Employee Relations Director

About the role

Early Warning has powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with solutions like Zelle® and Paze℠. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to expand access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses. Positions in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to support collaboration.

Overall purpose

The Employee Relations Director is a senior individual contributor responsible for managing complex employee relations matters across the organization, including conducting workplace investigations, managing employee relations cases, advising leaders and HR partners, and ensuring consistent application of company policies and practices. The Director serves as an enterprise subject-matter expert on employee relations, personally handling sensitive and high-risk matters while also helping establish investigation standards, case-management practices, and consistent approaches across the organization. The role partners closely with VP, HRBP’s, Legal, Risk, Compliance, and business leaders to resolve employee concerns, mitigate risk, and identify trends and proactive solutions that strengthen the employee experience and organizational effectiveness.

Essential functions

• Conducts complex, sensitive, and high-risk workplace investigations, including intake, interviews, evidence review, documentation, findings, and recommendations, ensuring matters are handled objectively, thoroughly, and in a timely manner.
• Manages an active portfolio of employee relations cases from intake through resolution, ensuring appropriate documentation, follow-up, consistency, and timely closure.
• Provides hands-on consultation and strategic counsel to VP, HRBPs, senior leaders, and business leaders on performance, conduct, corrective action, workplace conflict, policy interpretation, employee complaints, and other complex employee matters.
• Assesses employee relations matters for legal, regulatory, reputational, and employee risk and partners with Legal, Risk, Compliance, and other stakeholders as appropriate.
• Serves as a senior enterprise employee relations subject-matter expert on particularly complex, sensitive, or high-risk matters, exercising sound judgment and independent decision-making.
• Establishes and maintains investigation and case-management standards, protocols, tools, and best practices to promote quality, consistency, fairness, and appropriate risk management across the organization.
• Analyzes employee relations data and case trends to identify recurring issues, organizational hotspots, root causes, and emerging risks; translates insights into proactive recommendations for HR and business leaders.
• Partners with HR and business leaders to develop programs, tools, and interventions that address recurring employee relations issues and strengthen leadership effectiveness and the employee experience.
• Supports the ongoing review and development of employment policies and the Employee Handbook, in partnership with Legal and appropriate HR stakeholders, and maintains current knowledge of relevant employment laws, regulatory requirements, and evolving workplace practices.
• Promotes fair, consistent, and respectful employee relations practices, including appropriate attention to confidentiality, non-retaliation, and the integrity of employee relations processes.

Minimum qualifications

• Typically obtained through completion of a bachelor’s degree.
• 10 or more years of relevant business experience with a focus on HR and/or team leadership.
• Experience partnering with and influencing senior leaders to help drive people strategies and increase business outcomes.
• Works well in a fast-paced environment, flexible, able to change direction quickly and manage projects through ambiguity and constant change.
• Highly collaborative team player with a focus on engaging with people, specific to supporting growth.
• Expertise in developing deep, trusting relationships with all levels within the organization.
• Effectively consult (listen, understand, and influence) people at all levels (including senior leadership) in a qualitative and quantitative manner.
• Proactive problem solver who conceptualizes problem spaces as systems and applies a “model thinker” approach.
• Ability to consult and recommend solutions to leadership using data and analytics to solve people and business-related problems.
• Background and drug screen required.

Physical requirements

• Normal office environment; primarily sedentary with extensive computer use and sitting for approximately four hours.
• Occasional standing, walking, kneeling, and reaching.
• Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently.
• Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers.
• Must be able to communicate with internal and/or external customers.
• Employee must be able to perform essential functions and physical requirements of position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Pay

Base pay scale for this position (USD per year):

• New York, NY: $186,000 – $210,000
• Chicago, IL: $154,000 – $180,000

Additionally, candidates are eligible for a discretionary incentive plan and benefits. The pay scale is subject to change and is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation, which is determined at the time of job offer based on legitimate factors including job scope, market rates, geographic location, education, experience, training, specialized skills or certifications, and internal equity.