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Presidents Day closure

Most City of Portland offices will be closed Monday, Feb. 17, to observe Presidents Day.

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Portland is a Sanctuary City

Find sanctuary city resources from the City of Portland's Immigrant & Refugee Program, including free legal services and state resources for reporting hate crimes, bias incidents, discrimination, and violations of Oregon's sanctuary laws.

About the Bureau

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The Bureau of Human Resources is charged with supporting the City's most important "infrastructure" - its employees!
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Director Bio

Tracy is a dedicated and compassionate human resources leader with 15+ year of experience, entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the City of Portland's bureau of human resources. With a thoughtful approach, she strives to create an inclusive and supportive work environment for all employees. She is committed to fostering a positive workplace culture and feels deeply that every individual deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.

She is passionate about leveraging her expertise to develop and implement strategies that attract, retain, and develop top talent. By staying abreast of industry trends and best practices, Tracy continuously seeks to enhance the effectiveness of our HR programs and policies. Through collaboration and open communication, she aims to build strong relationships with employees and stakeholders, ensuring their voices are heard and valued.

Tracy is driven by the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those she serves, and is honored to contribute to the growth and success of the City of Portland.

Learn more about the Bureau's Director:
The Chief Human Resources Officer & Director


Programs

Human Resources is made up of seven major programs: Classification & Compensation, Employee & Labor Relations, Health & Financial Benefits, HR & Payroll Services, Occupational Health & Wellness, People & Culture, and Workforce Recruitment & Training. These programs support City employees by coordinating daily operations of the workforce, recruiting and retaining staff members, and developing and implementing other programs that will benefit City staff. The City of Portland’s core values guide the work and are embedded in every decision we make. We strive to be an employer of choice, ensuring our decisions are inclusive of the diverse workforce who serve the City of Portland every day. 

Classification & Compensation

The Classification, Compensation and Pay Equity team (Class Comp) manages the City’s classification and compensation plans and systems. All work that is done at the City must be classified – described in a consistent format that reflects a categorized assignment of work. Classifications are directly linked to a pay structure – a compensation plan – that is used to pay employees appropriately. The Class Comp structure enables the City to recruit and retain employees who do important work for the local community.

Employee & Labor Relations

The Employee Relations team fosters excellence in employee performance and organizational effectiveness throughout the City. They provide strategic consultation and support to improve systems and services, deliver coaching on policies and best practices, and assist with communicating initiatives. Our Labor Relations team is committed to promoting effective, fair and professional relationships between the City, its employee groups and unions. They provide advice, counsel, and training to bureau leadership on a range of labor and employment related issues, challenges and opportunities. Labor Relations is also responsible for administering and negotiating collective bargaining agreements with unions. 

Health & Financial Benefits

The Health and Financial Benefits team works to provide innovative, competitive, and fiscally responsible health and welfare programs. Benefit offerings include medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, long-term disability, employee assistance programs, and family expanding resources. Additionally, we support employees who may need employment accommodations, are navigating protected leave options, access disability benefits, and/or catastrophic leave. Our services are offered to over 7,200 regular employees, plus former employees through retiree/COBRA coverage, and eligible dependents. Additional benefit offerings may be available to casual, seasonal employees when certain eligibility criteria is met. Almost 18,000 lives are covered by City of Portland plans. 

HR & Payroll Services

HR & Payroll Services provides and administers an efficient human capital management system and business process in support of the management of the City's workforce, and provides accurate, accountable and timely payment of City employees and payroll third party fund recipients. This includes ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, labor contracts, administrative rules and business requirements as well as incorporating emerging case law into system requirements. 

Occupational Health & Wellness

The Occupational Health & Well-being program helps employees work safely and make healthy lifestyle choices throughout their career, continuing into retirement. The team works with staff to address their health risks while managing exposures on the job. Through the CityStrong program they also offer education, resources, and support to attain balance and well-being.

People & Culture

The mission of the People & Culture division within Human Resources is to ensure the Citywide core values of anti-racism, equity, communication, collaboration, transparency, and fiscal responsibility are centered and operationalized throughout HR programs and policies. The group reinforces their focus on people-centered outcomes through communications, deploying and leveraging data informed decisions, policy development and strategic planning. 

Workforce Recruitment & Training

Workforce Recruitment & Training provides a comprehensive portfolio of services to attract, hire, develop, and retain a diverse and talented workforce. Specialty tailored professional development and training programs are designed to enhance employee and leadership skills. Data driven and people-centric strategies are used to continue promoting the city’s brand as an employer of choice.


City Core Values

Anti-racism | Equity | Transparency | Communication | Collaboration | Fiscal Responsibility 

These values, competencies, and associated behaviors guide our actions as we engage our workforce and serve the community. They should serve as facets of everything we do and every decision we make in the City.

colored wheel of city's core values and behaviors or competencies

You can find additional information for each competencies and behaviors below. 

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