Employee Relations Specialist

Employee Relations Specialist Woda Cooper Companies, Inc. is a rapidly growing development, construction, and property management organization dedicated to the creation of quality affordable housing to benefit those who need it most. We are an employee-owned, passion-driven group that changes each community of which we are a part. We manage over 16,000 housing units in 18 states, proudly serving seniors, veterans, and other economically challenged groups. We seek ambitious, talented individuals who want to grow with a rapidly expanding company whose success is not only measured in dollars and cents, but in lives changed. With a development portfolio of $1.5 billion, Woda Cooper consistently ranks among the top affordable housing developers and owners in the country by Affordable Housing Finance. Position Summary The Employee Relations Specialist is responsible for promoting a respectful, compliant, and high-performing workplace by building strong relationships between employees and management. This position is responsible for a range of employee relations matters—including conflict resolution, employee disciplinary action, and investigations—while fostering open communication and consistent application of company policies. Who You'll Report To You will be reporting to the Employee Relations Manager. What You'll Own Serves as the initial contact and liaison for intake and assessment of employee complaints, concerns, and workplace issues. Writes and reviews Corrective Actions and Performance Improvement Plans; advises and coordinates with managers on implementation of disciplinary action; tracks all open issues; follows up with managers throughout disciplinary process; serves as mediator as needed for employee interpersonal issues. Provides guidance to managers and employees on Company policies, performance expectations, and conflict resolution. Assists Employee Relations Manager with workplace investigations; requests statements, conducts interviews and gathers information for employee relations matters such as harassment allegations, work complaints, or other concerns. Provides relevant personnel information to internal Legal department and outside counsel as needed to assist with subpoenas, lawsuits, and responses to claims against the Company. Unemployment: Responds to separation requests; tracks all claims and appeals; writes appeal letters; prepares background information, notifies and prepares relevant witnesses, and attends unemployment appeal hearings to advocate on behalf of the Company; manages each state’s UI SIDES portal; reports fraudulent unemployment claims to relevant state agencies. Creates training materials and coaches managers on handling employee performance, conduct, and interpersonal issues; provides feedback to senior leadership about managers. Backup for onboarding, benefits, leaves of absence, recruiting, and worker’s compensation as needed. All other duties as assigned. Who You Are Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Excellent interpersonal, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills. Excellent time management skills with the proven ability to meet deadlines. Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills. Thorough understanding of laws, regulations, and guidelines related to HR and employment laws. Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software. What You'll Bring Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Business, Accounting, or related field required. 1–3 years of professional human resource administration and prior experience in employee relations required. SHRM‑CP or SHRM‑SCP preferred. What You’ll Get We offer competitive wages and annual bonus opportunities. Benefits include: Medical, Dental and Vision Short Term Disability and Life Insurance 401k with Company Match 100% Employee‑Owned Company with the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) 12 Days Paid Time Off 8 Paid Holidays & 2 Floating Holidays! Fitness Reimbursement Professional Development Reimbursement #J-18808-Ljbffr