Employee Relations Manager

As a thought-leader and best-in-class provider in education, wellness, youth development, and community-building, The YMCA of Metro Atlanta is one of the oldest and most essential non-profits serving in Atlanta. Today, we’re looking for you to join us as we carry out our mission to positively impact lives and communities across the state. 

At the Y, we’re an association of like-minded people (staff, volunteers, and members), on the forefront of a movement to ensure that everyone -- especially children -- experience an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. In the course of a year, we provide more than 3,000 children, ages 6 weeks through Pre-K with high-quality literacy and STEAM-infused learning; give 58,000 youth and teens access to sports, aquatics, day and resident camps, teen leadership development programs, and employment opportunities; provide over 200,000 members with programs, services, and facilities to enjoy connection and maintain wellness regardless of age; and engage over 25,000 volunteers and donors from across Atlanta to share in the gift of supporting their communities.

 

NATURE AND SCOPE:  

Reporting directly to the Vice President of Human Resources, the Employee Relations (ER) Manager serves as a strategic partner and subject matter expert assisting and guiding YMCA Early Learning managers and employees on a broad range of HR policies, programs, and practices across a decentralized organization.  The successful ER Manager will manage and build value-based relationships with managers and employees and be seen as a trusted consultant.  Working in close partnership across the internal functions and teams, the ER Manager will help to maintain a positive climate by proactively providing guidance to managers and responding to inquiries. In consultation with the VP of HR, this role will oversee the resolution of complex HR issues, support policy development, and provide actionable insights to enhance employee relations. 

RESPONSIBILITIES (including, but not limited to):  

• Build and maintain trusted partnerships with managers and employees, serving as an advisor on HR policies, programs, and practices – referring managers and employees to HR COEs when applicable.  
• Own and manage employee relations matters with a high sense of urgency, document all findings from investigations, and consult with management on recommendations for employment action based upon findings.   
• Create and maintain required documentation including intake and investigation notes, supporting documents and final reports and/or evidence of action taken. 
• Serve as a trusted advisor to consult on corrective action matters. Review corrective action entries into HCM system (Workday) and coach management on corrective action best practices and compliance with internal procedures.     
• Serve as a key resource to management by highlighting key trends in employee relations to help improve the employee experience and actively drive process improvement.   
• Collaborate with the HR team to provide metrics to assess where action can be taken to mitigate risk and improve overall employee experience.   
• Partner with the HR team to ensure HR training compliance.   
• Serve as a facilitator of HR onboarding, including New Hire Orientation.  
• Serve as a subject matter expert and resource for Early Learning HR policies and practices, ensuring compliance to state and federal laws, Head Start Performance Standards, and company HR operating procedures.  
• Update and revisions to policies in partnership with the Vice President of HR.  
• Manage the unemployment claims process for assigned centers, including completing initial requests for information before deadlines and filing timely appeals.   
• Utilize HR confidential case management systems and redirects managers and employees to HR intake systems.  Provides superior employee experience support and adherence to SLAs.   
• Partner with on-site liaisons and members of the HR team to ensure compliance across multiple areas, including, but not limited to, employee file compliance as well as Federal, State, and Local compliance posting requirements.  
• Support organizational initiatives to improve employee engagement, retention, and overall HR service delivery.  

REQUIREMENTS:  

• Bachelor’s degree in HR or related degree or applicable job experience in post-employment HR  
• Minimum of 3+ years of experience in Human Resources, including experience as an independent problem solver handling all employee relation matters  
• Must have the ability to handle confid