Manager, Workforce Planning and Employee Development

Posting number: 2026-00265

Department: Environmental Services

Division: Training & Program Support

Job classification: Manager, Workforce Planning and Employee Development

Posting type: Open & Promotional

Categories: Administration

Summary

We are the Metropolitan Council, the regional government for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. We plan 30 years ahead for the future of the metropolitan area and provide regional transportation, wastewater, and housing services. More information about us is on our website.

We are committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve. 

Join an award-winning wastewater industry leader in protecting our environment! Environmental Services (ES) operates and maintains the wastewater collection and treatment system in the Twin Cities metropolitan region.  It also provides coordinated long-range water resources and supply planning, and air and water quality monitoring to meet future needs. ES treatment plants consistently earn state and national awards for complete compliance with their environmental permits. ES received a Governor’s Award as a Great Place to Work. 

To find out more about the Environmental Services division, please click on the link for more information: https://metrocouncil.org/Wastewater-Water.aspx.

How your work would contribute to our organization and the Twin Cities region:

The Workforce Planning & Employee Development Manager manages Environmental Services workforce planning, employee development, technical training, workforce analytics, and related program administration activities that support the full employee lifecycle. Leads staff and cross-functional teams to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate strategies that ensure a skilled, prepared, and sustainable Environmental Services workforce.

Partners with Environmental Services leadership, Human Resources, Learning and Organizational Development, Talent Acquisition, Labor Relations, Finance, Performance Excellence and Analytics, community organizations, learning institutions, industry partners, and other internal and external stakeholders. Work includes establishing workforce planning and training program governance, analyzing workforce and operational data, managing technical training and learning systems, developing actionable reports and dashboards, overseeing budgets and contracts, and providing consultation on workforce needs, skill development, career pathways, and knowledge transfer systems

Examples of duties

1. Lead data-informed workforce planning and employee development strategies.

• Develop workforce strategies that support Environmental Services operational needs, recruitment support, technical skill development, employee development, and long-term workforce sustainability.
• Work with division leadership, managers, employees, partner departments, and community members to identify organizational strengths, workforce gaps, operational risks, and opportunities.
• Analyze internal data, marketplace trends, turnover data, regional demographics, recruitment-to-hire timelines, skill development needs, and operational workforce information to identify gaps and recommend solutions.
• Partner with Environmental Services business units to implement workforce strategies that align with business needs, operational priorities, equity and inclusion goals, and employee-centered outcomes.
• Provide advice and consultation to management on workforce recruitment, skill development, training needs, career pathways, and long-term workforce planning.
• Identify, develop, or procure training and development opportunities that grow employee skills, support performance, and respond to emerging shifts in the regional workforce.

2. Manage workforce technical training and learning systems.

• Provide direction to teams responsible for creating and maintaining Environmental Services workplace systems that grow technical skills, support job performance, and foster the division as a learning organization.
• Create and execute initiatives and divisional programs that provide staff with professional growth opportunities, including training for plant operators, operator trainees, and technical staff.
• Collaborate with internal departments to align employee skill development, onboarding, career pathway development, knowledge transfer, and knowledg