Director, Employee Relations & Labor Relations - Americas region

Work Schedule

First Shift (Days)

Environmental Conditions

Office

Job Description

As a member of the Culture and Colleague Engagement platform, the ER/LR Director will be responsible for advising on and conducting sensitive investigations of potential policy and/or Code of Conduct violations, managing and developing Employee Relations Advisors, ensuring consistent high quality case management, as well as, leading initiatives to strengthen culture programs focusing on ethical business practices across the North America and LATAM regions.

This role will also lead the Americas Labor Relations strategy across union and non-union environments, including collective bargaining negotiations, labor risk assessment, union avoidance initiatives, campaign management, and proactive employee engagement strategies designed to support a positive and legally compliant workplace culture.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop a team of Employee Relations Advisors who work across business groups to assist HR Partners and managers in resolving employee relations issues in the workplace
• Investigate complex, high-risk, or sensitive employee relations cases and actively oversee ER Advisors’ workload to ensure ER case management is consistently of high quality and efficiency
• Provide expertise and consultation to HR Partners on ways to address employee behavior and performance concerns, including assisting on the development and delivery of appropriate feedback or corrective action that aligns with company values and processes
• Interpret and apply understanding of company employment policies and practices to provide advice, guidance, or clarification on employee relations matters
• Analyze ER data, highlight key trends and provide insights that lead to the formulation of recommendations that drive positive employee relations programs and process improvements
• Facilitate investigation training and other ER training initiatives to deliver best practice investigation tools and knowledge to the North America and LATAM HR teams.
• Provide thought leadership on embedding a true continuous performance improvement culture, including review and management of updates to Performance Improvement Program procedures and associated supporting PIP plan materials to include Manager and HR training materials.
• Develop and execute labor relations strategies aligned with business objectives, operational priorities, and organizational culture across unionized and union-vulnerable environments.
• Lead collective bargaining negotiations, including preparation, bargaining strategy development, economic analysis, and proposal development.

• Partner with business leaders, Legal, HR, and Operations to assess labor relations risk and develop mitigation strategies related to organizing activity, workforce changes, restructuring, and operational decisions.

• Provide strategic guidance and leadership during union organizing efforts and other labor-related activities while ensuring compliance with applicable labor laws.

• Design and implement proactive union avoidance and positive employee relations strategies that strengthen organizational culture, leadership effectiveness, and employee trust.

• Provide oversight and support to site HR/LR leaders in matters such as grievance management, arbitration preparation, and dispute resolution processes in partnership with Legal and operational leadership.

• Monitor labor relations trends, legislative developments, and external labor market activity to proactively advise leadership on emerging risks and opportunities.

• Develop and facilitate labor relations training for HR, managers, and business leaders focused on lawful employee communications, labor risk mitigation, and effective workforce management practices.

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience supporting Employee Relations efforts in a matrixed organization
• Expert level applied knowledge of employee relations issues (including performance management), risk management practices, and investigative practices
• Proven ability to develop and manage a high performing team
• Extensive experience conducting and managing investigations into workplace complaints
• Experience identifying and resolving complex issues while assuming leadership roles in ambiguous or unfamiliar situations
• Demonstrated ability to collaboratively work with multiple internal stakeholders, including internal/external counsel, HR partners, compliance, internal audit, and other business leaders to develop and implement sound, balanced, and thorough solutions aligned with our cultural values.
• Exceptional analytical skills: comfortable working with large amounts of