Position Information

NY HELPNo

AgencyPeople With Developmental Disabilities, Office for

TitleHuman Resources Specialist 3 Labor Relations

Occupational CategoryAdministrative or General Management

Salary Grade661

Bargaining UnitM/C - Managerial/Confidential (Unrepresented)

Salary RangeFrom $97874 to $123715 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Competitive Class

Travel Percentage 20%

Schedule

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 40

Workday

From 8 AM

To 4:30 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? No

Location

County Erie

Street Address 1200 East and West Road

City West Seneca

StateNY

Zip Code14224

Job Specifics

Duties Description Plans, develops, and directs the labor relations program or a portion of it for an agency or a group of facilities; directs the implementation of collective bargaining agreements; represents the agency in both statewide and agency level negotiations; and directs or participates in labor management committees; provides expert advice and assistance to program managers and supervisors in disciplinary matters; reviews and evaluates policies and procedures; and recommends and implements new and revised ones; reviews and evaluates changes in negotiated agreements; and advises management of their impact on the labor relations program; conducts the most difficult and sensitive hearings and investigations; assesses labor relations training needs; and develops training materials and curricula regarding employee relations, collective bargaining, contract administration, and employee discipline; assists the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations staff in presenting the State’s case at improper practice hearings before the Public Employment Relations Board; develops proposals for funding labor management projects from the various quality of work life committees and assists in their implementation.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Bureau of Employee and Labor Relations represents the Agency in the administration of collective bargaining agreements with more than 20,000 state employees. The Labor Relations (LR) representatives administer the statewide Labor Relations processes for OPWDD employees, including acting as the point person for local labor management activities in one or more OPWDD Districts, evaluating evidence and writing Notices of Discipline, and representing OPWDD at hearings before arbitrators, PERB, and others. The LR representative answers and resolves grievances, provides support to human resources professionals and other managers, and may provide relevant training on topics such as performance evaluation, administering grievances, counseling and discipline. The bureau is responsible for the administration of bargaining unit contract agreements with multiple public employee unions representing the Agency's employees.

Under the supervision of the Regional Director of Human Resources, the Human Resources Specialist 3, Labor Relations may be responsible for:

• Managing the Labor Relations operations for Finger Lakes and Western NY.
• Working with union representatives to resolve workplace issues, including policy and contract interpretation.
• Conducting investigations into employee misconduct.
• Reviewing and analyzing investigative reports and resolving disciplinary cases through settlement or binding arbitration.
• Providing support and advice to supervisors and Human Resources professionals.
• Acting as liaison with the Office of Employee Relations on Grievance Arbitrations and PERB-related matters.
• Participating in District-level and labor management meetings and subcommittees.
• Other duties as assigned.


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Minimum Qualifications Promotion:
One year of service as a Human Resources Specialist 2 Labor Relations and reachable on the current Civil Service list for Human Resources Specialist 3 Labor Relations.

Transfer:
Candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or 55-b/c status in the posted title and be eligible for lateral transfer; OR be eligible to transfer via Section 70.1, 70.4, or 52.6 of Civil Service Law. The transfer cannot be a second consecutive transfer resulting in an advancement of more than two salary grades.

To determine if your current Civil Service title is eligible for transfer to this title, visit the Career Mobility GOT-IT website: https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/index.cfm.

In the event there is not a viable eligible list, candidates that meet the following qualifications may be qualified for Provisional Appointment pending exam. To be appointed on provisional status, you must be eligible to and participate in the next Civil Service examination(s) being given for this title. You must be qualified for appointment from the eligible list. You must be a reachable candidate, when the exam list is produced by civil service, to obtain permanent status and maintain your position.

Provisional Qualifications:
If there is not a valid eligible list, candidates who meet the following promotion qualifications may be qualified for a provisional appointment, candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or 55-b/55-c service as either:

A. Human Resources Specialist 2

OR

B. Human Resources Specialist 2 (Labor Relations)

If you are appointed provisionally, you must take the next scheduled Civil Service examination for this title, and your score must be reachable on the resulting eligible list before you can be permanently appointed. If you do not pass the examination or achieve a reachable score, you may not be retained.

Non-Competitive Promotion: If three or fewer interested promotional candidates respond to this notice, the agency may, at its discretion, nominate a qualified employee for non-competitive promotion under the provisions of Section 52.7 of the Civil Service Law. If certified by Civil Service, mandatory reemployment list candidates must be considered first for appointment to this title

Additional Comments • If you are currently a New York State employee serving in a permanent competitive qualifying title and eligible for a transfer via Section 70.1 or 52.6 of the Civil Service Law, you may be appointed to this title as a permanent competitive employee.

• Preference will be given to OPWDD employees impacted by closures. If you are being impacted by closure, please indicate this on your resume.

• All OPWDD employees must be eligible and maintain eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continued employment will depend on maintaining eligibility.

• If you are employed by state government you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments have been made under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. For more information on PSLF, please visit www.studentAid.gov/publicservice.

• Employees on long term leave can bid on positions but must be able to report to work within fourteen (14) days and be able to perform the essential functions of their positions with or without reasonable accommodation (RA).

• If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Reasonable Accommodation Unit at (518) 486-7222 or email accommodationrequests@opwdd.ny.gov to obtain information and RA forms.

• Savings programs such as the U.S. Savings Bond and the College Savings Plan.

• Voluntary pre-tax savings programs such as Health Care Spending Account and the Dependent Care Advantage Account offer employees options to pay for uncovered health care expenses or dependent care expenses.

• Access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) an assessment and referral service that connects employees with local service providers and support services to address their personal needs.

• Life insurance and Disability insurance.

• The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan is a voluntary retirement plan that offers employees the option to invest a part of their salaries for retirement on a tax-deferred basis.

• Paid Holidays and Leave:
° Thirteen (13) paid holidays each year.
° Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave initially.
° Five (5) days paid personal leave each year.
° Thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave each year (PEF/CSEA), which may carry over from year to year.
° Up to three (3) days professional leave each year to participate in professional development events.

• Health Care Coverage:
Employees and their eligible dependents can choose from a variety of affordable health insurance programs. Employees are provided family dental and vision plans at no extra cost.

• Paid Parental Leave:
Paid Parental Leave allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave at full pay for each qualifying event. A qualifying event is defined as the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.

• Retirement Program:
Participate in The NYS Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), which is recognized as one of the best-managed and best-funded public retirement systems in the nation.

• Professional Development and Education and Training:
NYS offers training programs and tuition assistance to eligible employees to maintain and increase their professional skills and prepare them for promotional opportunities. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/training-and-professional-development.

• Additionally, the Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) offers certain professional training opportunities for PEF represented and M/C designated employees that may grant continuing education credits towards maintaining professional licensure. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/public-service-workshops-program-pswp.

• OPWDD is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer dedicated to creating and sustaining a culture of inclusion. We believe that we are most effective in managing and improving our service system with a diverse team of employees. With such a large workforce, we rely on the collective individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, ideas and talent that our employees bring to their work. This speaks to our culture and is a key part of our successes. As we continuously recruit people for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that applicants bring in terms of their education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

***All people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.***

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

How to Apply

Name OPWDD Region 1 Western Office Human Resources

Telephone 716-517-2057

Fax 716-517-3715

Email Address opwdd.sm.wny.bids@opwdd.ny.gov

Address

Street 1200 East and West Road

Building 1, West Seneca Campus

City West Seneca

State NY

Zip Code 14224

 

Notes on ApplyingAPPLICATION PROCEDURE: Submit cover letter and résumé by 09/16/2026, to:

Human Resources Management Office
1200 East and West Road
Building 1, West Seneca Campus
West Seneca, NY 14224
E-Mail: opwdd.sm.wny.bids@opwdd.ny.gov
Fax: (716) 517-3715

Please reference EOA #26-519pk in all correspondence.