Director, Employee Relations

H.W. Kaufman Group • Farmington Hills, MI

1d

About The Position

H.W. Kaufman Group is seeking a Director, Employee Relations to lead our U.S. employee relations function across a complex, multi-location insurance organization. This role ensures consistent, legally compliant and values-driven handling of employee relations matters across H.W. Kaufman Group.
The Director will oversee investigations, employment litigation, and regulatory matters while directly managing a team of approximately 5 HR Business Partners, providing leadership, coaching and alignment across geographically dispersed offices to foster a high-performance, transparent and respectful workplace culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required, advanced degree preferred
• 8 to 10+ years of progressive experience in employee relations, HR leadership, or employment law–related roles, preferably within financial services or similar industries
• Demonstrated experience managing investigations and employment litigation
• Prior people management experience, preferably with leading HR Business Partners or ER teams
• Strong knowledge of U.S. employment law and employe relations best practices
• Demonstrated influential leadership and relationship-building skills

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute the organization’s employee relations strategy across North America locations
• Serve as the senior escalation point for employee relations matters, including investigations involving harassment, discrimination, retaliation, misconduct, privacy and other sensitive issues
• Conduct and oversee investigations requiring advanced analysis, cross-functional collaboration and discretion
• Partner closely with Legal on legal case management, employment litigation and administrative charges (e.g., EEOC, NLRB, state agencies), including investigations conducted at the direction of counsel
• Directly manage and develop a team of HR Business Partners (field-based and headquarters-based), ensuring consistency in ER practices and leader support
• Document, analyze and report on ER trends, metrics and root causes to mitigate risk, improve employee experience and strengthen organizational culture; track solutions
• Establish and maintain strong, trusted relationships at all levels of the organization; consult and influence leaders and stakeholders to advance a high-performance culture
• Advise leaders and team members on employment law, performance management, corrective action and conflict resolution
• Complete research and other employee relations special projects

Benefits

• Competitive compensation
• Employer paid continuing education courses and designations via access to Kaufman Institute
• Health and welfare benefits including medical, vision and dental
• 401K with employer match
• Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays
• Access to Kaufman Wellness Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees