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Business Operations

Human Resources Manager

Plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization.

Annual openings

351

Median wage

$166,400

Typical education

A minimum of a Bachelor's degree plus work experience

Growth 2026–2032

+11%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

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Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

A minimum of a Bachelor's degree plus work experience

Credential requirement

No certification is required for this job. However, some employers value HR certifications from organizations such as the Society of Human Resource Management.

Work experience

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. Work experience as a Supervisor is highly valued.

Employer competency information

Feedback from employers identifies the following competencies as being critical to support a successful move up to the Manager level

  • Planning & Organizing — Plan and organize the successful completion of tasks and projects for multiple teams; set expectations for team members and hold them accountable.
  • Personnel & Human Resources and Interpersonal Skills — Understand behaviors (Psychology) of team members; motivate, empower and get a diverse team to work well together; lead and manage staff; deal with others with fairness and integrity; and hire and fill skills gaps effectively.
  • Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, & Decision Making — Continue to elevate these skills for use in activities that cross teams, including strategic thinking and vision setting across an organization.
This was identified by Glassdoor as one of the 15 best jobs in America for 2018.
The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) (www.shrm.org) has additional information on HR jobs, competencies, and career development activities.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Automation exposure

Low exposure

Tasks here lean on judgement and people skills that are hard to automate.

A typical day

  1. Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems.
  2. Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
  3. Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures.
  4. Represent organization at personnel-related hearings and investigations.
  5. Negotiate bargaining agreements and help interpret labor contracts.
  6. Advise managers on organizational policy matters, such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes.
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