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Columbia County commissioners review HR job descriptions, plan to post director listing
Summary
County HR staff presented two draft job descriptions — an HR manager (pay grade 15) and an HR generalist/risk manager (pay grade 12) — and commissioners agreed to post the current director listing now and revisit approval of lower‑level descriptions at a later meeting; no formal action was taken at the work session.
County HR staff reviewed draft job descriptions and recruitment options at a Columbia County Board of Commissioners work session, urging a cautious, staged approach to hiring while preserving risk-management functions within HR.
The HR staff member said the county currently has two active HR roles (director and senior coordinator) and introduced two unapproved drafts: an HR manager/risk manager at pay grade 15 and an HR generalist/risk manager at pay grade 12, both nonexempt. "I kept the risk manager position attached to human resources at this time because there's a lot of work that's still being done on the legal side," the staff member said, urging a centralized approach to handling tort claims and employee relations.
Commissioners discussed the differences in scope between a generalist (day‑to‑day practitioner work) and a manager (more strategic leadership and program management), noting the county's existing career ladder: coordinator → generalist → manager → director. One commissioner said the county needs someone who will "keep us out of trouble as far as HR law goes" and balance employee and management needs.
On compensation, staff said pay-grade 15 (manager) would start near the mid‑60s to low‑70s (presented in the meeting as starting figures) while the generalist (grade 12) was presented with a lower range; staff emphasized that exact starting salaries and the range were part of their compensation comparables review. "There's opportunity even within the gaps from level 12 to level 15 where you could have a senior position," the HR staff member said.
Because the discussion occurred during a work session (no binding action), commissioners did not vote. They agreed to post the current director listing to begin attracting candidates and to revisit approval of the two draft descriptions at a subsequent meeting if the applicant pool did not include qualified director‑level candidates. A commissioner noted staff would need to avoid a "bait‑and‑switch" impression and to notify candidates if the county's hiring plan changed.
The county also discussed using HR consultants for structural work but emphasized consultants cannot replace an on‑site HR employee for day‑to‑day needs. Staff committed to returning with finalized job descriptions and candidate outreach plans at an upcoming regular meeting.
The work session included no motions or formal votes on hiring; any final approval would take place at a future regular meeting.
