Organization:
City of Sacramento
Location:
City of Sacramento, CA
Recruiter:
Serena Wright-Black
The City of Sacramento is seeking a strategic and collaborative leader to serve as its next Director of Human Resources. This is a unique opportunity to lead a high-performing human resources organization in one of California’s most dynamic and diverse cities, guiding workforce strategy, strengthening operations, and enhancing service delivery across a complex municipal organization.
Sacramento is a full-service city with a strong commitment to equity, innovation, and community impact. As a key member of the executive leadership team, the Director of Human Resources will play a critical role in shaping the City’s workforce of the future while ensuring operational excellence and responsiveness to departments, employees, and the community.
The Director of Human Resources serves as the City’s chief human resources executive and key advisor, guiding organizational priorities, ensuring regulatory compliance, and advancing workforce initiatives across the City. The ideal candidate is a people-centered leader who brings both operational discipline and a forward-looking perspective to support a high-performing organization.
Sacramento is actively advancing a culture of accountability, strengthening its commitment to racial and gender equity, and modernizing systems and processes. The next Director will join a department grounded in deep institutional knowledge and strong divisional expertise, with a team that is open to new ideas and continuous improvement. This is a compelling opportunity to help position Sacramento as an employer of choice, attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional talent in service to its nearly 540,000 residents.
The Human Resources Department, in partnership with departments and employees throughout the City, strategically supports the City in attracting, developing, and retaining a highly skilled and diverse workforce. The Director of Human Resources plans, organizes, and directs the full scope of human resources services for the City of Sacramento, leading a department of approximately 76 budgeted full-time employees and an adopted FY2025–26 approved budget of $88 million. The Department delivers a comprehensive portfolio of services, including labor relations and negotiations, recruitment and selection, classification and compensation, benefits administration, workers’ compensation and risk management, diversity and equity initiatives, and employee records management.
The Director provides direct oversight of five division managers and serves as advisor to the five-member Civil Service Board. The City administers 14 labor agreements across 9 represented employee groups, requiring a seasoned professional who can navigate complex collective bargaining dynamics while fostering constructive and productive labor-management relationships.
The Director is a key member of the City’s Executive Team, partnering closely with a cohort of department heads to align human resources strategy with citywide priorities. In this role, the Director serves as the City’s chief labor relations advisor, guiding executive leadership and the City Council on negotiation strategy, labor law developments, and personnel policy, while also acting as a trusted partner to departments in addressing complex employment matters and strengthening workforce capacity.
The next Director of Human Resources for the City of Sacramento is an approachable, highly competent leader who brings a balance of operational discipline and strategic vision to a large, complex municipal organization. The ideal candidate is a relationship-first professional who builds trust deliberately with executive leadership, department heads, labor representatives, and human resource staff alike, and understands that credibility in this role is earned through consistency, integrity, and follow-through. This is a leader who communicates with clarity and calm, particularly during periods of organizational change, and who can set shared expectations, establish clear priorities, and hold themselves and their team accountable to meaningful outcomes.
The successful candidate brings deep expertise in public sector human resources and a thorough understanding of California labor law, collective bargaining, and the unique dynamics of a heavily unionized environment. Experience managing complex, multi-unit labor negotiations is essential – Sacramento administers 14 labor agreements across 9 represented employee groups, and the Director must be capable of navigating those relationships with both rigor and a constructive, solutions-oriented approach. Familiarity with the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS), civil service systems, and the legal and regulatory framework governing municipal employment in California will be critical to the Director's effectiveness from day one.
The ideal candidate is a skilled people leader who delegates thoughtfully, invests in the professional growth of staff, and fosters a team culture built on collaboration, mutual support, and high standards of service. The Director creates an environment where staff feel empowered to bring ideas forward, take ownership of their work, and grow as professionals.
The successful candidate is a strong internal consultant and strategic partner to City leadership. They understand the operational realities of running a large municipal organization and can translate human resource strategy into practical guidance that resonates with department directors managing diverse workforces. This individual is equally comfortable presenting to City Council on complex topics such as compensation, benefits, and labor strategy as they are working alongside a department head to resolve a difficult personnel matter. They approach every interaction with professionalism, political awareness, and a commitment to equitable outcomes.
