HR Lead Specialist, Americas

Wood Mackenzie•Houston, TX

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Lead Specialist – Colleague Experience delivers a high-quality, end-to-end HR advisory service across the Americas region, acting as a trusted partner to managers and leaders. This role provides independent guidance on employee relations matters, HR policies, and employment legislation, ensuring consistent, fair, and commercially sound people decisions. Working closely with Strategic HR Business Partners, the Senior Employee Relations Adviser, and Centres of Excellence, the role contributes to the delivery of the people plan, strengthens manager capability, and ensures a consistent and effective colleague experience. The role also plays a key part in driving consistency in HR practices, managing complex cases, and elevating the overall quality of HR service delivery, including mentoring more junior team members.

Requirements

Strong experience delivering HR advisory support in a complex, multi-country environment
Proven capability in managing employee relations cases independently
Solid understanding of employment legislation and risk management
Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively with stakeholders at all levels
Sound judgment and ability to navigate ambiguity and sensitive situations
Analytical mindset, with the ability to translate data into meaningful insights
Experience working with HR systems (e.g. Workday) and using data to support decision-making
Well-organised and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted advisor for a broad range of employee relations cases end-to-end (e.g. disciplinary, grievance, performance, absence), ensuring timely resolution and appropriate risk management
Provide clear, pragmatic advice to managers, balancing business needs with legal and policy considerations
Ensure consistent documentation and application of policies across cases
Partner with HR Business Partners and ER specialists on sensitive or high-impact matters
Coach managers on people leadership, team effectiveness, and employee development
Provide practical guidance on applying HR policies in day-to-day situations
Support and deliver initiatives that strengthen manager capability and accountability
Partner with HR Business Partners to support delivery of the people plan and organisational priorities
Contribute HR insight to organisational changes, restructures, and team effectiveness discussions
Support key annual processes such as performance, compensation, and talent cycles
Interpret and apply employment legislation and internal policies across the Americas region
Ensure compliance with employment laws across multiple Americas countries, updating internal policies and practices as legislation evolves.
Partner with Legal, Compliance, and external experts when needed to mitigate risk.
Analyse employee relations activity and HR data to identify patterns, risks, and opportunities
Recommend improvements to processes, policies, and ways of working
Contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of the Colleague Experience model
Partner with Talent & L&D team to identify capability gaps, support leadership development, and deliver targeted regional programmes.
Facilitate talent reviews and succession planning across functional areas.
Promote a culture of continuous learning and development.
Lead or contribute to HR initiatives and cross-functional projects
Partner with Centres of Excellence to implement HR programmes effectively
Share knowledge and promote best practices across the regional HR team
Champion company culture and values across their region.
Monitor engagement trends and collaborate with leaders to deliver action plans that enhance employee experience and retention.