Employee Relations Investigator

CHAOS Industries•Columbia, WA

3d•$167,000 - $209,000•Onsite

About The Position

CHAOS Industries is hiring an Employee Relations Investigator to lead complex workplace investigations and help develop the company’s approach to preventing and addressing employee relations issues. The role owns investigations from intake through closure, including planning, interviewing, assessing evidence and credibility, documenting findings, and presenting findings and recommendations. It also owns assigned policy initiatives and process-improvement projects, including developing practical employee relations frameworks, implementing them, and evaluating their effectiveness. The position requires a Juris Doctor (JD) and operates in an employee relations capacity. It does not provide legal advice or serve as company counsel, and active bar membership is not required. Occasional travel to company locations for interviews and investigations is anticipated, up to 10% depending on business needs. The listed salary range is $167,000–$209,000 in base compensation; additional compensation may include bonuses, equity, and benefits. The role is identified as onsite.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school; active bar membership is not required.
Demonstrated experience independently conducting complex workplace investigations from intake through written findings, including discrimination, harassment, and retaliation allegations.
Ability to conduct sensitive interviews, evaluate conflicting evidence, assess credibility, and prepare objective reports explaining the reasoning behind findings.
Experience drafting or materially revising employee relations policies, procedures, or guidance and supporting their implementation.
Demonstrated ability to create and implement practical frameworks, playbooks, or workflows that improve consistency, accountability, and execution.
Working knowledge of U.S. employment laws and workplace policies sufficient to recognize issues and identify matters requiring Legal’s involvement.
Experience managing concurrent sensitive matters and cross-functional projects with sound judgment, discretion, and reliable documentation.
Ability to communicate difficult findings, build stakeholder alignment, and translate complex issues into clear, actionable guidance.

Nice To Haves

Experience investigating executive-level allegations, multiple-complainant matters, or systemic workplace concerns.
Experience developing policies and investigation processes across multiple states or countries.
Experience establishing employee relations governance, including policy ownership, approval processes, review cycles, and exception handling.
Experience using case data and operational metrics to evaluate frameworks, improve processes, and guide preventive initiatives.

Responsibilities

Independently lead complex workplace investigations involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, bullying, and other potential policy violations, including matters involving senior leaders.
Own investigations from intake through closure by defining scope, developing investigation plans, conducting interviews, evaluating evidence and credibility, and preparing objective findings.
Prepare clear, well-supported investigation reports and present findings and recommendations to appropriate stakeholders.
Manage concurrent cases, maintain accurate records, communicate progress, and promptly escalate significant risks.
Partner with HR and Legal on interim measures, corrective action recommendations, and post-investigation follow-up.
Draft, review, and update employee relations policies, procedures, and guidance with Legal and relevant stakeholders, and support implementation and ongoing maintenance.
Design and implement frameworks for case intake and triage, risk assessment, escalation, investigation standards, consistent decision-making, and post-investigation monitoring.
Improve employee relations workflows, including stakeholder handoffs, documentation standards, case-management practices, and reporting.
Analyze case trends and process effectiveness to identify systemic concerns, recommend preventive measures, and evaluate improvements.
Develop practical playbooks, templates, and training to help HR and managers apply policies and processes consistently.
Own assigned projects from problem definition through stakeholder alignment, rollout, and measurement.
Travel occasionally to company locations for interviews and investigations, anticipated up to 10% subject to business needs.