The Director of Human Resources will have a strong foundation across the full spectrum of human resource functions: classification and compensation, benefits administration, recruitment and selection, workers' compensation and risk management, employee relations, diversity and equity, and records management, and brings a continuous improvement mindset to each of these areas. The next Director is technologically fluent, with experience leading or overseeing Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) implementations and an appreciation for how modern human resource systems can improve the experience of both employees and the departments they serve. This individual is deeply committed to advancing racial and gender equity as a core organizational value and brings the knowledge and experience to move that work forward in a meaningful, lasting way.
Minimum qualifications include a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and eight years of professional human resource and labor relations experience in the public sector, including at least three years as a human resource generalist and four years in a supervisory or management capacity overseeing one or more human resource functions. An equivalent combination of qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis. Professional certification through International Public Management Association – Senior Certified Professional (IPMA-SCP), Society of Human Resources Management – Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), or the Human Resource Certification Institute – Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) is desirable.
The City of Sacramento is a charter city operating under a council-manager form of government, with a City Council composed of eight district-elected members and a Mayor elected-at-large. The City Council appoints the City Manager, who serves as the City's chief executive officer and is responsible for the day-to-day administration of City operations and implementation of Council-adopted policies.
With a FY 2025-2026 operating budget of $1.7 billion and a workforce of nearly 5,000 full-time equivalent employees, the City delivers a comprehensive range of municipal services. These include police, fire, water, sewer, storm drainage, solid waste, code enforcement, construction and maintenance of parks and streets, planning and development, recreation and cultural activities, community response, and general administration.
As the capital of California, and the world’s fifth-largest economy, Sacramento offers a unique blend of influence, livability, and opportunity. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers, the City seamlessly balances rich history with forward-looking innovation. With a population of approximately 540,000, Sacramento is California’s sixth-largest city and serves as the cultural and economic heart of the region, while maintaining a strong sense of community, neighborhood identity, and civic pride.
Sacramento is one of the most diverse and inclusive cities in the state, with residents representing a wide range of cultural backgrounds and experiences—nearly one in four residents was born outside of the United States. This diversity is reflected in the City’s vibrant neighborhoods, global cuisine, and community traditions, creating a dynamic and welcoming environment for residents and visitors alike.
Known as the “Farm-to-Fork Capital,” Sacramento boasts a nationally recognized culinary scene, a growing arts and entertainment culture, and an expanding downtown anchored by the Golden 1 Center and a revitalized waterfront. The City offers an exceptional quality of life, combining the amenities of a major metropolitan area with a more accessible and affordable cost of living than California’s coastal markets, making it an increasingly attractive destination for professionals, families, and innovators.
Outdoor living is a way of life in Sacramento. With more than 250 days of sunshine each year, residents enjoy year-round access to parks, rivers, and trails. The American River Parkway—featuring the 30+ mile Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail—provides one of the region’s most treasured recreational assets, connecting scenic landscapes from downtown Sacramento to Folsom. The City is also within easy reach of world-renowned destinations including Napa Valley, Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite National Park.
Sacramento’s economy is diverse and resilient, supported by major sectors such as government, healthcare, education, and technology. As the seat of state government, the City offers a strong public sector presence alongside leading higher education institutions such as California State University, Sacramento and a network of community colleges that contribute to a highly skilled workforce.
Consistently recognized for its livability, Sacramento has been named among the best places to live in California and continues to gain national attention as a city on the rise. For those seeking to make a meaningful impact while enjoying a high quality of life, Sacramento offers an exceptional place to live, work, and lead.
The expected hiring range for the Director of Human Resources is $190,000 - $241,896.80 annually, depending on qualifications. To view the full salary range, please visit the Salary Schedule.
The City of Sacramento offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which can be viewed here:
* Retirement benefits include participation in CalPERS and Social Security. Contributions are made by both the City and the employee.
Applications will be accepted electronically by Raftelis. Applicants complete a brief online form and are prompted to provide a cover letter and resume. The position will be open until filled with a first review of applications beginning June 15, 2026.
Please note that the first round of virtual interviews is tentatively scheduled for July 23, 2026. Finalists will be invited to participate in in-person interviews on July 29, 2026. Selected candidates must be available for both dates.
Please direct questions to Serena Wright-Black at swrightblack@raftelis.com and Kelsey Batt at kbatt@raftelis.com.
