Employee Relations Specialist

About the Role The Employee Relations (ER) Specialist is responsible for building strong relationships between employees and managers. The role takes a proactive, strategic approach to employee relations by identifying higher‑level employee relations trends, recommending solutions that address root cause of issue, and partnering with leadership on execution. The role acts as a key partner to the site level Managers in driving employee relations strategies, while maintaining a neutral position. A key component of the role includes maintaining the employee relations function at assigned locations/functions, and following established ELR processes, as well as building manager skill sets. The ER Specialist works directly with leaders, managers and employees to provide advice and coach both parties on all employee relations issues. The role provides strong partnership on performance management, disciplinary processes, legal issues, investigations, conflict management, etc. Work involves assessing and resolving employee relations matters ensuring consistency across client groups and alignment with MiniMed practices. The partner provides a single point of contact for employee relation issues to ensure clear communication and efficiency in resolving matters. The role requires skill, tact, persuasion, judgment, and/or negotiation skills to accomplish objectives. This role works closely with the in‑house legal team, Human Resources Business Partners and the wider Human Resources community and clients to deliver a fair, consistent ER service, both minimizing risk to the business and aligning work to meet business needs. This is a US based role, based out of the San Antonio, TX area and is a daily, on‑site position. Responsibilities may include the following and other duties may be assigned. Provides assigned client group with strong partnership on employee relations matters, identifying trends, recommending solutions, building skill sets, and driving proactive change in the organization. Partners on efforts around building manager ER skill sets to maximize talent. Recommendations proactive employee relations strategies and solutions to progress development of the employee relations function. Analyzes trends in employment practices and recommends appropriate proactive action and training opportunities. Effective case management of people related issues such as: ER issues, disciplinaries, performance management, and investigations. Provides counsel and facilitates prompt and effective resolution of workplace conflict to address issues for employees, managers, and leaders in a manner consistent with Medtronic policies, practices and legal considerations. Utilizes various conflict management techniques, including training, mediation, conflict coaching, etc. Consults and coaches managers/leaders on employee relations, performance management, reorganization/reduction, and organizational effectiveness issues spanning all levels within the organization for assigned locations/functions. Provides advice and counsel to managers and leaders regarding personnel practices, policy, and employment laws. Partners with Legal in conducting investigations, researches policies/practices, creates and gathers documentation, makes determinations and implements resolutions when applicable. Identifies best practices and learning lessons to influence change and improvement in the organization. Proactively reduces Employee Relations related risk through risk assessments and actionable feedback. Conduct training and coaching of managers on skills and techniques. Develops effective relationships with the business to promote good employee relations across the organization. Interacts with HR Business Partners, and other HR functions, to ensure a high level of employee satisfaction & engagement and appropriately plans, facilitates and monitors Employee Programs. Utilizes data to analyze and give visibility to trends and take action. Support Organizational Transformation activities or other functional projects. Supports complex leave and accommodation matters, conducting and supporting interactive calls and documentation as needed. Maintains strict confidentiality throughout conversations and investigations. Manage highly confidential human resources information and exercise sound judgment in handling or working with confidential data and situations. Ensures that the Company operates within current and local employment law, policies and procedures, and applies good practice, creating and sustaining our reputation as a good employer, eg. by advising employees and managers appropriately. Maintains strong business acumen, while maintaining objectivity in work. Bachelors degree with minimum of 2 years of relevant experience, or advanced degree with 0 years of experience. Nice to Have Experience providing partnership with all levels of employees and leaders up to Director level leaders. Experience in leveraging data/metrics to identify trends and proactively address. Demonstrated knowledge of ER procedures and processes. Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office (MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, etc). Working knowledge of ServiceNow, Workday. Bachelor's or master's degree, preferably in Human Resources Management or related field. PHR Certification. Demonstrated excellence in written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrates strength in systems thinking. Solid dispute resolution, negotiation and conflict resolution skills. Demonstrated excellence in organizational skills. Demonstrated ability to solve problems and multi‑task. Demonstrated strengths in listening, fact‑finding, and exploratory skills. Ability to uncover additional information. Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion, as well as maintenance of confidentiality. Demonstrated ability to coach and consult at various levels in the organization. Physical Job Requirements The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this position, but they are not an exhaustive list of all the required responsibilities and skills of this position. The physical demands described within the Responsibilities section of this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. For Office Roles: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to be independently mobile. The employee is also required to interact with a computer and communicate with peers and co‑workers. Contact your manager or local HR to understand the Work Conditions and Physical requirements that may be specific to each role. Benefits & Compensation MiniMed offers a competitive salary and flexible benefits package. Salary ranges for U.S (excl. PR) locations (USD):$68,000.00 - $116,000.00 The base salary range is applicable across the United States, excluding Puerto Rico and specific locations in California. The offered rate complies with federal and local regulations and may vary based on factors such as experience, certification/education, market conditions, and location. Compensation and benefits information pertains solely to candidates hired within the United States (local market compensation and benefits will apply for others). This position is eligible for a short‑term incentive called the Short Term Incentive (STI). At MiniMed, we are committed to supporting the well‑being and financial security of our employees. Regular employees working 20 or more hours per week are eligible for a robust benefits package, including health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as access to a Health Savings Account, Healthcare Flexible Spending Account, life insurance, long‑term disability leave, and a dependent daycare spending account. In addition, all regular employees enjoy incentive plans, a 401(k) plan with company match, short‑term disability coverage, paid time off and holidays, participation in our Employee Stock Purchase Plan, and access to our Employee Assistance Program. Eligible employees may also benefit from our Non‑qualified Retirement Plan Supplement and Capital Accumulation Plan, subject to IRS minimum earnings requirements. Please note that "regular employees" refers to those who are not temporary staff, such as interns, and some benefits may not apply to employees in Puerto Rico. #J-18808-Ljbffr