Director of HR Operations & Employee Relations

Job Description

Job Description

As ICAN grows rapidly, the Director of HR Operations & Employee Relations will serve as the operational cornerstone of our department. Reporting directly to the Vice President of People & Culture, you will lead day-to-day HR operations, establish scalable processes, and standardize agency-wide tools to support organizational growth. You will directly supervise a team of specialists and serve as the primary, trusted advisor for managers across ICAN regarding employee relations and policy execution. This role requires an experienced, autonomous HR leader with exceptional judgment and a track record of building efficient HR systems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Team Supervision & Leadership: Guide, mentor, and manage your HR team while fostering a supportive, high-performing environment.

• Operational Execution: Oversee daily HR department workflows, standard operating procedures, and administrative execution.  

• Employee Relations Advisory: Serve as the primary partner for managers and directors to resolve complex employee relations issues, disciplinary matters, and conflict resolution.  

• Investigations & Compliance: Conduct thorough, neutral workplace investigations and ensure all agency practices comply with federal, state, and local labor laws.  

• Process & Systems Optimization: Audit, design, and modernize HR policies, employee handbooks, and HRIS capabilities to support rapid agency scaling.  

• Culture & Engagement Execution: Partner with others to drive employee engagement, fostering an inclusive workplace culture, and enabling agency-wide retention initiatives.

• Payroll & Benefits Oversight: Guide your specialist team in the execution of payroll, leave programs, and benefits administration, assisting with annual renewals.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with leaders across the organization to align operational workflows with overall organizational strategy.

• Lead other meaningful team initiatives and duties as needed to support ICAN's mission.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Leadership Depth: Demonstrated experience directly supervising, coaching, and evaluating HR functional specialists.

• Functional Depth & Breadth: Extensive, progressive HR background with proven expertise in employee relations, labor compliance, risk mitigation, and process standardization.  

• Organizational Scale: Background operating effectively within multi-site, mid-to-large workforce environments.

• Technical Proficiency: Experience leveraging HRIS platforms, reporting software, and modern workplace productivity tools.

• Travel: Ability to occasionally travel between local ICAN sites as operational needs dictate.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Psychology or another related field preferred. 

Physical Demands:

• Stationary & Digital Work: Prolonged periods of sitting or standing at a desk, utilizing a computer, keyboard, and phone to conduct interviews and manage administrative tasks.

• Communication: Ability to frequently communicate, express oneself, and exchange accurate information with candidates, team members, and community partners in person, via phone, and through video conferencing.