Director, Employee Relations

Job Description Summary

Responsible for facilitating employee relations and resolving human resources issues on behalf of the company, including workplace safety and comfort, the handling of employee complaints, relocation of employees, employee assistance (e.g., helping employees with medical issues including stress), and the handling of special occasions. Will also advise on contractual issues.

Job Description

The Director of Employee Relations serves as the strategic leader of our Employee Relations function, guiding a team that manages complex employee relations matters and conducts high‑impact investigations. In this role, you will shape and implement policies, processes, and strategies that enhance the employee and manager experience, strengthen organizational culture, reduce risk, and enable business performance.
As a key leader within our centralized, neutral, and insights‑driven center of excellence, you will oversee an integrated employee relations model—bringing together case management, performance and conduct support, investigations, policy governance, and manager enablement into a cohesive, best‑in‑class function.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Employee Relations Leadership

• Serve as the escalation point for complex or high-risk employee relations cases.

• Guide ER managers and supervisors to ensure consistent, compliant, and values-aligned case resolution.

• Partner with senior leaders on sensitive workforce issues and ER strategy.

Strategy and Policy Development

• Develop and execute ER strategies aligned with organizational objectives.

• Establish and maintain policies and frameworks that ensure compliance and consistency.

• Monitor legal and regulatory changes impacting employee relations.

Organizational Capability and Team Leadership

• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing ER team.

• Set performance expectations and hold leaders accountable for outcomes.

• Identify capability gaps and implement development plans.

Business and Operational Management

• Oversee ER operations, metrics, and continuous improvement efforts.

• Ensure effective case management, risk mitigation, and root-cause analysis.

• Manage resources, priorities, and workload distribution.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Balance competing stakeholder needs with fairness and sound judgment.

• Deliver clear, credible guidance on employee relations matters.

• Build trusted relationships across HR, Legal, and business leadership.

• Partner closely with the legal team to ensure Employee Relations policies, practices, and case resolutions are compliant with federal, state, and local employment laws, while proactively mitigating organizational risk.

• Exercise sound judgment to identify and promptly escalate high-risk cases, such as those involving potential discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or significant legal exposure to legal for guidance.

Skills and Competencies

• Uses deep understanding of the business and industry to guide decisions and advance organizational goals.

• Anticipates future needs and creates forward-looking strategies that support long-term success.

• Considers and integrates diverse stakeholder needs to achieve fair, ethical, and effective outcomes.

• Holds self and others accountable for delivering results and meeting commitments.

• Breaks down complex or ambiguous situations to identify clear and practical solutions.

• Plans and prioritizes work to keep teams aligned with strategic objectives.

• Addresses conflict constructively and guides parties toward productive resolution.

• Communicates persuasive, well-reasoned recommendations that influence decisions and outcomes.

• Tailors communication to ensure clarity, understanding, and alignment across audiences.

• Builds strong, collaborative teams that leverage diverse strengths.

• Motivates and engages others to contribute their best toward shared goals.

• Develops talent through coaching, feedback, and meaningful growth opportunities.

• Demonstrates interpersonal awareness and adapts approach to different individuals.

• Adjusts leadership style and tactics in response to changing situations.

• Continuously improves processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

• Clearly articulates complex information in a way that drives understanding and action.