Employee Relations Specialist

Position Title: Employee Relations Specialist

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SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY

The Employee Relations Specialist is responsible for managing complex employee relations matters, conducting workplace investigations, resolving conflicts, administering unemployment claims and hearings, and supporting compliance with employment laws and organizational policies.

This position serves as a trusted advisor to employees and leaders by providing objective, timely, and confidential guidance. The Employee Relations Specialist promotes a respectful, fair, and accountable workplace while helping the organization identify and mitigate employee relations, compliance, legal, and reputational risks.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong judgment, emotional intelligence, investigative skills, and the ability to manage sensitive matters with professionalism, consistency, and discretion.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Workplace Investigations and Case Management: 30%

• Conduct prompt, thorough, fair, and impartial investigations involving employee complaints, misconduct, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, policy violations, workplace behavior, and other employee relations concerns.
• Develop investigation plans, identify relevant witnesses, conduct interviews, and gather and evaluate evidence.
• Assess credibility and determine whether allegations are substantiated based on the available facts and applicable organizational standards.
• Prepare clear, objective, and fact-based investigation reports, findings, and recommended actions.
• Maintain complete, accurate, confidential investigation and employee relations case files.
• Track assigned cases from intake through resolution and provide appropriate status updates to key stakeholders.
• Coordinate with People and Culture leadership and legal counsel on complex, high-risk, or legally sensitive investigations.
• Identify investigation trends and recommend preventive actions, training, or policy improvements.
• Protect the integrity and confidentiality of the investigation process.

Conflict Resolution and Employee Relations: 25%

• Serve as a primary point of contact for employee complaints, workplace conflicts, and employee relations concerns.
• Provide employees and leaders with timely, objective, and confidential guidance.
• Facilitate difficult conversations and help employees and managers reach appropriate workplace resolutions.
• Coach managers on effective communication, conflict management, conduct expectations, performance concerns, and consistent policy application.
• Recommend appropriate interventions, including facilitated conversations, mediation, coaching, corrective action, or referral to another organizational resource.
• Help resolve employee concerns before they escalated into formal complaints or legal disputes.
• Promote a respectful and professional workplace by addressing concerns promptly and consistently.
• Identify recurring workplace issues and recommend preventive or corrective actions.
• Escalate safety concerns, threats, potential legal violations, or significant organizational risks immediately.

Unemployment Claims and Hearings: 15%

• Manage unemployment claims, agency requests for information, appeals, and hearing preparation.
• Review employee records and gather relevant documentation to support the organization’s response to unemployment claims.
• Prepare position statements, timelines, exhibits, and other materials required for unemployment proceedings.
• Coordinate with managers, witnesses, third-party administrators, and People and Culture leadership before unemployment hearings.
• Prepare organizational representatives and witnesses for unemployment hearings.
• Represent the organization during unemployment hearings when authorized.
• Monitor submission deadlines, hearing dates, decisions, and appeal opportunities.
• Maintain accurate and confidential unemployment claim and hearing records.
• Review unemployment decisions and recommend whether additional action or appeal should be considered.
• Analyze claims and hearing outcomes to identify trends, documentation gaps, and opportunities to reduce organizational risk and unemployment costs.

Compliance and Policy Administration: 15%

• Interpret and administer People and Culture policies consistently across departments and locations.
• Support compliance with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Monitor changes in employment requirements and communicate relevant updates to People and Culture leadership.
• Assist with the development, review, revision, communication, and implementation of employment policies and procedures.
• Support internal compliance reviews, audits, reporting, recordkeeping, and document-retention requirements.
• Review employee relations practices and documentation for alignment with organizational policies and established procedures.
• Identify potential legal, regulatory, financial, safety, or reputational risks and elevate concerns appropriately.
• Coordinate with People and Culture leadership and legal counsel on complex compliance matters.
• Help ensure employment decisions are based on legitimate, job-related, and consistently applied standards.

