Job Listings

Position Title: Director of Human Resources

Agency: Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO)

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Reports To: Chief Administrative Officer

Civil Service Status: Unclassified (at-will)

Director of Human Resources

Position Description

Position Summary

The Director of Human Resources is the senior-most human resources leader for the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and is responsible for building, leading, and modernizing the agency’s human resources function. This role will establish a centralized HR infrastructure that ensures every position has clear qualifications, every employee is aligned to a defined role, and the agency maintains a qualified, accountable workforce capable of safely and effectively carrying out its public safety mission.

The Director will lead workforce planning, recruitment, hiring, training coordination, employee relations, performance management, discipline consistency, and organizational culture initiatives across the agency. The position requires a strategic leader who can simultaneously implement long-term HR systems while addressing urgent operational priorities including vacancy reduction, workforce stabilization, compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, and alignment with national correctional best practices.

This role will work closely with the Sheriff, executive leadership, operational divisions, and external partners to ensure that OPSO develops a professional workforce structure that promotes accountability, transparency, safety, and employee engagement.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Leadership

• Serve as the senior human resources advisor to the CAO and executive leadership team.
• Establish and lead a centralized human resources function responsible for recruiting, hiring, backgrounding, onboarding, training coordination, employee relations, and workforce planning.
  
• Develop and implement modern HR policies, procedures, and systems appropriate for a large public safety agency.
• Ensure HR operations support agency priorities related to safety, accountability, compliance, and operational performance.
• Provide leadership on workforce stabilization strategies, vacancy reduction, and employee retention.

Workforce Governance and Position Control

• Establish and manage a formal position control system that tracks authorized positions, incumbents, vacancies, funding sources, assignments, and required credentials.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive agency organizational chart aligned with leadership structure and operational needs.
• Ensure every employee is matched to a defined job description and meets the minimum qualifications required for their role.
• Implement workforce data reporting and analytics to support executive decision-making.

Workforce Assessment and Organizational Analysis

• Conduct and maintain an accurate agency-wide personnel roster including employee status, role assignments, commission status, and employment history.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive skills and credential inventory including certifications, required training, licenses, and assignments.
• Lead workforce engagement and retention assessments to understand employee responsibilities, job alignment, and workforce risks.
• Use workforce data and analytics to inform staffing strategies, workforce development, and operational planning.

Staffing, Vacancy, and Workforce Planning

• Conduct agency-wide vacancy and staffing analysis, including identification of mission-critical roles and operational risks related to vacancies.
• Develop workforce planning strategies aligned with correctional staffing requirements, training capacity, and operational needs.
• Coordinate with operational leadership to ensure staffing levels support safe and effective jail operations.
• Align workforce planning with operational requirements including safety, supervision, training, investigations, and incident reporting obligations.

Job Descriptions and Hiring Standards

• Develop and maintain standardized job descriptions for all OPSO roles including minimum qualifications, preferred qualifications, physical requirements, and critical job duties.
• Implement structured hiring processes including interview frameworks, evaluation tools, and validated selection criteria.
• Develop clear and transparent promotion and advancement criteria across the organization.
• Ensure hiring processes promote fairness, transparency, and professional standards.

Recruitment and Hiring Pipeline

• Develop and implement a comprehensive recruitment strategy aligned with agency vacancies, workforce needs, and local labor market conditions.
• Oversee recruitment initiatives including outreach, applicant tracking, candidate screening, and hiring processes.
• Develop a sustainable hiring pipeline that aligns with academy training capacity and field training resources.
• Ensure timely and effective onboarding processes that prepare new hires for operational success.

Compensation, Overtime, and Workforce Policies

• Lead compensation benchmarking and analysis for key agency roles.
• Develop and implement formal overtime policies and monitoring practices.
  
• Analyze overtime utilization, costs, and operational drivers including vacancies, court obligations, transportation duties, training coverage, and leave usage.
• Establish clear policies governing secondary employment and off-duty work, including conflict-of-interest safeguards and fatigue management standards.

Performance Management and Workforce Development

• Design and implement a comprehensive performance evaluation system applicable to all agency roles.
• Establish an annual performance review process that supports accountability, professional development, and employee recognition.
• Coordinate workforce training and professional development opportunities.
• Support leadership development and supervisory training programs across the agency.

Culture, Morale, and Employee Engagement

• Lead initiatives to strengthen agency culture, morale, and employee engagement.
• Establish internal committees or working groups focused on workforce retention and organizational culture.
• Partner with community organizations and service providers to support employee well-being and workplace resources.
• Promote a professional, respectful workplace environment that supports both accountability and employee support.

Discipline, Accountability, and Compliance

• Implement consistent and transparent disciplinary processes including development of a disciplinary matrix with progressive discipline guidelines.
• Ensure disciplinary processes incorporate aggravating and mitigating factors and promote consistency across divisions.
• Integrate supervisory accountability expectations including failure-to-report and failure-to-supervise standards where appropriate.
• Ensure HR practices comply with applicable laws, regulations, and professional standards governing public safety agencies.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business
• Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field.
• Minimum 8–10 years of progressive human resources leadership experience, including senior management responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience leading HR functions in government, law enforcement, corrections, or other public sector organizations.
• Experience implementing workforce systems such as position control, performance management, and recruitment pipelines.
• Strong knowledge of employment law, HR compliance, and public sector personnel systems.
• Proven ability to lead organizational change and implement new administrative systems.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with executive leadership and operational staff.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business
• Administration, or related field.
• Professional HR certification (SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent).
• Experience working within corrections, law enforcement, or other public safety environments.
• Experience with HR information systems, workforce analytics, and applicant tracking platforms.
• Experience leading large-scale workforce assessments, restructuring initiatives, or organizational modernization efforts.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Leadership
• Organizational Development
• Workforce Planning and Analytics
• Public Sector HR Administration
• Change Management
• Recruitment and Talent Development
• Policy Development and Compliance
• Employee Relations and Conflict Resolution
• Data-Informed Decision Making

Work Environment

This position operates in a professional office environment within a public safety agency. The role requires collaboration with executive leadership, operational staff, and external

stakeholders. The Director must be able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and respond effectively to operational workforce challenges.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and professional workforce dedicated to public service.