Employee Relations Manager

Employee Relations Manager

The Employee Relations Manager serves as a trusted advisor leading and managing all aspects of employee relations ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant employee relations practices across the organization. This role supports a positive workplace culture aligned with the organization's mission and values. The Employee Relations Manager leads investigations, manages conflict resolution, ensures compliance with local, state, and federal employment laws, and partners with management to proactively address employee concerns.

The Employee Relations Manager must demonstrate exceptional judgment, confidentiality, and the ability to operate with independence in complex and sensitive situations, while maintaining a consistent commitment to equity, due process, and organizational integrity.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee relations matters, including complaints, workplace conflicts, performance concerns, and disciplinary actions.
• Conduct prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations into employee complaints, including allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, misconduct, and policy violations.
• Prepare investigation summaries, documentation, and recommended outcomes in compliance with legal and organizational standards.
• Partner with management to implement corrective actions and monitor follow-through.
• Ensure organizational compliance with NYC, NYS, and federal labor and employment laws, including but not limited to, NYC Human Rights Law, NYS Labor Law, Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, Fair Workweek Law (as applicable)
• Collaborate with the VP of People & Culture and legal counsel on complex employee relations issues and investigations.
• Maintain confidential employee relations records in accordance with best practices and retention requirements.
• Develop, review, and update employee relations policies, procedures, and handbooks in alignment with legal requirements and nonprofit best practices.
• Ensure consistent application of policies across departments and programs.
• Guide managers on progressive discipline, performance management, and corrective action processes.
• Coach leaders on managing performance challenges while upholding organizational values and legal obligations.
• Design and deliver manager and supervisor training on topics including progressive discipline, workplace investigations, harassment prevention, documentation standards, and legal compliance.
• Facilitate mandatory harassment prevention training in compliance with NYS and NYC requirements
• Support change management initiatives by addressing employee concerns and reducing workplace risk.
• Promote a workplace culture rooted in respect, fairness, accountability, and inclusion.
• Partner with the VP of People & Culture to analyze and identify systemic trends in employee relations data and recommend proactive strategies to reduce organizational risk and improve employee engagement and retention.
• Facilitate mediation and conflict resolution between employees and/or between employees and management when informal resolution is appropriate.
• Manage the voluntary separation process, including exit interviews, separation agreements, and departure documentation.
• Mitigate legal risk to the organization through conducting regular audits [quarterly at minimum], proactive training and education, clear systems and processes for managing conflicts with and between employees, handling and investigating complaints of harassment/discrimination and other unjust practice allegations.
• Exhibit extensive knowledge and ensure compliance with local, state, and federal laws regarding employment practices, organizational policies and procedures.
• Collaborate with HR team members on other departmental compliance audits, special projects and initiatives when needed.
• Collaborate closely with the HR team, including Recruiters and HR Specialists, to ensure seamless coordination on onboarding, offboarding, and LOA administration.
• Irrespective of responsibility, serve as backup support in Human Resources and Recruitment where needed to meet business demands and needs.
• Maintain an environment of positive employee relations by maintaining confidentiality, establishing trust and credibility, being approachable and fair, balancing business needs with employee needs, and spending significant time interfacing directly with employees and managers.
• Contributes to the overall success of the organization by performing all other duties and responsibilities as assigned by supervisor or designee and being able to pivot with ever-changing priorities and newly added job-related responsibilities that arise based on business changes, needs, and demands.

Position Parameters [other measurable factors]

• Decision-making responsibilities :
  • Decisions generally include management and coordination of employee relations, and other Human Resources related concerns.
  • Strong analytic skills and ability to rapidly assimilate complex information.
  • Positive influencing skills with the ability to generate support and build consensus.
• Problem solving responsibility :
  • Must be able to identify and anticipate any issue through research and propose the resolution.
  • Should possess a thorough understanding of industry requirements and transactions or related experience and all related departments' roles in such transactions.
  • Creativity and an out of the box approach are required to improve all areas of responsibility.
  • Exceptional consulting skills with the ability to probe and actively listen to gain understanding and help clarify inquiries, needs, and/or root cause of an issue.
• Working relationships and contacts :
  • Strong strategic thinking and influence skills, with the ability to build trust and alignment across executive leadership, senior leadership, middle management, and broader organizational teams.
  • Interact with other departments or divisions to ensure cooperation and the delivery of proper services.
  • Strong interpersonal skills necessary to work with in-house or outside counsel and/or regulators.
  • A friendly, engaging personality a plus to work with internal departments to research and resolve employee relations challenges.
  • Must be able to present and explain documentation to senior management and management.
• Impact/importance of function :
  • Demonstrated critical ability to maintain accurate Human Resources records, facilitate and conduct activities around the organization's employee relations matters with an ultimate resolution while staying within regulatory guidelines to prevent risk in employment standards and practices, as well as reputational risk.
  • Develops functional and practical human resources strategies that align with organizational objectives by contributing information, analysis, and making beneficial recommendations of policies, and procedures to senior management, department heads, colleagues, and other stakeholders.

Position Requirements and Minimum Qualifications

• Licenses, certifications, degrees, and job-related knowledge :
  • Bachelor's degree in human resources management, business management, or related field is required. Master's degree is strongly preferred.
  • At least six (6) years of direct progressive employee relations experience is required, including at least four (4) years of direct management of employee relations.
  • Professional certification (e.g., SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR) is a plus.
  • Demonstrated experience conducting complex workplace investigations.
  • Extensive expertise and in-depth understanding in Human Resources processes and policies.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of employment law and regulatory compliance, risk management, classification, job analysis, job evaluation, development of and application of policies and procedures, management and audit of systems and records, and communications.
  • Direct work experience in and knowledge of nonprofit organizational operations and governmental contract knowledge is strongly preferred.
  • Knowledge of relevant employment laws, including but not limited to labor law covering Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Labor [state and federal], New York Human Rights Law [state and local], Equal Pay Act (EPA), and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) is a plus.
  • Proven ability to align employee relations strategies with organizational goals.
  • Deep understanding of the principles and functionalities of a HRIS system, including the ability to analyze data, manage system configurations, implement new features and leverage the system to optimize processes.
  • Excellent business judgment and willingness to learn new practice areas.
  • Proficiency in documenting processes and keeping up with industry trends. Non-profit environment experience is a strong plus, to understand and be able to work within budgetary constraints.

• Job-related skills, including language, mathematical, and reasoning (analytical) skills :
  • Unquestionable personal integrity, fairness, and credibility, and the ability to gain the trust of employees at all levels.
  • Must demonstrate an unwavering commitment to professional ethics, discretion, confidentiality in all internal and external interactions and information, and supervising employees and consulting with management.
  • Acts as a key representative of the organization, consistently exhibiting a polished demeanor, exceptional judgment, and a proactive, solution-oriented approach.