Performance Management and Corrective Action: 10%

• Coach managers on establishing performance expectations, providing feedback, documenting concerns, and addressing attendance, conduct or performance issues.
• Review performance improvement plans, written warnings, final warnings, and other corrective action documents for clarity, consistency, and completeness.
• Assist managers in preparing for difficult performance, disciplinary, and separation conversations.
• Evaluate supporting documentation and identify potential inconsistencies or employee relations risks.
• Participate in termination reviews and separation meetings as assigned.
• Help ensure corrective actions are timely, appropriately documented, and aligned with organizational practices.
• Recommend alternatives to corrective action when coaching, training, accommodations, or other interventions may be appropriate.

Training, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement: 5%

• Develop and deliver training on workplace investigations, respectful workplace expectations, conflict resolution, performance management, corrective action, documentation, and policy compliance.
• Analyze employee relations data to identify recurring issues, emerging risks, and opportunities for organizational improvement.
• Prepare employee relations reports and presentations for People and Culture leadership while protecting employee confidentiality.
• Recommend manager education, policy changes, communication strategies, or process improvements based on case trends.
• Participate in People and Culture programs that support employee engagement, retention, accountability, and workplace culture.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Just For You:

• Career advancement.

• Engaging and exciting opportunity to SAVE LIVES.

Tips to thrive in our culture:

• Embody our Core Values of Commitment, Integrity, and Respect

• Work to actively create experiences that inspire others to save lives, each and every day.

• Embrace doing it right, making connections, and creating desired experiences.

• Comply with all organizational policies and standards, including safety rules, and be willing to report actual and potential violations to the appropriate supervisor or manager.

We need someone who has:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, organizational development, psychology, labor relations, or a related field.

Experience

• Five to seven years of progressive human resources experience, including significant responsibility for employee relations, workplace investigations, conflict resolution, compliance, and performance management.
• Demonstrated experience independently conducting complex workplace investigations.
• Experience managing unemployment claims, appeals, and hearing preparation.
• Experience participating in or representing an organization during unemployment hearings.
• Working knowledge of applicable federal and state employment laws and sound employee relations practices.
• Experience advising leaders on employee complaints, performance concerns, workplace conduct, attendance, corrective action, and employment separations.
• Strong interviewing, fact-finding, documentation, analytical, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear, concise, and objective investigation reports.
• Ability to interpret policies and apply organizational standards consistently.
• Ability to manage multiple confidential and time-sensitive cases.
• Ability to remain objective, professional, and composed during complex or emotionally charged situations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, human resources information systems, and case-management or recordkeeping tools.

We prefer:

• Professional certification such as PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP.
• Formal training or certification in workplace investigations, mediation, conflict resolution, or employee relations.
• Experience working in a healthcare, nonprofit, operational, regulated, or multi-location organization.
• Experience using an employee relations case-management system.
• Experience analyzing employee relations data and preparing leadership reports.
• Bilingual English and Spanish communication skills.
• Experience developing and delivering training for employees and managers.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands:

Work Environment

• Hybrid (combination of in-office and remote work)

Physical Requirements

• Sitting, standing, lifting requirements if applicable

Travel

• Occasional off-site visits to regional offices

• Schedule: Standard business hours, Monday – Friday.

Who We Are:

Since 1975, Gulf Coast Blood has been one of the nation’s largest community blood centers, serving 170 hospitals across 26 counties. Headquartered in Houston, we support the world’s largest medical complex—the Texas Medical Center—while operating 18 donor centers and hosting more than 7,000 mobile blood drives each year. As an FDA‑accredited nonprofit, we provide high‑quality human cellular material for both scientific and therapeutic use.

Some Jobs Change Lives. Others Save Them.

Think you have what it takes to save lives with us? We want to hear from you.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER STATEMENT

Gulf Coast Blood is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants for positions are considered without regard to race/ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, military status, protected veteran status, disability status, genetic testing results, or any other basis or characteristic prohibited by applicable law, statute, regulation or Executive Order.