Director, Employee Relations

Job Summary:

The Director, Employee Relations serves as a strategic HR leader and trusted advisor to executive leaders, HR Business Partners, Legal, Compliance, and HR Centers of Excellence. This role establishes and leads the enterprise employee relations strategy, governance framework, and standard practices to ensure consistent, compliant, and effective resolution of workplace matters across the organization.

The Director provides guidance on complex, high-risk, and precedent-setting employee relations matters; strengthens leader capability; advances talent, organizational effectiveness, engagement, performance, and change management initiatives; and uses data-driven insights to support a positive, accountable, and high-performing work environment.

Essential Functions: Establish and lead the enterprise employee relations strategy, governance framework, escalation model, and standard practices to ensure consistent, compliant, and effective resolution of workplace matters across the organization.

Provide strategic employee relations leadership and guidance to executive leaders, business leaders, HR Business Partners, and Centers of Excellence to align employee relations strategies with business objectives.

Develop and implement proactive employee relations strategies, practices, and risk mitigation plans that foster a fair, respectful, compliant, and positive work environment.

Independently advise on and resolve complex employee relations matters with sound judgment, discretion, urgency, and the ability to operate effectively in ambiguous situations.

Serve as a senior advisor on high-risk, complex, and precedent-setting employee relations matters, partnering with Legal, Compliance, HR leadership, and business executives to mitigate risk and support sound decision-making.

Oversee thorough, timely, and well-documented investigations; assess findings, identify root causes, and recommend appropriate next steps.

Provide leadership and oversight for policy interpretation, performance management, performance standards, and accountability practices to ensure consistency across departments and alignment with enterprise objectives.

Build leader and Employee Relations team capability by providing coaching, tools, and guidance for routine employee issues, clear communications, documentation, and consistent ER practices.

Collaborate with business leaders to understand organizational challenges, assess talent and workforce needs, and develop actionable plans that support organizational effectiveness and growth.

Partner with the HR Business Partners and Leadership to drive employee engagement action planning initiatives.

Partner with HR Business Partners and Centers of Excellence to drive change management, adoption, and communication efforts for key functional and enterprise initiatives.

Analyze employee relations trends, engagement metrics, exit data, HR metrics, and case activity to identify insights, guide decision-making, and recommend practical solutions.

Own employee relations dashboards, case trend reporting, investigation timeliness metrics, leader capability insights, and other key measures to assess effectiveness, identify risks, and drive continuous improvement.

Lead the review, development, and standardization of employee relations policies, procedures, templates, and documentation practices to promote consistency, compliance, and operational excellence.

Design, update, and deliver employee relations training for leaders and employees at all levels to strengthen leadership capability, consistency, and compliance.

Lead, coach, and develop Employee Relations team members or cross-functional partners, as applicable, to ensure consistent execution, strong service delivery, and ongoing capability development.

Ensure employment practices comply with applicable federal and state employment laws and support organizational policies, procedures, and risk mitigation expectations.

Utilize authorized AI-enabled tools to enhance communications, documentation, workflow efficiency, and employee relations processes while maintaining confidentiality, compliance, and sound judgment.

Perform any other job related duties as requested.

• Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management or a related field required
• Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Management or a related field preferred
• Equivalent years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of required education
• Seven (7) years to ten (10) years of progressive Human Resources experience, including five (5) years of managing complex employee relations matters across multiple levels required
• Three (3) years of leadership experience required

Experience leading an employee relations function, governance model, or enterprise-wide employee relations program, including partnership with HR centers of excellence, senior leaders, and executive stakeholders required

Experience partnering with Legal and Compliance on complex investigations, policy interpretation, regulatory matters, and risk mitigation strategies required

Experience leading or supporting organization change initiatives, employee engagement strategies, enterprise-wide programs, and mergers and acquisitions preferred

Experiencing using HR information systems, data analytics, and authorized AI-enabled tools to support employee communications, documentation, workflow efficiency, and process improvement preferred

Competencies, Knowledge and Skills: Strong strategic HR leadership skills with the ability to align employee relations, talent, engagement, and organizational effectiveness strategies to business objectives

• Executive presence and the ability to build trust, influence decisions, and collaborate effectively with leaders at all levels, including senior executives
• Excellent written, oral, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex and sensitive information clearly and professionally
• Up-to-date knowledge of employment laws, workplace trends, employee relations best practices, and compliance requirements across multiple states
• Strong critical thinking, judgment, decision-making, conflict management, investigation, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, manage sensitive and complex employee relations matters, and maintain professionalism, discretion, confidentiality, and emotional self-control

Demonstrated ability to coach leaders, strengthen manager capability, and provide practical tools and guidance for effective employee communications, documentation, and performance management

• Ability to analyze HR metrics, employee relations trends, engagement data, and workforce insights to make data-informed recommendations
• Ability to establish governance standards, define measurable outcomes, and use ER analytics to influence executive decisions and improve organizational outcomes
• Strong organizational, time management, multitasking, and prioritization skills with keen attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment, while cultivating effective partnerships across HR, business groups, and Centers of Excellence
• Ability to design and facilitate employee relations, leadership, and HR-related training for audiences at all organizational levels
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; working knowledge of Workday, Copilot, and other approved AI-enabled tools preferred
• Commitment to providing exceptional service to internal stakeholders and employees while supporting a fair, respectful, and inclusive workplace culture
• Licensure and Certification: None
• Working Conditions: General office environment; may be required to sit or stand for extended periods of time
• Travel is not typically required