Associate, Employee Relations Specialist

SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history, SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services, including banking, leasing, securities, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Group has more than 130 offices and 80,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges.

In the Americas, SMBC Group has a presence in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Backed by the capital strength of SMBC Group and the value of its relationships in Asia, the Group offers a range of commercial and investment banking services to its corporate, institutional, and municipal clients. It connects a diverse client base to local markets and the organization’s extensive global network. The Group’s operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SMBC Capital Markets, Inc., SMBC MANUBANK, JRI America, Inc., SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc., Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A., and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd.

The anticipated salary range for this role is between $80,000.00 and $120,000.00. The specific salary offered to an applicant will be based on their individual qualifications, experiences, and an analysis of the current compensation paid in their geography and the market for similar roles at the time of hire. The role may also be eligible for an annual discretionary incentive award. In addition to cash compensation, SMBC offers a competitive portfolio of benefits to its employees.

Role Description

As SMBC Americas has grown in size and impact as an organization, so have the needs of our expanding Employee Relations team to support the organization and our employees with fairness, consistency, and discretion.  Within HR, Employee Relations serves as a partner to our HR Business Partner function as well as to Legal Department with regards to all matters of employee relations. The individual in this role would act as a subject matter expert and leverage a combined expert knowledge of HR practices, policies and procedures, and knowledge of the Bank’s various business lines and subsidiary companies, day-to-day operations, systems, and technology to provide timely, efficient, innovative, and value-added resolutions on serious and high-risk employment related issues and concerns.  This role would lead strategic and tactical efforts across all aspects of Employee Relations at the combined U.S. Operations level.

Responsibilities:

• Conducts and facilitates complex, sensitive, and time-critical investigations, in consultation with Legal and HR Business partners, as needed.  Sources and reviews related documents.  Documents investigative path, recommendations, and resolution.  Writes thorough investigative summaries in a clear, concise, and legally defensible manner.
• Serves as objective third party, engages relevant stakeholders, provides trusted advice, and recommends remedial measures, as appropriate.
• Works closely with cross-functional HR partners as well as partners in the business, i.e. IT Security, Risk, Compliance, Audit and Legal, as needed.
• Ensures fair and consistent employment practices are in place and being followed; may provide large scale or 1:1 training as appropriate.
• Reviews and revises employee handbooks with an eye towards clarifying policies, updating legal changes, and alignment.  
• Creates training materials and delivers training on HR and ER related topics, both large scale and 1:1 training, as appropriate.
• Designs, delivers, and executes large-scale projects or initiatives that involve new policy/programs, HR tools and training to promote positive management practices across the enterprise.
• Conducts research and benchmarking related to projects, initiatives, and process improvements to drive positive employee relations and management practice.
• Analyzes data to identify trends; recommends remedial actions.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of HR Business Partner and/or HR investigation experience. 
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Excellent strategic and tactical investigation skills.
• High influencing, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Works well in a complex, matrixed environment.  Experience working with multiple partner groups including but not limited to Legal and Compliance professionals.
• Strong writing, analytical, and relationship management skills.
• Solutions driven and customer service oriented.
• Experience with the financial services business model a plus.
• Demonstrates the highest of stand