Associate Director, Employee Relations Consulting

Guidehouse • Tysons, VA

1d • $130,000 - $216,000

About The Position

The Associate Director, Employee Relations Consulting leads a team of Employee Relations Consultants who provide strategic, risk-informed, and practical employee relations support to business leaders, managers, and HR partners across the organization. In a centralized Employee Relations model, the role ensures consistent, high-quality guidance on performance concerns, misconduct response, policy interpretation, restructuring, conflict management, workplace behavior, and other sensitive employee issues.

Reporting to the Director, Employee Relations, this new position oversees the day-to-day management, development, and effectiveness of the ER Consultant team. It ensures consultants are aligned to the business and provide timely, practical, and defensible guidance. The role partners closely with HR Business Partners, Employment Counsel, Ethics & Compliance, HR Operations, and a separate centralized Investigations team, and is accountable for consulting standards, case quality, service delivery, stakeholder confidence, and risk mitigation.

The role contributes to employee relations strategy, operating model refinement, and organizational readiness; supports restructuring efforts, including large- and small-scale reductions; and monitors employment law and regulation changes to help ensure company policies and procedures remain compliant. The position requires travel of up to 10%.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 10 years of related HR experience.
• Significant experience in Employee Relations, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Employment Practices, or a related HR function.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state EEO laws and state HR policies.
• Experience building, scaling, and leading teams in large, global, and highly matrixed organizations.
• Demonstrated experience leading employee relations professionals in a complex, matrixed, or multi-business environment.
• Strong experience advising on performance issues, misconduct, workplace behavior concerns, policy application, corrective action, and terminations.
• Experience working within a centralized Employee Relations model.
• Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive, high-risk, and high-visibility issues with sound judgment and discretion.
• Strong understanding of case management, documentation standards, issue triage, and cross-functional partnership.
• Experience partnering effectively with Legal, HR Business Partners, and/or centralized investigations functions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Knowledge of HR technologies, including HRIS and/or a case management tool.
• Ability to gather, analyze, and synthesize information and data from multiple sources and summarize investigative findings clearly and concisely in writing.
• Ability to prioritize work in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting professional services, consulting, technology, or other complex business environments.
• Experience building or scaling employee relations operating models, consultant frameworks, or service delivery structures.
• Strong familiarity with global employee relations considerations and region-specific employment practices.
• Experience using case management systems, ER metrics, and trend reporting to inform decisions and improve service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop Employee Relations Consultants aligned to business segments, functions, or geographies.
• Foster a team culture grounded in sound judgment, fairness, responsiveness, discretion, and practical problem-solving, and calibrate the team to reduce variability in recommendations and outcomes.
• Establish expectations and standards for consultant performance, judgment, responsiveness, documentation quality, stakeholder partnership, and risk management.
• Create consistent intake, consultation, and case-management practices so similar matters are handled consistently while accounting for applicable legal, cultural, and policy differences.
• Provide direction, case consultation, and escalation support on sensitive or high-risk employee relations matters, serving as a senior escalation point for complex or sensitive leadership situations.
• Determine when matters should remain within consulting support or be escalated to investigations, legal, ethics, security, or senior HR leadership.
• Build team capability in employee relations consulting, manager coaching, issue assessment, policy application, documentation, and workplace risk identification.
• Partner with Investigations on scope alignment, business context, interim actions, stakeholder coordination, and post-investigation implementation.
• Maintain clear distinctions and handoffs between investigative fact-finding and ER consulting or advisory responsibilities, including coordination with HR and Legal teams.
• Partner with ER Operations or broader HR Operations to improve tools, workflows, reporting, knowledge management, and case documentation.
• Contribute to employee relations strategy, operating model refinement, and organizational readiness.
• Support organizational restructuring efforts and drive and execute large- and small-scale reductions.
• Stay current on employment law and regulation changes and ensure company policies and procedures remain compliant.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package.
• Medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision insurance.
• Personal and family sick time and company-paid holidays.
• Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus.
• Parental leave and adoption assistance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Basic life and supplemental life insurance.
• Health Savings Account and Dental/Vision and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Short-term and long-term disability.
• Student Loan PayDown.
• Tuition reimbursement, personal development, and learning opportunities.
• Skills development and certifications.
• Employee referral program.
• Corporate-sponsored events and community outreach.
• Emergency back-up childcare program.
• Mobility stipend.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior