CALIFORNIA PUBLIC-AGENCY COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS SPECIALIST

AlphaHire is seeking an experienced California Public-Agency Compensation and Benefits Specialist for project-based consulting assignments. This professional will support compensation studies, benefit valuations, labor-cost analysis, report review, and presentations to executive teams and public-agency Boards. The ideal consultant has direct experience working with California public agencies and understands the compensation, retirement, benefit, and labor-relations considerations affecting special districts and public utilities. This is an independent contractor or subconsultant engagement—not an employee position or legal-counsel role. Key Responsibilities • Conduct and review compensation and benefits studies for California public agencies. • Analyze salaries, classifications, premiums, allowances, and total compensation. • Evaluate CalPERS retirement costs and provisions for classic members and PEPRA members. • Value employer-provided health benefits, deferred-compensation contributions, leave programs, and premium-pay practices. • Review compensation surveys, market-comparison methodologies, data sources, and findings for accuracy and defensibility. • Develop fiscal-impact calculations and clearly explain underlying assumptions. • Support meet-and-confer preparation through compensation analysis, costing, scenario modeling, and presentation materials. • Provide technical support during labor discussions without acting or presenting as legal counsel. • Review draft reports and help convert complex findings into clear, decision-ready recommendations. • Prepare executive summaries, staff reports, presentations, and supporting materials for management and Board review. • Present findings or respond to technical questions during executive, stakeholder, or public Board meetings when requested. • Coordinate effectively with agency management, human resources, finance, labor-relations professionals, consultants, and legal counsel. Required Qualifications • Demonstrated experience conducting or supporting compensation and benefits work for California public agencies. • Working expertise in CalPERS classic-member and PEPRA retirement provisions. • Experience valuing health benefits, deferred compensation, paid leave, and premium pay as components of total compensation. • Familiarity with the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act and California public-sector meet-and-confer processes. • Experience supporting meet-and-confer activities through analysis, costing, research, or technical consultation. • Strong quantitative, analytical, report-writing, and quality-review skills. • Ability to explain technical findings clearly to nontechnical audiences. • Experience preparing materials for executive or Board-level review. • Ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and handle sensitive information professionally. Preferred Qualifications • Direct experience with California special districts, municipal utilities, public utilities, or similarly structured public agencies. • Experience conducting classification and compensation studies, total-compensation surveys, or labor-cost analyses. • Familiarity with public-agency salary schedules, memoranda of understanding, personnel rules, and publicly available compensation data. • Experience presenting study findings during Board meetings or public proceedings. • Prior consulting or subconsulting experience supporting public-sector engagements. • Engagement Expectations • The selected consultant must maintain independent professional judgment, produce accurate and well-supported work, and clearly document methodologies, assumptions, and limitations. Assignment scope, schedule, deliverables, and compensation will be established for each engagement. • This role may provide analytical support related to labor relations and meet-and-confer activities. It does not provide legal advice and will not substitute for the agency’s labor counsel. How to Apply Please submit: • A current resume or professional biography. • A brief description of your California public-agency compensation and benefits experience. • Examples of relevant special-district, utility, or comparable public-agency assignments. • A description of your experience with CalPERS, PEPRA, benefit valuation, and meet-and-confer support. • Your availability and proposed hourly or project-based rate. • One or more professional references. • Confidential or client-identifying work samples should not be submitted without authorization.