Head of management hr

As a thought-leader and best-in-class provider in education, wellness, youth development, and community-building, The YMCA of Metro Atlanta is one of the oldest and most essential non-profits serving in Atlanta. Today, we’re looking for you to join us as we carry out our mission to positively impact lives and communities across the state.

At the Y, we’re an association of like-minded people (staff, volunteers, and members), on the forefront of a movement to ensure that everyone – especially children – experience an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. In the course of a year, we provide more than 3,000 children, ages 6 weeks through Pre-K with high-quality literacy and STEAM-infused learning; give 58,000 youth and teens access to sports, aquatics, day and resident camps, teen leadership development programs, and employment opportunities; provide over 200,000 members with programs, services, and facilities to enjoy connection and maintain wellness regardless of age; and engage over 25,000 volunteers and donors from across Atlanta to share in the gift of supporting their communities.

Reporting to the Vice President of Human Resources, the Human Resources (HR) Manager serves as a strategic HR business partner and employee relations leader for assigned business units or employee populations. The role supports a complex, decentralized, multi-site organization and provides investigation leadership, manager consultation, culture support, workforce-transition assistance, and practical HR guidance. The HR Manager balances responsive case management with proactive work that strengthens leadership capability, employee experience, consistency, and organizational risk management.

The HR Manager leads employee relations investigations, provides manager consultation and coaching, interprets HR policies and employment requirements, uses case trends to identify risk and culture needs, and ensures assigned matters are documented and resolved with urgency, consistency, and sound judgment. The role reviews and guides work completed by the HR Specialist while maintaining clear accountability for investigation quality, findings, recommendations, and leader consultation.

Employee Relations and Investigations

Independently lead workplace investigations from intake through resolution, including scoping, investigation planning, interviews, evidence review, credibility assessment, findings, written reports, and recommendations.

Own assigned employee relations matters with a high sense of urgency and ensure complete, accurate, timely, and audit-ready documentation in HR Acuity.

Assess policy, employee experience, operational, regulatory, legal, safety, and reputational risk and elevate significant matters to the Vice President of Human Resources.

Partner with leaders on appropriate and consistent employment actions based on established facts, policy, prior practice, and organizational risk.

Lead complex or sensitive matters involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, accommodations, leave, wage and hour, safety, youth protection, regulatory issues, or other significant risk.

Business-Unit Partnership

Serve as the primary HR partner for assigned leaders and employee populations across a decentralized organization.

Learn the operational, cultural, regulatory, and workforce considerations affecting assigned areas and incorporate those considerations into HR guidance and risk assessment.

Partner with leaders on culture, retention, team effectiveness, manager capability, organizational change, and workforce concerns.

HR Business Partnership and Leader Coaching

Build trusted partnerships with leaders and employees and serve as a consultative resource on HR policies, performance concerns, corrective action, workplace conflict, and employee experience.

Connect employee relations activity to culture, retention, engagement, manager capability, and operational outcomes.

Partner with HR centers of expertise, Legal, operations, and third-party resources to resolve matters and improve service delivery.

Case Quality, Systems and Team Development

Ensure use of established case naming conventions, issue categories, required fields, confidentiality standards, service expectations, and case closure requirements.

Use Speakfully, HR Acuity, Workday, and other approved systems to maintain appropriate records, monitor workflow, and improve data quality.

Data, Culture and Continuous Improvement

Translate ER data into practical recommendations for risk reduction, manager development, culture improvement, employee experience, and prevention.

Support leadership transitions, reorganizations, team assimilation, and other change initiatives within the assigned population.

Identify process gaps and recommend scalable improvements to employee relations intake, investigations, corrective action, reporting, and case management.

Advise leaders on corrective action and review proposed actions for quality, consistency, policy alignment, and risk.

Own or advise on complex, sensitive, or high-risk separations; provide oversight for defined routine separations handled with HR Specialist support.

Provide escalation support for unemployment hearings, complex claims, and appeals while the HR Specialist manages routine claims administration.

Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

At least four years of progressive Human Resources experience, including independent ownership of employee relations matters and workplace investigations.

Demonstrated experience writing clear, fact-based investigation reports and making defensible recommendations.

Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment requirements and the ability to identify when legal or specialized consultation is needed.

Demonstrated ability to coach leaders, manage competing priorities, handle confidential information, and exercise sound judgment under pressure.

Experience using HR systems and case management technology; Workday and HR Acuity experience preferred.

Ability to travel up to 25% to YMCA locations, as business needs require.

Five or more years of progressive HR, employee relations, or HR business partner experience.

PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or comparable HR certification.

Experience in a multi-site, nonprofit, youth-serving, early learning, regulated, or union environment.

Experience supporting organizational change, culture improvement, leadership transitions, or employee engagement initiatives.

Ability to pass a pre-employment background check including Criminal Record check, Drug Screening, motor vehicle record (MVR) and reference check according to company policy.

The YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by law.