Employment Relations Board Mediator

Initial Posting Date:

07/16/2025

Application Deadline:

08/17/2025

Agency:

Employment Relations Board

Salary Range:

$7,718 - $11,939

Position Type:

Employee

Position Title:

Employment Relations Board Mediator

Job Description:

Now Hiring: Employment Relations Board State Mediator!

Employment Relations Board (ERB) - State of Oregon

Are you a skilled mediator or labor relations professional passionate about resolving workplace disputes and promoting collaborative labor-management relationships? Join the Employment Relations Board (ERB) and make a meaningful impact across Oregon's public sector.

As a State Mediator, you'll play a central role in helping Oregon's employers and employees resolve disputes and strengthen communication through mediation, facilitation, and training.

The Employment Relations Board is a neutral, quasi-judicial agency serving as Oregon's labor law appeals court. We mediate and adjudicate disputes involving approximately 250,000 employees and 3,000 employers, including state agencies, cities, counties, school districts, colleges and universities, special districts, and private employers outside the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board.

Our Conciliation Service helps prevent and resolve disputes and promotes productive labor-management relations statewide.

What You'll Do

As a State Mediator with the ERB, your work will help keep Oregon workplaces functioning smoothly. You will:

• Mediate collective bargaining, contested cases, and other workplace disputes

• Provide customized training and facilitation for interest-based negotiation and collaborative problem solving for labor management committees

• Build relationships with unions, employers, and public officials as a trusted neutral

• Stay current on legal trends and case law to strengthen dispute resolution services

View the position description here.

What We Are Looking For

Minimum Qualifications:

Five years of full-time experience in collective bargaining negotiations or the mediation of collective bargaining impasses; AND a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Relations, Business Administration, Law or related fields; OR three additional years of qualifying experience.

Preference may be given for candidates with experience in the public sector.

Desired Attributes:

We're looking for a candidate who brings:

• Demonstrated experience providing mediation services in labor/employment settings OR playing a lead role in collective bargaining and contract administration

• Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret complex statutes, administrative rules, case law, and collective bargaining agreements to identify relevant issues and guide decision-making or negotiation strategy.

• Demonstrated ability to remain neutral and objective in conflict situations, while exercising empathy, professionalism, and sound judgment when working with opposing parties.

• Demonstrated experience facilitating group problem-solving sessions or negotiations involving sensitive, high-stakes, or adversarial dynamics.

• Demonstrated ability to design, adapt, and deliver training or educational sessions related to labor relations, dispute resolution, or related topics for diverse audiences.

• Demonstrated excellence in verbal and written communication, with the ability to clearly convey complex concepts to a wide range of partners and maintain a professional demeanor in public-facing roles.

How to Apply

Ready to join our team? Here's how to apply:

• External Applicants: Click on the "Apply" link and submit your application. View this video for help.

• Internal Applicants (Current State of Oregon employees): Apply via your employee Workday account. View this knowledge article for help.

• Important Instructions: Attach a current resume and cover letter that clearly demonstrate how you meet the required qualifications. Carefully follow all instructions. Only complete applications received by the posted deadline will be considered.

Benefits of Joining Our Team

At the Employment Relations Board, we're a small, dedicated team with a big impact. As a State Mediator, you'll join a collaborative environment where your expertise is valued, your contributions matter, and your professional growth is supported.

Our amazing benefits include:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Low-cost medical, vision, and dental plans for you and your dependents. Additional option benefits include life insurance, short- and long-term disability, deferred compensation savings plans, and flexible spending accounts for health and childcare.

• Generous Paid Time Off: Enjoy 11 paid holidays, 3 personal business days, and 8 hours of sick leave accrued each month. Vacation leave starts at 10 hours per month and increases with your length of service.

• Retirement: Membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)/Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan (OPSRP).

• Wellness: Resources to support work-life balance, health, and overall satisfaction.

• Career Growth Opportunities: Access to professional development and advancement to build your career with the State of Oregon.

• Get There - Oregon's easy-to-use carpool matching tool and trip planner.

• Student Loan Forgiveness: As a state employee, you may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, helping you achieve financial freedom while making a difference.

Additional Details

• Mobile Work: The employee is required to perform mediation and training work in a variety of locations around the state on a weekly basis. Work trips may be day trips or overnight. When not working in the field, employees may work from an alternate location (e.g. home office) or from the ERB office in Salem. The expectation is for this position to report to the Salem office for staff meetings on a bimonthly (every two months) basis. Terms of mobile work will be discussed and agreed upon with the successful candidate and hiring manager.

• Working Conditions: Irregular hours and extended work days and work weeks on an ongoing basis. Extensive travel to all parts of the state.

• This announcement is for one permanent, full-time, Employment Relations Board Mediator, and is an unrepresented position. This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies.

• Please save a copy of this job announcement for reference, as it is not available for you to view after the announcement deadline. If you have questions about the announcement, or need an alternate format to apply, contact Cassie Graham, cassie.graham@das.oregon.gov, 503-949-6169.

• Finalists will be subject to a computerized criminal history check. Adverse background data may be grounds for immediate disqualification.

• Agency does not offer visa sponsorship. Within three days of hire, applicants will be required to complete I-9 documentation and confirm authorization to work in the United States. If your employment authorization and documentation is contingent on sponsorship now or in the future, you will not meet Agency employment eligibility standards.

• Eligible veterans who meet the qualifications will be given veterans' preference. For more information, please visit Veterans Resources.

Helpful Links & Resources

How to Set Job Alerts | Workday Applicant FAQ | What You Need to Know to Get the Job

Oregon Job Opportunities Webpage | Classification and Compensation | Pay Equity

Come for a job. | Stay for a career. | Make a difference... for a lifetime!

The Employment Relations Board is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer Committed to Workforce Diversity.