Sr. Manager of Employee Relations and Investigations

About the role

This role serves as the organization's subject matter expert for workplace investigations and high-risk employee relations matters, supporting locations across the U.S. and partnering closely with Human Resources, Legal, outside counsel, and business leaders.

Responsibilities

• Support active EEOC matters, consent decree obligations, and high-risk employee relations investigations.
• Lead complex investigations involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, ethics concerns, workplace misconduct, policy violations, and other employee relations matters.
• Conduct witness interviews, gather and analyze evidence, assess credibility, and prepare detailed investigation findings and recommendations.
• Ensure investigations are completed in a timely, objective, thorough, and legally defensible manner.
• Support responses to EEOC charges, state agency complaints, litigation matters, and other regulatory inquiries.
• Travel to locations as needed to conduct investigations, interviews, fact-finding, and employee relations assessments.
• Partner with HR and Legal to identify investigation risks, trends, and opportunities for corrective action.
• Develop and implement consistent investigation standards, documentation practices, reporting templates, and case management processes.
• Provide coaching, guidance, and subject matter expertise to HR team members on investigation techniques and best practices.
• Strengthen organizational confidence in the complaint and investigation process through consistent and professional handling of employee concerns.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in highly sensitive matters.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive Employee Relations and workplace investigations experience.
• Demonstrated expertise conducting complex discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and workplace misconduct investigations.
• Experience supporting EEOC charges, agency complaints, litigation matters, and compliance-related investigations.
• Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws and workplace investigation best practices.
• Experience working in both unionized and non-union/professional employee environments.
• Experience supporting geographically dispersed operations and multiple business locations.
• Exceptional interviewing, fact-finding, analytical, and report-writing skills.
• Prioritizing ability to partner effectively with Legal, outside counsel, senior leadership, and business stakeholders.
• Ability to travel approximately 30-40% as business needs require.
• Experience in transportation, logistics, aviation, distribution, manufacturing, or other highly regulated industries.
• Experience operating within a consent decree, regulatory oversight environment, or similar compliance-driven setting.
• SHRM-SCP, SPHR, AWI-CH, or other relevant certifications.

Qualifications

• Quickly assess and support active EEOC matters, consent decree-related investigations, and other high-risk employee relations concerns.
• Ensure active investigations meet Legal and outside counsel expectations and are completed to a defensible standard.
• Establish greater consistency, quality, and accountability in investigation practices across the organization.
• Build credibility and confidence with employees, leadership, Legal, outside counsel, and oversight stakeholders.
• Identify investigation process gaps and implement sustainable improvements.
• Strengthen the capability of the HR team through coaching and support while maintaining accountability for effective investigations within HR.
• Reduce investigation rework, improve documentation quality, and enhance responsiveness to employee concerns.
• Provide leadership with recommendations regarding long-term investigation resource needs and whether a permanent investigations function is warranted.