Labor Negotiator at State of Washington – Olympia, Washington

Note: This position will remain open until filled. It is at the hiring manager's discretion to make a hiring decision at any time and close the recruitment. Applications are reviewed as they are received. It is in your best interest to apply as soon as possible.

Hybrid: Our physical office is in Olympia, WA. This position is flexible/hybrid, with the ability to telework, and some travel to in-person activities, meetings, and events are required.

Why work for OFM
The Office of Financial Management (OFM) serves as the backbone of Washington state government. Our vision at OFM is to work together for the equitable future of all Washingtonians. Our mission is to make our state a better place by connecting people, budgets, policies, data, and systems for state agencies and the Legislature.

We’re also committed to creating an environment that fosters our core values – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, Integrity, Innovation, Collaboration and Operational Excellence. All staff are expected to embed these values in their team and work. Join us in filling a key role in enhancing how state government serves its citizens, making a meaningful difference and taking public service to another level.

The job opportunity
We are looking for a Labor Negotiator within our State Human Resources Division, Labor Relations and Compensation Policy (LR&CP) section. The LR&CP Section is responsible for statewide labor relations administration and contract negotiations of the collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) between the State of Washington and Labor Unions. The LR &CP Section is comprised of 12 labor negotiators and 6 compensation policy analysts who negotiate and help administer the State’s 34 labor agreements covering approximately 60,000 represented employees and 50,000 publicly-funded service providers.

In this role, you'll serve as the Governor’s designee in negotiating complex labor contracts, including advising on the interpretation and application of the contract. Your strong communication, analytical and problem-solving skills will be relied upon in this role as you'll serve as a lead negotiator. In addition, this position will provide support and testimony in administrative hearings involving unfair labor practices, bargaining unit clarification, union representation proceedings, grievance and interest arbitration hearings. You will advise the state enterprise on labor relations and contract administration, respond to union requests for information, public records requests and conduct legislative bill analyses for State HR and the LR&CP team. You will determine the best course of action to resolve complex labor relations situations, keeping your team leaders informed of any sensitive matters with statewide impact or high-profile risks associated with your approach to labor engagement using appropriate discretion when higher-level decision-making is required.
What you’ll work on

• Negotiate labor contracts and Memorandums of Understanding with unions that represent state employees.
• Proposal development, approval processes and accuracy for state bargaining proposals and agreements during the bargaining process.
• Formulate strategy and coordinate resources to present the employer’s interest in labor negotiations, advising agencies, and Executive leadership on contract negotiations, interpretation and application.
• Research, prepare and obtain costing for proposals and agreements as part of the bargaining process or settlement negotiations.
• Compose, train and manage a team of employer bargaining team members.
• Coordinate with agency/institution stakeholders to develop bargaining proposals and understanding and appropriately respond to stakeholder interest and priorities.
• Independently assess the need for an assistant attorney general input or seeking input from other OFM teams as appropriate for proposals and settlement agreements.
• Raise awareness and share sensitive or global impact proposals and agreements with co-workers, chain of command and other teams within SHR.
• Seek pre-approval for economic items or items with statewide impact from OFM leadership.
• Negotiate with labor unions to reach tentative agreements during successor bargaining and mid-term bargaining and clearly articulate the whole and entire agreement in proper written form.
• Execute agreements and ensure that all required documentation is filed and published timely and properly and in accordance with RCW 43.88.583.
• Review draft “roll-up” of agreements and work with Labor Relations Assistant and respective union to achieve a final print-ready version of agreements.
• Develop training for stakeholder agencies/institutions for the implementation of assigned agreements.
• Track and respond to union information requests.
• Provide statewide guidance and interpretation for Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) assignments, often requiring historical research of intent and past bargaining activities.
• Provide representation, assistance, consultation, documentation and records, and testimony with assigned assistant attorneys general in grievance or contract mediation, grievance arbitration, interest arbitration, unfair labor practice cases or other hearings.
• Conduct pre-arbitration review meetings and/or grievance meetings for assigned areas of responsibility; conduct union outreach regarding questions of contract interpretation, implementation and processing.
• Conduct legislative bill analysis.

What we need you to bring
Required Qualifications

• At least three (3) years professional labor relations experience. This should include demonstrated ability to articulate and implement labor relations principles and negotiating strategies, including the role of the union and their business interests and goals.
• Demonstrated experience with drafting labor contracts, contract administration and familiarity with negotiation, mediation and other forms of pre-litigation conflict resolution.
• Demonstrated experience effectively managing or leading teams by using influence, collaboration, developing teamwork and demonstrating effective people interaction skills (not via command & control or hierarchy).
• Demonstrated ability to build healthy working relationships with labor organizations as well as internal teams or groups.
• Demonstrated ability to research, interpret, and understand applicable laws and their implementing regulations.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the state legislative process to include bill analysis.
• Proficient in common computer applications and ability to manage collective bargaining proposal development and use of legislative track changes in MS Word.

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge of WA State Government budget and operations.
• Knowledge of WA State Government Human Resources and labor relations best practices.
• Interest Arbitration experience.
• Experience and knowledge of the Washington Management Service structure.
• Knowledge of personnel and practices of public employee labor organizations in WA state.
• Five (5) years professional labor relations experience. This should include demonstrated ability to articulate and implement labor relations principles and negotiating strategies, including the role of the union and their business interests and goals.
• Demonstrated knowledge of State Government budget related to collective bargaining implementation and statewide accounting principles related to employees (State Administrative Accounting Manual (SAAM), travel, pay checks, etc).

We are invested in acquiring the best and most innovative candidate for the job, if you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in this job posting. Don’t let doubts stop you, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may just be the needed candidate for this role.
What we offer

At OFM, we foster a culture of integrity, innovation, inclusion, and belonging. We value both learned and lived experiences, believing that diversity makes us stronger. To support your health and well-being, we offer a variety of benefit programs for our employees.

Please visit our Recruitment for a full list of benefits available to employees. Here’s a quick glance at some of the unique benefits that OFM offers:

• A culture that values and strives to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Tuition reimbursement
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• 12 paid holidays, 14 paid vacation days (minimum), and 12 days of sick leave per year
• State retirement programs

Application Process: Once you’ve decided to apply for a state government job, you’ll complete an online application to showcase your qualifications. Keep in mind that once you submit the application, a real person is going to read it. We do not use AI or other technology that screens your application. Please be sure to provide clear and detailed information about your work history so your qualifications can be accurately assessed. We will contact the top candidates directly to schedule interviews. If you need reasonable accommodation in applying, please call 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.

When completing your application, we encourage you to attach all of the following:

• Cover letter: describing your qualifications for this specific position
• Resume: that details your applicable experience and education.
• References: at least three professional references and their contact information.

Questions: OFM's Staff ASL interpreter is available to all deaf and hard of hearing applicants. For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application or interview process, please email us at TalentAcquisition@ofm.wa.gov.

The Office of Financial Management is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, and disabled and Vietnam-era veterans are encouraged to apply.