Lead People Relations Consultant, Labor Relations

About the role

The Lead People Relations Consultant, Labor Relations is responsible for leading complex labor relations matters, managing labor relations strategy and execution, and providing high-level consultation to leaders on represented workforce matters and workplace issues with significant organizational impact.

Responsibilities

• Leads the most complex and sensitive labor relations matters end-to-end, including collective bargaining agreement interpretation, grievance escalation, represented employee issues, labor-management concerns, workplace disputes, and matters requiring senior-level judgment.
• Leads labor relations strategy and execution for assigned bargaining relationships, including preparation for collective bargaining, meet and confer processes, contract administration, negotiation support, issue analysis, and alignment across stakeholders.
• Serves as the primary escalation point for the Labor Relations team, providing direction, consultation, and quality oversight on complex matters, high-impact issues, and sensitive labor relations decisions.
• Leads, coaches, and develops Labor Relations team members by setting clear expectations, reviewing work, strengthening judgment, supporting professional growth, and promoting consistency in labor relations practices and outcomes.
• Provides strategic consultation to senior leaders and HR partners on collective bargaining agreement interpretation, grievance handling, performance and conduct matters involving represented employees, dispute resolution, and labor-related workforce decisions.
• Serves as a senior subject matter expert in labor relations, employee relations, employment practices, HR policies and procedures, and employment law concepts, translating complexity into clear and actionable guidance for leaders and partners.
• Designs and facilitates practical, scenario-based leader training and guidance materials to strengthen labor relations capability, improve consistency in practice, and support long-term organizational effectiveness.

Qualifications

• 8-12+ years progressive employee and labor relations experience, including direct union interface and complex case leadership.
• Bachelor's degree. Equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
• Juris Doctor (JD) preferred; however, this role does not represent the Company in legal matters and does not act as attorney of record.
• Demonstrated experience supporting negotiations, contract administration, and grievance/arbitration preparation.
• Experience designing enterprise standards, playbooks, and leader capability programs.
• Expert labor relations capability, including NLRA fundamentals, labor-management relationship strategy, grievance processes, arbitration readiness, and bargaining preparation.
• Strong people leadership capability, including coaching, work direction, case review, performance feedback, capability building, and development of high-performing team members.
• Strong understanding of employment risk concepts (EEO, retaliation, wage and hour, leave frameworks) and ability to translate them into operational decision-making.
• Executive-level consultation skills, including confident communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, and conflict navigation.
• Advanced investigation capability, including planning, interviewing, credibility assessment, evidence analysis, and defensible documentation.
• Strong operational rigor: prioritization, case governance, standard work discipline, and ability to build repeatable systems and playbooks.
• Analytical mindset: ability to use data and insights to identify systemic drivers, recommend interventions, and measure outcomes.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and collaboration tools (Teams); comfort operating in HR case management systems.
• Strong interpersonal skills, mediation skills, consultation, and the ability to handle difficult situations with tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to prioritize, handle multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment in order to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work across multiple teams, and with people on a variety of organizational levels in often ambiguous circumstances.
• High discretion and confidentiality, mature judgment, and professional integrity.
• Experience working across time zones, constituent groups, and locations, utilizing technology to complete duties is preferred.
• SHRM-CP or PHR certification preferred.