executive leadership, department directors, supervisors, and employees. The consultant will serve as a trusted HR advisor and provide professional guidance on employee relations, performance management, employment compliance, workplace investigations, HR policies, organizational development, workforce planning, classification and compensation, and leadership development. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong knowledge of human resources practices, excellent judgment, discretion, communication skills, and the ability to independently manage sensitive and complex personnel matters.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior HR advisor to the City Manager, executive leadership, department directors, and supervisors.
• Provide guidance on employee relations, performance management, disciplinary actions, grievances, workplace conflicts, and employee complaints.
• Conduct and support confidential workplace investigations involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, misconduct, and policy violations.
• Review and recommend improvements to HR policies, procedures, employee handbook provisions, and personnel practices.
• Advise management regarding applicable federal, state, and local employment requirements.
• Support job classification, compensation, workforce planning, recruitment, selection, and organizational structure initiatives.
• Coach managers and supervisors on performance management, documentation, employee relations, and effective leadership practices.
• Develop and deliver HR training for managers, supervisors, and employees.
• Provide guidance concerning workplace accommodations, leave, return-to-work matters, and related personnel issues.
• Identify HR compliance and organizational risks and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Support employee engagement, retention, organizational development, succession planning, and workplace culture initiatives.
• Prepare HR reports, assessments, recommendations, and management documentation as required.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and professionalism when handling sensitive personnel information.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred.
• Significant progressive experience in senior-level human resources management or consulting.
• Strong experience in employee relations, performance management, workplace investigations, HR compliance, policy development, and organizational development.
• Demonstrated experience advising executives, department directors, managers, and supervisors.
• Strong understanding of applicable employment laws and HR best practices.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, analytical, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive personnel matters.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with a municipality, government agency, public-sector organization, or similarly structured organization.
• SHRM-SCP, SHRM-CP, SPHR, PHR, or comparable professional certification.
• Experience with classification and compensation, workforce planning, organizational assessments, and leadership development.

Schedule

This is a part-time consulting engagement of approximately 20 hours per week, primarily performed on-site in Gunnison, Colorado. The consultant should generally be available during regular business hours (Monday-Friday) and maintain sufficient flexibility to respond to urgent employee relations matters, investigations, leadership consultations, and other time-sensitive HR requirements.