Job Details

Salary : $116,420.76 - $142,941.96 Annually
Location : Oakland, CA
Job Type: Full Time Civil Service
Job Number: 26-AP206-01
Department: Human Resources
Opening Date: 01/15/2026
Closing Date: 1/29/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Exempt
Bargaining Unit: UM2

The Position

The City of Oakland is an equal opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city's historical roots and the lives of its residents to this day. As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone. Oakland strives to establish an environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees.
Why join the City of Oakland Human Resources Management Department?
Situated at the heart of the Bay Area, the City of Oakland is a vibrant, diverse, and exciting place to work. It is easily accessible, on the forefront of Race and Equity work, and a full-service organization with many innovative community services.

The Human Resources Management Department is filling Senior Human Resources vacancies in our Recruitment, Classification, and Public Safety teams.

This is the best time to join our team! If you're passionate about recruitment, equity, and shaping the future of public service, the City of Oakland's Human Resources Management Department offers an exciting opportunity. As part of our recruitment team, you'll help attract and retain top talent that reflects the diversity and vibrancy of Oakland. You'll play a critical role in designing inclusive hiring strategies, partnering with departments citywide, and ensuring fair, transparent processes that support a strong and representative workforce. Join us and be part of building a more innovative, equitable, and community-driven Oakland-one hire at a time.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Analytical and data-driven. You will work closely with client departments to collect job information to develop valid employment exams that ensure positions are properly classified.
• Creative! You will have the opportunity to develop innovative ways to assess applicant qualifications to ensure the best-qualified candidates are available for our hiring managers.
• Interested in learning and developing their career. In addition to the opportunity to work on special projects, you will have access to Race and Equity, supervisory, and other technical training. And, once a City employee, you enjoy hiring preference for all City jobs.
• Customer-focused. The Human Resources Management Department prides itself on exceptional customer service. You will get a chance to enhance the entire organization by being customer-focused and exceeding expectations.
• A strong relationship builder with excellent communication skills. You will have the opportunity to interface with many diverse client departments Library, Public Works, Police, Fire, Transportation, Housing, and Information Technology to name a few. With this, you will get to establish meaningful professional relationships and communicate with a variety of audiences.
• Organized and results-driven. You will need to balance multiple assignments and priorities in a dynamic environment. Attention to detail is needed to ensure HR services are timely and accurately delivered.

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Leading professional HR analysts and supervising paraprofessional HR staff performing recruitment, selection, classification, compensation, operations, and other human resource functions.
• Leveraging HR systems and software to support recruitment, classification, and compensation.
• Building strong working relationships with departments, vendors, and employee organizations to support effective hiring and classification work.

Recruitment

• Serving as a subject matter expert in recruitment and providing strategic guidance to support City goals and priorities.
• Planning and coordinating recruitment campaigns for sensitive and specialized classifications in partnership with operating departments.
• Developing and administering written exams, assessment centers, and other selection tools to support fair and effective hiring.
• Analyzing exam data, including adverse impact and statistical trends, to ensure compliance with professional and legal standards.
• Advising employees and leadership on personnel rules, labor agreements, salary ordinances, and applicable laws related to recruitment and classification.
• Reviewing and responding to examination appeals and ensuring personnel manual requirements are met.

Classification

• Serving as a subject matter expert in classification and providing strategic direction to support City goals and priorities.
• Advising employees and leadership on personnel rules, labor agreements, salary ordinances, and applicable laws related to classification and compensation.
• Supporting the design and implementation of complex classification and compensation studies.
• Collaborating with departments and employee organizations to revise and develop classification specifications and maintain an up-to-date classification plan.
• Leading classification studies by directing staff in position audits and recommending appropriate classification allocations.
• Analyzing compensation data and market trends to recommend salary levels based on internal alignment and external competitiveness.
• Conducting salary surveys and internal equity studies to develop compensation proposals and Salary Ordinance amendments.
• Reviewing and responding to classification appeals and supporting the interpretation of the personnel manual as it relates to selective certification and correct use of classifications.

Public Safety

• Leading and supporting public safety recruitments for sworn and non-sworn classifications by guiding professional and paraprofessional HR staff, coordinating with assigned departments, and partnering with external vendors on employment assessments.
• Ensuring that recruitments meet timelines and other requirements that are established in the memorandum of understanding.
• Developing written exams, assessment centers, candidate orientations, assessor orientations and more.
• Analyzing exam results, including adverse impact and statistical trends, to support equitable hiring decisions.
• Advising departments and leadership on recruitment strategies, eligibility lists, and selection outcomes.
• Exercising oversight on work of SMEs and external vendors to ensure that they meet organizational standards.
• Coordinating with Union officials to ensure shared interpretation of MOU provisions, provide updates about the recruitment process, and coordinate union support with exam observation.

Read the complete job description by clicking the link below:
Human Resource Analyst, Senior

*Click on the link below to see a video on what it's like to work for the City of Oakland!
Working for the City of Oakland
A few reasons you might love this job:

• Your work directly supports public safety services that impact Oakland residents every day.
• You will work with people who are passionate about their craft, care about collaboration, and like to have fun.
• You will have excellent learning opportunities to grow and develop your HR and public administration skills and abilities.

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• Managing high-volume and time-sensitive recruitments.
• Ensuring assessment processes remain both legally defensible and operationally practical.
• Navigating complex rules, policies, and labor agreements that govern the unionized, Civil Service environment that is the City of Oakland.

Competencies Required:
Professional & Technical Expertise: Applying technical subject matter to the job
Attention to Detail: Focusing on the details of work content, work steps, and final work products
Building & Maintaining Relationships: Establishing rapport and maintaining mutually productive relationships
Adaptability: Responding positively to change and modifying behavior as the situation requires
Valuing Diversity: Appreciating the benefits of varied backgrounds and cultures in the workplace
Legal & Regulatory Navigation: Understanding, interpreting, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations
Professional Integrity & Ethics: Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability
Oral Communication: Engaging effectively in dialogue
Innovative Problem Solving: Identifying and analyzing problems in order to propose new and better ways of doing things
Fact Finding: Obtaining facts and data pertaining to an issue or question
Analyzing & Interpreting Data: Drawing meaning and conclusions from quantitative or qualitative data
Minimum Requirements for Application
This recruitment will produce two eligible lists. The restricted list will be for full-time, permanent part-time, or part-time City and Port of Oakland employees who maintain employment for the duration of the recruitment and pass all stages of the recruitment process. The open list will be for all other applicants who pass all stages of the recruitment process.
Any combination of education and experience that is equivalent to the following minimum qualifications may be acceptable.

Education:
A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in human resource management, industrial organizational psychology, public or business administration, or a closely related field.

Experience:
Four (4) years of progressively responsible professional experience in human resources or personnel administration in one or more of the following areas: recruitment selection and employment testing, position classification and compensation administration, employee and labor relations, and employee development and training. Previous experience working for a local or state government agency is highly desirable.
License or Certificate / Other Requirements
Individuals who are appointed to this position will be required to maintain a valid California Driver's License throughout the tenure of employment OR demonstrate the ability to travel to various locations in a timely manner as required in the performance of duties.

Supplemental Information
The Recruitment Process:
The City of Oakland works with a Civil Service system. Applicants apply online, and HR staff reviews their experience, education, and training listed on the application against the "minimum qualifications" listed for each position.
Candidates who demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements are then invited to participate in an assessment process (or testing) to measure their knowledge, skills, and abilities in job-related areas.
Candidates who do not demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements will have an opportunity to request a final review. Candidates must request a final review within 5 business days of being notified that they did not meet the minimum qualifications.
In the final review, candidates may clarify information already provided on their application. No additional work history, education, or certifications will be accepted. Any decisions made during this review process will be final.
For this recruitment, all qualified applicants will be invited to take an online multiple-choice assessment (weighted 100%). You'll have 7 days to complete the test once the link is sent to your email. This is tentatively planned to launch during the week of February 9, 2026.
Candidates who pass the multiple-choice assessment will be placed on an eligible list. Some candidates may receive extra points, for example, if you are a Veteran with an honorable discharge, or if you are a current City of Oakland resident. If you're applying to a "restricted" posting and you are eligible as a current City employee, you may also receive additional points for your City service. Extra points are only applied to passing scores, so if you do not pass every element of the testing process, you cannot use extra points to pass.
The City of Oakland reserves the right to modify the selection process and date of examination as necessary to conform to administrative or business necessity. The information contained in this announcement is subject to change and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.
What's in it for you?

• Work/Life Balance: 37.5 hour work weeks
• 15 paid holidays

• Vacation: 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service

• Retirement: CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic CalPERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new CalPERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security

• Health: The City of Oakland pays the full cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care, and other HMO and PPO plans

• Dental: Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents

• Vision: VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents

• Sick leave: Employees accrue 12 days per year

• Deferred Compensation: 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k)plan

• Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Life Insurance up to $200k & Employee Training.

*Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found here:
Applicants are required to submit criminal history information upon request after receiving a conditional offer of employment. If the requested information is not furnished in a timely manner, applicants will not qualify for further consideration and will be removed from the eligible list.
Disaster Service Workers
All employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.
How to Apply
Apply prior to the closing time of the job announcement and allow at least two to three hours to submit your application if you are a new user of the system. APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED ONLINE ONLY. You may apply and view current openings by visiting our employment opportunities webpage at:
.cfm.
If you do not have access to a computer, there are computer stations available at any City of Oakland Public Library. There are also workstations at the Human Resources Management Department, 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. Workstations are available during regular business hours (normally 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
Our online application system is provided by GovernmentJobs. If you have problems while applying online, please contact GovernmentJobs Live Applicant Support at (855) ###-#### between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday. You may also call the City of Oakland Human Resources Management Department during regular business hours at (510) ###-#### for information; however, we are unable to provide technical support for the online application system.
For recruitment-specific questions, please contact Erin Zadlo at ezadlo@.
The City of Oakland is committed to the wellbeing of its employees and offers comprehensive health and wellness services along with an array of other benefits for most positions. Benefits may include*:
CalPERS Medical
Dental
Vision
Medical Waiver Plan - Cash-In-Lieu
Flexible Spending Accounts
Commuter Benefits
Group & Supplemental Life Insurance
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH)
Pension Benefits
Deferred Compensation

* Specific benefits may vary depending on the assigned specific bargaining unit. Information regarding most benefits can be reviewed here: Current MOUs may be reviewed here:
01

Be sure to answer the supplemental questions thoroughly and accurately.Applicants are responsible for clearly, completely, and accurately identifying their qualifications. Responses to the supplemental questions may determine your application status. By answering "yes" to this question, I certify that I have read and understand the statement above concerning submission of supplemental question responses.

• Yes
• No

02

Do you confirm that the address on your application matches your current residency?

• Yes
• No

03

This recruitment will produce two eligible lists. The restricted list will be for full-time, permanent part-time, or part-time City employees who maintain employment for the duration of the recruitment and pass all stages of the recruitment process. The open list will be for all other applicants who pass all stages of the recruitment process.Are you a current full-time, permanent part-time, or part-time City of Oakland employee?

• Yes
• No

04

If you are a current City or Port of Oakland employee, what is your job title and employee ID number?If you are not a City or Port employee, type "N/A".
05

Have you previously been employed by the City of Oakland?

• Yes
• No

06

If you have previously been employed by the City of Oakland, please enter the dates and titles of the jobs you previously held at the City of Oakland below.If not applicable, type "N/A"
07

If you have previously been employed by the City of Oakland, please enter any other name(s) used below.If not applicable, type "N/A"
08

What is the highest degree or level of education that you have completed?

• High school graduate, diploma or equivalent (for example: GED)
• Some college credits, no degree
• Associate degree
• Bachelor's degree
• Master's degree
• Doctorate degree
• Other

09

If you indicated your highest educational achievement is "Some college credits", how many units of college level coursework have you completed?

• 1-14 semester / 1-21 quarter units / or equivalent
• 15-29 semester / 22-44 quarter units / or equivalent
• 30-59 semester / 45-89 quarter units / or equivalent
• 60-89 semester / 90-134 quarter units / or equivalent
• 90+ semester / 135+ quarter units / or equivalent
• N/A

10

Please enter your major.

• Human Resources Management
• Industrial Organizational Psychology
• Public Administration
• Business Administration
• Another major closely related to those listed above
• None of the above

11

If you indicated your major is "Another major closely related to those listed above", please enter your major.If not applicable, type "N/A"
12

How many years of progressively responsible professional experience in human resources or personnel administration in one or more of the following areas: recruitment selection and employment testing, position classification and compensation administration, employee and labor relations, and employee development and training do you have?

• I possess 8 or more years of experience as described
• I possess 7 or more years, but less than 6 years, of experience as described
• I possess 6 or more years, but less than 5 years, of experience as described
• I possess 5 or more years, but less than 4 years, of experience as described
• I possess 4 or more years, but less than 3 years, of experience as described
• I possess 3 or more years, but less than 2 years, of experience as described
• I possess 2 or more years, but less than 1 year, of experience as described
• I do not possess any experience as described

13

Please clearly and thoroughly state your professional experience in human resources or personnel administration in one or more of the following areas: recruitment selection and employment testing, position classification and compensation administration, employee and labor relations, and employee development and training.
14

Indicate which team(s) you are interested in being considered for. Select all that apply.(Please refer to the job announcement for specific duties.)

• Recruitment
• Classification
• Public Safety

15

Answers to the above supplemental questions MUST be supported by information contained in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of this application. Answers not supported by information contained in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of this application will NOT be considered. Resumes and cover letters will not be reviewed.I have read and understand this statement.

• Yes
• No

Required Question