Employee Relations Director

Job Summary

The University of Kentucky is seeking an Employee Relations Director to provide strategic leadership for employee relations across the UK enterprise. This role oversees workplace investigations, policy interpretation, employment-related risk management, and leave administration programs while leading a team of ER professionals who support both campus and UK HealthCare.

What You’ll Do

• Lead enterprise-wide employee relations governance, including policy interpretation and precedent management
• Oversee HR-led workplace investigations, including high-risk, executive, and faculty matters
• Provide risk-based consultation to leaders and guide decisions in sensitive, complex situations
• Develop and lead a team of Employee Relations Consultants and Specialists
• Establish ER standard work, documentation expectations, and escalation thresholds
• Partner with institutional offices to ensure coordinated handling of employment matters
• Provide strategic oversight for FMLA, Workers’ Compensation, and Long-Term Disability programs
• Identify trends and risks and recommend proactive, preventive solutions

What You’ll Bring

• Significant leadership experience in employee relations, workplace investigations, labor relations, or employment law
• Strong judgment and analytical skills with the ability to navigate complex, high-stakes matters
• Experience leading professional teams and managing service standards
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Ability to interpret policy, apply precedent, and manage institutional risk
• Commitment to professionalism, confidentiality, and a well-managed workplace

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

• Broad experience in employee relations leadership, workplace investigations, employment law, policy interpretation, leave administration, and organizational risk management
• Demonstrated success in leading complex investigations, exercising sound judgment in sensitive situations, and building trusted partnerships across a large, complex organization
• Strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret workforce trends, make evidence-based recommendations, and influence senior leaders
• Experience leading and developing professional teams, managing service standards and case outcomes, and collaborating effectively across the enterprise
• A high degree of professionalism, confidentiality, and commitment to fostering a respectful workplace

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities?

Yes

Preferred Education/Experience

• Degree in human resources, business, management, law, or a related field
• Significant leadership-level experience in employee relations, labor relations, or workplace investigations
• Experience in a large, complex, multi-entity, academic, and/or healthcare environment
• Experience leading function-level modernization, governance development, or operating-model change