Employee Relations Specialist

Position Overview

Join the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) as an Employee Relations Specialist (Human Resources Specialist), where you'll play a key role in fostering a positive, compliant, and high-performing workplace. In this dynamic position, you'll partner with agency leadership to resolve complex employee and labor relations matters, conduct workplace investigations, support employee engagement initiatives, and develop impactful training programs that strengthen organizational culture and drive workforce success.

Essential Functions

• Under general direction of the Employee Relations Manager, serves as the Employee Relations Specialist for the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), performing complex and specialized duties in human resources functions focused on employee relations and labor relations.


• Assists in the management of the Agency’s Labor Relations Function.


• Assists the Assistant Deputy Director of Human Resources on agency-wide employee engagement initiatives.


• Assists in the creation and delivery of professional development training content to employees.


• Reviews and evaluates internal policies and procedures for consistency with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) contract, identifies and proposes changes to internal policies and procedures to maintain consistency between contract, personnel rules and Agency policy/procedures.


• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires knowledge, skill and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college with courses in public administration, labor relations, or human resources.


• Requires two (2) years of professional human resources experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prefers two (2) years of professional experience in labor relations or employee relations.


• Prefers two (2) years of experience working with collective bargaining agreements, grievance procedures, disciplinary processes, and labor relations principles.


• Prefers two (2) years of experience researching, analyzing and interpreting policies, rules, procedures, collective bargaining contracts, and employment related laws or regulations.


• Prefers two (2) years of experience preparing and conducting/coordinating training courses designed to engage adult learners to meet organizational objectives.


• Prefers two (2) years of experience conducting workplace investigations.

Conditions of Employment

• Requires completion of a background check and self-disclosure of criminal history.


• Overtime is a condition of employment, and you may be requested or required/mandated to work overtime including scheduled, unscheduled, or last-minute overtime. This may require the ability to work evenings and weekends.


• Requires the ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnights stays as appropriate.


• The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

About the Agency

The mission of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is to create equitableeconomic opportunities across the State of Illinois. By attracting and supporting major job creators, investing incommunities, strengthening Illinois’ world-class workforce, fostering innovation, and ushering in the new cleanenergy economy, DCEO works to fortify Illinois’ reputation as a global economic powerhouse while ensuring Illinoisis the best state to live, work and do business.