Job Duties:
The City of Virginia Beach is seeking an HR Policy and Compliance Analyst to serve as a senior-level subject matter expert responsible for developing, reviewing, and maintaining the City’s human resources policies and ensuring organizational compliance with applicable employment law, regulatory requirements, and best practices. The HR Policy & Compliance Analyst operates at the intersection of policy development and strategic workforce governance, advising HR leadership on risk exposure, policy language precision, and the legal sufficiency of HR documentation. This position does not serve in a legal counsel capacity.
Policy Development & Technical Review
Leads the research, drafting, revision, and maintenance of citywide HR policies and administrative regulations, ensuring accuracy, internal consistency, and compliance with applicable federal, state, and local law.
Conducts comprehensive technical reviews of HR policy documents prior to sign-off by HR leadership, identifying ambiguities, structural deficiencies, and language that may produce unintended operational or legal outcomes.
Translates complex regulatory and statutory requirements into clear, enforceable policy language accessible to managers and employees across all City departments.
Manages policy version control, revision histories, and documentation standards to ensure audit-ready records and defensible policy administration.
Coordinates policy review cycles and approval workflows across HR, the City Attorney’s Office, and department stakeholders, tracking outstanding items and driving timely resolution
Compliance Analysis & Risk Advisory
Monitors federal and Virginia legislative and regulatory developments, assessing their impact on City HR policies, employment practices, and labor agreements and briefing HR leadership proactively.
Analyzes HR practices and procedures against applicable employment law frameworks, identifying areas of exposure and recommending corrective or preventive action.
Develops and maintains a compliance tracking matrix for HR policy obligations, including regulatory deadlines, required reviews, and City Attorney coordination items.
Prepares written compliance analyses, position papers, and briefing materials that equip HR leadership to engage effectively with department directors, the City Manager’s office, and the City Attorney’s office.
Advises HR leadership on the application of HR policy to complex, non-routine employee situations, including cases with potential legal, labor relations, or reputational implications.
Stakeholder Engagement & Interagency Coordination
Serves as the primary HR liaison for policy-related matters with the City Attorney’s Office, coordinating legal sufficiency reviews, tracking outstanding review items, and following up on unresolved questions to ensure accountability in the shared review process.
Partners with department directors and HR Business Partners to research and resolve policy application questions, documenting guidance provided to support consistent interpretation across the organization.
Represents HR in cross-departmental workgroups, task forces, and committees addressing regulatory compliance, policy development, or workforce governance matters.
Develops clear written documentation of HR’s policy positions and decision rationale, ensuring that HR’s role in policy review and approval is accurately reflected in the administrative record.
Strategic Support & Special Projects
Provides strategic research and analysis on HR-related legislative proposals, emerging legal trends, and policy innovations from comparable public sector jurisdictions.
Supports the development and delivery of training and guidance materials for HR staff and department managers on policy interpretation, compliance obligations, and procedural requirements.
Assists in the preparation of executive-level briefings, presentations, and reports for the City Manager, City Council, and other senior stakeholders.
Manages other special projects and assignments as directed by the Director of Employee & Labor Relations.
The City offers a generous benefits package, which includes health, dental and life insurance, retirement and savings plans, maternity/paternity and parental leave, holidays and leave.
**This position is open until filled. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Once the appropriate applicant pool has been established, it will be closed.**
Official City Job Description:
Working Conditions:
https://workingcondition-summary-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/B.007709.1.pdf
Minimum Requirements:
MINIMUMS: Bachelors degree in human resources or related field and four (4) years of experience utilizing the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with such positions as human resources business partner, specialist, or generalist OR an equivalent combination of education (above the high school level) and/or experience equivalent to eight (8) years in fields utilizing the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with this position.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: All employees may be expected to work hours in excess of their normally scheduled hours in response to short-term department needs and/or City-wide emergencies.
Additional Requirements:
DMV Transcript: Not Required
CDL: Not Required
DOT History: Not Required
CPS Check: Not Required
Physical: Not Required
Respirator: Not Required
Polygraph Review: Not Required
Psychological Screening: Not Required
Attachments Required:
Preferences:
* Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-accredited law school, with or without active bar membership. Candidates who hold a J.D. but are not licensed to practice law in Virginia are encouraged to apply. This position does not require Virginia bar admission and will not perform functions reserved to licensed attorneys.
* Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field.
* Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in human resources, employee relations, labor relations, regulatory compliance, or a substantively equivalent field.
* Demonstrated experience interpreting and applying federal and Virginia employment law, including but not limited to Title VII, the ADA, FMLA, FLSA, and OSHA.
* Demonstrated experience drafting, reviewing, or analyzing policies, regulations, administrative codes, contracts, or similarly complex documents.
* Exceptional written communication skills with the ability to produce precise, well-structured documents subject to close scrutiny by legal and executive stakeholders.
* Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to identify logical gaps, ambiguities, and downstream implications in complex policy language.
* Experience working effectively in environments requiring close coordination with legal counsel or attorneys.
* Experience in Virginia public sector employment law, including Virginia Code Title 15.2, the Virginia Human Rights Act, or Virginia collective bargaining statutes.
* Experience with collective bargaining agreement administration, labor-management relations, or public safety employment contexts.
* SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or comparable senior-level HR certification.
* Experience in local government or other public sector environment
Special Instructions:
VRS Contribution: All full-time employees are required to contribute 5% of annual salary toward their retirement account; in accordance with VRS retirement provisions. This will be handled through a pre-tax payroll deduction.
Drug Free Workplace: The City of Virginia Beach maintains a drug free workplace.