Director of Employee Relations & Compliance

Hermes•New York, NY

5d•$130,000 - $175,000•Onsite

About The Position

As the Director of Employee Relations & Compliance, you will lead the employee relations function in the US, ensuring consistent, practical, and compliant outcomes for all escalated employee relations matters. You will work as a strategic, collaborative, hands on partner to ensure HR-related compliance across the organization. You will identify, investigate, and resolve employee relations issues throughout the organization. You will be responsible for establishing process and procedures for all investigations, as well as training to support other members of the HR team to lead employee relations investigations with consistency. You will partner closely with HR Business Partners, Talent Development, Benefits, Internal Control, Legal, IT/Cybersecurity and Asset Protection. You will ensure consistent awareness of all the current legal and regulatory requirements pertaining to employee matters. You will identify trends across the organization and propose solutions to rectify identified issues. This position will be based in our New York corporate office and will require travel as needed for onsite support in our locations across the US.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in an employee relations-related capacity
Experience establishing & leading ER function in a multi-unit retail environment; high volume, high-traffic, and high-visibility environments preferred.
Experience establishing an Employee Relations Center of Excellence is required.
Experience in luxury retail and/or service-oriented organization; direct retail store experience preferred.
Strong skills in high volume, complex employee relations matters
Exceptional relationship-building skills to create long-lasting impact to client group.
Expert in conducting investigations from intake to resolution.
Expert-level understanding of HR policies and procedures, Federal and State employment laws, compliance and reporting requirements.
Strong counselling approach and proven ability to influence others and support where needed.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable with public speaking
Strong interpersonal skills with a focus on internal customer service; ability to coach and empower others.
Strong active listening skills
Demonstrated ability to use technology (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Word, HRIS systems) to gather, interpret, organize, and present data.
Sound judgment and critical thinking skills; successful management of multiple projects and competing priorities while balancing the needs for quality with meeting deadlines.
Detail oriented with strong organizational skills; evidence of self-motivation; demonstrated ability to plan, schedule and work both independently and in teams within a service-oriented organization.
Possess business acumen and are operationally sound.
Kind, but effective leadership style. Demonstrates humility, compassion, and approachability in all interactions.
Comfortable with fast paced environment; ability to prioritize effectively and independently.
Travel required to stores and service centers.

Responsibilities

Serves as a strategic leader of matters pertaining to employee relations and compliance. Provides hands-on employee relations support by maintaining both a physical and virtual presence in Corporate, Service Center, and Retail locations across the US.
Oversees escalated and complex employee relations matters and recommends appropriate employment action to maintain a productive, positive work environment.
Empowers cross-functional partners and business leaders to manage employee disciplinary actions to ensure consistent, uniform, and fair application of company policies and procedures and governmental laws.
Implements standardized operating procedures for handling employee relations issues, ensuring consistency and fairness.
Facilitates effective partnerships with HRBPs, Benefits, Legal, Internal Control, and Asset Protection teams to address issues holistically and proactively, recommends solutions to issues, counsels employees, advises managers on discipline process and facilitates dispute resolution.
Leverages expert-level, specialized skills to conduct thorough investigations, mitigating risks and ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory standards.
Demonstrates a proactive, strategic approach to employee relations by identifying and analyzing ER data/metrics for themes, trends, and root cause identification. Share findings with key partners to develop and deliver an action plan in line with HR strategy.
Manages internal whistleblowing systems and annual reporting, identifying trends year over year and recommending actions to counteract the trends.
Oversees turnover reporting on a quarterly basis. Derives an analysis from the data and translating that into a story, demonstrating an ability to use the data to inform practices and decision making.
Serves as central owner of information related to compliance, including state-specific onboarding requirements, annual update of Employee Handbook, and implementation of HOP Compliance Program (policy acknowledgment & MyCampus courses), maintaining knowledge of industry best practices and local regulation changes.
Assists in the development and administration of all other projects, programs, procedures, and guidelines aimed at aligning the workforce with strategic goals of the company.