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Assistant Director

New York State Civil Service

Albany, NY · HybridFull-time$120–152K/yrSeen 1 day agoSeen in employer's feed 1 day ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$120–152K/yr
Location
Albany, NYHybrid
Schedule
Full-time
Work Authorization
Not specified

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Job overview

The Assistant Director oversees negotiation and administration of collective bargaining agreements for UUP and GSEU, represents management on labor-management committees, and works under the general supervision of the Director of the Office of Employee Relations. The role also manages program operations, budgets, staff, contract administration, grievance and arbitration work, and coordination with state agencies and unions.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Collective Bargaining Negotiations, nice to haveEmployee Relations, nice to haveWriting, requiredInterpersonal Skills, requiredPublic Speaking, requiredOrganizational Skills, requiredConflict Resolution, requiredNegotiation, requiredCollaboration, requiredTeam Building, requiredMicrosoft Office Suite, requiredCloud-Based Sharing Tools, required

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or Substitution, requiredSix Years Relevant Experience, requiredFour Years Specialized Experience or Associate's Degree Plus Two Years Specialized Experience, requiredJD or Master's Degree May Substitute for One Year Specialized Experience, requiredPhD May Substitute for Two Years Specialized Experience, requiredEmployee Relations and Collective Bargaining Experience, nice to have

Full job description

NY HELPS No

55-b/c Eligible No

Agency Employee Relations, Office of

Title Assistant Director

Occupational Category No Preference

Salary Grade NS

Bargaining Unit M/C - Managerial/Confidential (Unrepresented)

Salary Range From $120471 to $152238 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Permanent

Internship No

Jurisdictional Class Exempt Class

Travel Percentage 0%

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 9 AM

To 5 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? Yes

County Albany

Street Address Agency Building 2 - 12th Floor

Empire State Plaza

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12223

Duties Description The Assistant Director will oversee the negotiation and administration of the collective bargaining agreements represented by the United University Professions (UUP) and the Graduate Student Employees Union (GSEU). Along with serving as a management representative with the Labor-Management Committees. The Assistant Director will perform work under the general supervision of the Director of the Office of Employee Relations.Duties include but are not limited to:•Lead or participate in the negotiations of successor collective bargaining agreements for UUP/GSEU or other bargaining units as assigned by the Director.•Attend collective bargaining sessions and assist in the preparation of the formal record of negotiations.•Conduct background research in preparation for collective bargaining. Work with the Division of the Budget and the Department of Civil Service to research salary and fringe benefit data. Contact State agencies for input on operational issues.•Prepare summaries of findings for the negotiating team.•Lead or participate in the development of policies and procedures to implement the direction of UUP/GSEU programs.•Oversee administrative activities of the program including evaluating performance and maintaining optimum staffing levels to ensure effectiveness.•Propose short- and long-term budget and monitor expenditures.• Work closely with direct reports in developing and accomplishing short- and long-term goals and objectives.•Manage the workflow and day-to-day operation of UUP/GSEU programs.•Draft reports on activities related to UUP/GSEU programs.•Work across the agency to support consistent application of policy with other areas.•Work with State agencies and unions to resolve contract disputes and respond to questions related to the daily administration of the contracts. Research OER files for negotiator’s intent in the wording of contract articles. Work with the Department of Civil Service, the Division of the Budget and the State Comptroller’s Office to clarify issues governed by State laws, rules, and regulations.•Assist in the drafting of informational materials distributed to employee relations offices in State agencies. Answer questions about OER policy memos from State agencies.•Prepare grievance responses and summaries and attend and participate in arbitration hearings.•Research applicable contracts, laws, rules, regulations, and agencies’ policies and practices. •Assist OER legal staff to prepare for triage, arbitration, and improper practice hearings. Research background of cases and the records of previous settlements, investigate agencies’ claims, and collect evidence.•Prepare reports related to issues raised by labor-management committees.•Research laws, rules, regulations, and previous agreements on issues such as working conditions, safety, parking, and continuity of employment as required.•Represent OER on labor-management committees and on other committees and initiatives as assigned by the Director.•Supervise professional and administrative staff.

Minimum Qualifications •Bachelor’s degree and six years of relevant experience.*•Experience working in the field of employee relations and in negotiations of collective bargaining agreements preferred.•Excellent writing, interpersonal, public speaking, and organizational skills.•Aptitude for conflict resolution, negotiation, collaboration, and team building.•Proficient skills in various business collaboration applications and software tools, i.e., Microsoft Office Suite and cloud-based sharing tools.*Substitutions: four years of specialized experience or associate’s degree and two years of specialized experience may substitute for bachelor’s degree; J.D. or master’s degree may substitute for one year of specialized experience; Ph.D. may substitute for two years of specialized experience.

Additional Comments Office of Employee Relations does not discriminate onthebasis of race, color, national origin, age, sexualorientation,religion, disability, or other protected class status intheadmission to, access to, or employment in their programs oractivities.Reasonable accommodation will be provided upon request.NOTE ON TELECOMMUTING: The Office of EmployeeRelations/Labor Management Committees employees may beapproved for a maximum of 50% telecommuting, however, theyare required to apply and obtain approval through managementin accordance with The Office of Employee Relations/LaborManagement Committees Telecommuting Program Guidelines.

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Name Human Resources

Telephone

Fax

Email Address [email protected]

Address

Street 2 Empire State Plaza

8th Floor

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12223

Notes on Applying Please reference Vacancy No. 228544 when applying.To apply, please send cover letter and [email protected] (M.S. Word or PDF is the preferred format).Hard copy via US Mail is also accepted.

How this job compares

Set against the 790 open Employee Relations jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 11, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$120–152K/yr
  • New York median$88–118K/yr58 salary ranges
  • US median$84–118K/yr433 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $136K, is 34% above the New York median midpoint ($101K) — in the middle half of Employee Relations salary ranges in New York.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 71 open Employee Relations jobs in New York and 790 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in New York
Experience
This posting asks for at least 6 years of experience — more than three in four Employee Relations postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 670 postings).
Education
219 of the 790 open Employee Relations jobs (28%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 11, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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