Labor Relations Manager

Calista Corporation • Huntsville, AL

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Labor Relations Manager is responsible for the administration, interpretation, and strategic support of the organization’s collective bargaining agreements and labor relations programs across a highly complex, multi-site unionized environment. This position serves as a key labor relations leader supporting operations within aerospace, industrial engineering, aviation maintenance, logistics, manufacturing, and government services programs. Reporting directly to the Senior Labor Relations & HR Compliance Manager, the Labor Relations Manager partners with operational leadership, Human Resources, Legal, Contracts, Program Management, and union representatives to ensure effective administration of collective bargaining agreements, consistent application of labor policies, operational continuity, and mitigation of labor-related risk. The role supports labor relations activities impacting more than 1,500 (+) unionized employees across multiple bargaining units and geographic locations and assists in the administration of more than 50(+) collective bargaining agreements involving various national and local labor organizations. The Labor Relations Manager plays a critical role in grievance administration, investigations, negotiations, arbitration preparation, workforce transitions, and union engagement initiatives in support of enterprise operational objectives. This position requires strong labor law knowledge, operational business acumen, advanced conflict resolution capabilities, and the ability to effectively operate within high-pressure, mission-critical government contracting environments.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Industrial Relations, Business Administration, Employment Law, or related field required.
• Minimum of 5–8 years of progressive labor relations experience within unionized environments.
• Demonstrated experience administering collective bargaining agreements and handling grievances, investigations, and labor-management relations matters.
• Working knowledge of federal labor and employment laws, including the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Service Contract Act (SCA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and related employment regulations.
• Strong understanding of labor relations principles, collective bargaining administration, grievance handling, and labor law fundamentals.
• Ability to interpret complex collective bargaining agreements and apply contractual language in operational environments.
• Strong investigative, analytical, organizational, and conflict resolution skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to draft professional labor correspondence and executive summaries.
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential matters with professionalism and discretion.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build credibility and maintain effective working relationships with leadership, employees, union representatives, and business partners.
• Ability to prioritize multiple high-impact matters simultaneously in fast-paced operational environments.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, HRIS systems, labor tracking systems, and case management tools.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or advanced labor relations certification preferred.
• Experience supporting collective bargaining negotiations and arbitration preparation preferred.
• Experience within government contracting, defense, aerospace, industrial manufacturing, logistics, aviation maintenance, or similarly regulated industries strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting large, geographically dispersed unionized workforces.
• Experience within mission-critical government operations or industrial service environments.
• Demonstrated ability to manage high-volume labor relations activity in complex operational settings.
• Strong understanding of workforce transition issues associated with government contracts and successor employer obligations.
• Ability to effectively balance labor relations strategy, operational needs, employee engagement, and risk mitigation.

Responsibilities

• Administer and interpret collective bargaining agreements across multiple business units, operational sites, and bargaining units to ensure consistent application of contractual obligations and labor policies.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for labor relations matters involving supervisors, managers, union representatives, employees, and HR business partners.
• Provide guidance and recommendations to operational leadership regarding contract interpretation, disciplinary actions, investigations, attendance matters, workforce scheduling, overtime administration, reductions in force, and employee relations concerns.
• Partner with site leadership to ensure compliance with collective bargaining obligations while maintaining operational effectiveness and customer support requirements.
• Conduct labor relations investigations involving grievances, disputes, workplace concerns, policy violations, and potential contract violations.
• Prepare grievance responses, settlement proposals, labor correspondence, management briefs, and arbitration support documentation.
• Support grievance resolution efforts through informal discussions, labor-management meetings, mediation activities, and settlement negotiations.
• Track and maintain grievance, arbitration, bargaining, and labor relations metrics and reporting tools.
• Support the Senior Labor Relations & HR Compliance Manager in collective bargaining negotiations, effects bargaining, memorandums of agreement (MOAs), memorandums of understanding (MOUs), and successor contract transitions.
• Participate in bargaining preparation activities, including proposal development, costing analysis coordination, operational impact assessments, and strategic planning.
• Assist with development of bargaining summaries, contract comparison analyses, labor costing information, and negotiation tracking documents.
• Coordinate and maintain labor relations calendars, bargaining schedules, notice requirements, and contract expiration tracking systems.
• Support implementation of newly ratified collective bargaining agreements and associated operational communication plans.
• Conduct and support workplace investigations involving potential misconduct, policy violations, attendance concerns, safety violations, and employee complaints.
• Review disciplinary actions for contractual compliance, consistency, just cause standards, procedural adherence, and risk mitigation.
• Assist in preparation for arbitration hearings, unfair labor practice matters, mediations, and administrative proceedings.
• Coordinate documentation, witness preparation, investigatory records, and case summaries in partnership with legal counsel and labor leadership.
• Support labor-related responses involving National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) matters and other labor agency inquiries.
• Partner closely with operational leadership to proactively identify labor risks, workforce concerns, staffing challenges, and employee relations trends.
• Support workforce transition activities associated with government contract start-ups, recompetes, successor employer obligations, and organizational restructuring initiatives.
• Provide labor relations training and coaching to managers and supervisors regarding collective bargaining administration, investigatory practices, employee communications, and labor compliance expectations.
• Promote collaborative labor-management relationships while maintaining the organization’s operational and strategic objectives.
• Assist in development and implementation of enterprise labor relations policies, procedures, templates, and best practices.
• May provide guidance and direction to Labor Relations Specialists, HR Generalists, or site-level HR personnel supporting labor-related functions.
• May lead project teams or cross-functional initiatives related to labor administration, bargaining preparation, or workforce transitions.

Benefits

• The statements contained in this job description are intended to describe the general content and requirements for performance of this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties, responsibilities, and requirements.
• This job description is not an employment agreement or contract. Management has the exclusive right to alter the scope of work within the framework of this job description at any time without prior notice.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level