Employee Relations Manager

Guardant Health

9d•Remote

About The Position

Guardant Health is seeking a strategic, detail-oriented, and collaborative Employee Relations Manager to join their People Team. This role is a critical individual contributor responsible for providing consultation, case management expertise, and issue resolution support across the organization. The Employee Relations Manager will partner closely with People Business Partners, managers, and Legal to address a wide range of employee relations matters, balancing risk mitigation with a strong employee experience. The role requires a high degree of discretion, independent judgment, and the application of sound employee relations principles, employment law knowledge, and business acumen to resolve issues effectively and consistently.

Requirements

Associate’s degree required with relevant experience.
7–10 years of progressive experience in Employee Relations, with a background in Human Resources Business Partnering, or a related discipline, with demonstrated responsibility for complex cases.
Substantial experience conducting and managing workplace investigations and other ER cases independently.
Strong working knowledge of U.S. employment laws and employee relations best practices.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment, influence without authority, and manage ambiguity in high-risk situations.
Proven analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience translating data into actionable insights.
Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills, including experience advising senior leaders.
High degree of integrity, discretion, and professionalism when handling sensitive and confidential matters.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment and deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes.
Background screening including criminal history is required for this role.
GH will consider qualified applicants with criminal arrest or conviction histories in a manner consistent with applicable law including but not limited to the LA County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
Global exposure a plus.

Responsibilities

Independently conduct thorough and impartial investigations involving policy violations, misconduct, performance concerns, retaliation, harassment, discrimination, and other sensitive matters.
Develop investigation strategies, including scoping, witness identification, interview planning, and evidence review.
Conduct thorough and timely interviews and analyze facts using established investigation standards.
Prepare clear, well-documented investigation summaries and partner with PBPs, Legal, and leadership on outcomes, corrective actions, and risk mitigation.
Identify patterns or systemic issues arising from investigations and elevate trends or concerns to senior ER and HR leadership.
Guide and support managers in drafting, implementing, and monitoring performance improvement plans (PIPs) as well as appropriate corrective actions, up to and including termination of employment.
Develop scalable frameworks for PIP management.
Ensure consistency, fairness, and compliance with company policies throughout the PIP process.
Track outcomes and provide recommendations for next steps based on progress.
Partner with Legal on high-risk termination decisions and ensure corrective actions align with precedent and internal equity principles.
Apply enterprise thinking to complex ER scenarios, assessing legal risk, cultural impact, and organizational implications to develop solutions that fit the business needs.
Partner cross-functionally with Legal, Compliance, People Operations, and Learning & Development to support consistent practices and preventative initiatives.
Contribute to policy enhancements, manager resources, and training content related to employee relations.
Recommend, design, communicate, and track scalable solutions to recurring issues to reduce future risk and improve manager capability.
Ensure ER data is thorough and timely for reporting; track and analyze data including investigation types, findings, outcomes, time to resolution.
Identify emerging trends, root causes, and risk areas and provide insights to ER leadership, PBPs, and People leadership.
Contribute to dashboards and presentations that support proactive decision-making and continuous improvement in the ER space.
Identify common manager gaps based on ER case trends (e.g., documentation, communication, escalation timing).
Partner with PBPs and L&D to improve manager toolkits and learning experiences.
Provide just-in-time coaching to managers navigating difficult employee situations.
Act as a trusted advisor to the People Business Partner team on routine and complex ER matters, providing practical, risk-aware guidance.
Consult on employee behavior, policy interpretation, conflict resolution, disciplinary actions, accommodations, leaves, and sensitive employee communications.
Balance employee advocacy, manager effectiveness, and business needs while maintaining consistency with company values.
Act as a trusted resource for employees and managers, promoting open communication and a positive work environment.
Partner with the People Team to develop training programs and tools aimed at preventing workplace issues and improving team dynamics.