Senior Employee Relations Specialist

About the role

The Senior Employee Relations Specialist serves as a lead investigator for complex employee relations matters within a higher education environment. This position is responsible for conducting thorough, timely, and legally sound investigations involving faculty and staff, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, university policies, and faculty governance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the lead investigator for complex and sensitive employee relations matters involving both faculty and staff, including misconduct allegations, policy violations, and workplace disputes.
• Conducts thorough investigations and informal mediations, including interviews, evidence collection, and detailed findings.
• Provides expert guidance on employee relations and performance concerns, interpreting and applying university policies and faculty manuals, and applicable laws; collaborates with managers and leadership to ensure consistent, fair, and legally sound outcomes.
• Conducts analyses related to workplace policy reviews and investigations.
• Promotes consistent, equitable, and effective performance evaluation practices across the organization by administering and supporting the implementation, administration, and continuous improvement of the staff performance management system.
• Manages and maintains all employee relations case files using Maxient or comparable systems, ensuring a high level of organization, accuracy, and confidentiality; produces clear, comprehensive, and audit-ready investigative and performance-related reports and documentation, ensuring compliance.
• Supports the development and continuous improvement of employee relations policies and practices impacting faculty and staff, identifying trends through case analysis and/or exit interviews, advising leadership on risk mitigation, and contributing to training initiatives for supervisors, academic leaders, and campus stakeholders.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in Human Resources, Higher Education, Business Administration, or a related field.
• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible experience conducting workplace investigations involving faculty and/or staff.
• Demonstrated experience conducting faculty and staff investigations, including interpretation of faculty manuals and employee policies.
• Experience collaborating with academic and administrative leaders (e.g., VPs, deans, department chairs, provost-level leadership, HR leaders).

Qualifications

• Masters degree (preferred).
• Relevant professional certification (e.g., SHRM, PHR/SPHR, or workplace investigations certification) (preferred).
• More than five (5) years progressively responsible experience conducting workplace investigations involving faculty and/or staff, preferably in a higher education or similarly regulated environment (preferred).
• Experience with Title IX, ADA, and EEO investigations affecting multiple employee groups (preferred).
• Direct experience using Maxient or similar higher education case management platforms (preferred).
• Strong expertise in investigative file management, documentation standards, and audit/compliance readiness (preferred).

Skills

• Comprehensive knowledge of HR frameworks, applicable employment laws, regulations, and best practices.
• Advanced investigative skills, including interviewing, research, evidence analysis, mediation, and report writing, with the ability to manage complex, sensitive, and high-risk cases involving diverse employee populations with professionalism and discretion.
• Ability to interpret policy, advise academic and administrative leaders on matters, and apply critical thinking and sound judgment to achieve fair, consistent outcomes.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple assignments in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities while maintaining highly detailed, audit-ready documentation.
• Proficiency in Maxient or similar case management systems.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, attention to detail and accuracy are essential.
• Comprehensive computer program skills are necessary.
• Ability to calmly handle highly stressful and demanding situations in a professional and confidential manner.

Benefits

Salary range: $66,400.00 – $92,900.00. Normal work hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May require evening and weekend work, to support the timely and successful completion of investigations and other employee relations matters. Out-of-state and/or in-state travel, to include overnight stays, to conferences or trainings may be required. Must be flexible to meet the special scheduling needs of the university.

Pay

$66,400.00 – $92,900.00

Schedule

Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.