Director, Global Employee Relations

Zendesk • Austin, TX

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Zendesk is transforming its Employee Relations (ER) team from a reactive escalation function into a proactive, scalable global center of excellence. This global role will help drive that change, strengthen the team’s analytics and reporting capabilities, and use employee-relations data and trends to improve services and inform decisions and policy development.

The Director will build relationships across the People organization, particularly with HR Business Partnering, and align ER work with People and business strategies. The role provides advice and counsel on matters including investigations, performance management, harassment, discrimination, workforce reductions, and unfair dismissal. It leads or guides complex investigations and employee-relations matters, tailors recommendations to influence appropriate outcomes while mitigating risk, and partners with employment legal on risk mitigation and employment strategies. The role also maintains knowledge of practices across Zendesk’s global locations to support compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

The team is distributed across regions and time zones. It is focused on developing scalable processes and solutions that enable more proactive, value-added support for employees. Zendesk describes its working model as hybrid, with in-person collaboration at its offices and flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. The US annualized base salary range is $202,000–$302,000; the role may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. The successful candidate’s offer will depend on job-related capabilities, applicable experience, and factors such as work location.

Requirements

• Extensive experience in Employee Relations and labor law, with a proven track record of successfully leading global employee-relations initiatives.
• Broad knowledge of international labor practices and experience navigating complex employee-relations issues in a multicultural and multinational business environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships and influence at all levels of the organization.
• Exceptional judgment, conflict-resolution skills, and discretion in sensitive, complex, or ambiguous situations.
• Ability to prioritize and work proactively in a fast-paced environment with time-sensitive deadlines.
• Ability to work independently while balancing collaboration with minimal supervision.
• Proactive strategic thinking, integrity, and professionalism.

Responsibilities

• Drive the transformation of Employee Relations from a reactive function into a proactive, repeatable, and scalable global center of excellence.
• Build ER data analytics and reporting capabilities to provide real-time analysis and trends that support improvement of current offerings.
• Foster continuous improvement within the Employee Relations team by implementing best practices and innovative solutions.
• Develop working relationships across the People organization, particularly with HR Business Partnering, to align ER efforts with People and business strategies and goals.
• Monitor and analyze employee-relations trends and use data to inform decision-making and policy development.
• Maintain knowledge of employee-relations practices across Zendesk’s global locations to support compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Provide advice and counsel on internal investigations, performance management, harassment, discrimination, workforce reductions, and unfair dismissal.
• Lead or guide complex investigations at and above a specified organizational level.
• Tailor and deliver recommendations to influence appropriate outcomes while mitigating risk for Zendesk.
• Lead resolution of complex employee-relations issues, including investigations of misconduct, harassment, and discrimination.
• Partner with the employment legal team to mitigate risks and manage employment-related strategies.

Benefits

• The role may be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives.
• Hybrid working model offering flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.
• Reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans during the application and selection process.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed