Manager, Employee Relations (63023)

Graham Windham•New York, NY

8d•$81,360 - $81,360•Hybrid

About The Position

Graham provides life-changing tools and resources for children, young adults, and families facing some of the toughest obstacles — poverty, racial injustice, and unequal access to education, living-wage employment, quality healthcare, and affordable housing. We partner with communities to build innovative strategies so everyone can lead healthy, joyful, successful lives. That same spirit of innovation belongs inside our own walls — which is exactly what this role is here to build. As Manager, Employee Relations, you won't be the person who shows up after something has already gone wrong. You'll be the person who uses data, empathy, and sharp judgment to make sure fewer things go wrong in the first place — and when they do, you'll handle them with the fairness and rigor our employees deserve. This is employee relations as a strategic, forward-looking discipline: proactive instead of reactive, evidence-based instead of anecdotal, and genuinely human at every step.

Requirements

5+ years of progressive HR experience, with deep roots in employee relations.
A track record of conducting workplace investigations that hold up — thorough, fair, well-documented.
Working knowledge of employment law, and comfort navigating collective bargaining agreements.
The rare mix of empathy and rigor: you can sit with someone in a hard moment and still make a clear-eyed, defensible call.
Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Organizational Development, Labor Relations, or related field.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree
PHR / SPHR / SHRM-CP / SHRM-SCP certification
nonprofit or mission-driven sector experience
experience building ER metrics and dashboards.
Experience with HR technology innovation, including AI-assisted or automated tools for case management, analytics, or employee communications.
Experience providing consultative guidance to leaders — helping them think through options and risk rather than simply telling them what to do.
Formal mediation training or experience facilitating resolution between conflicting parties preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted, impartial resource for employees and leaders on workplace concerns, conduct, and conflict.
Lead thorough, objective investigations into harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and policy violations — and turn findings into clear, defensible recommendations.
Use case data and analytics to identify root causes and get ahead of recurring issues before they escalate.
Serve as a neutral mediator between employees, or between employees and managers, to facilitate resolution of interpersonal or workplace conflicts before they escalate to formal grievances or investigations.
Coach managers through the hardest conversations - accountability, documentation, and performance — with confidence and clarity.
Own and continuously improve Graham's performance management process, OKRs, and goal-setting practices.
Design and deliver training that builds real manager capability, not just checkbox compliance.
Use performance management data to identify systemic coaching needs and reduce recurring ER escalations.
Ensure fair, consistent application of Graham's policies and collective bargaining agreements.
Represent HR in labor-management discussions and grievance processes.
Track shifting employment law and translate it into practical policy guidance.
Champion new technology and analytics that make employee relations faster, fairer, and more transparent.
Turn employee feedback and workforce data into real process improvements.
Represent Graham externally as an ambassador in the HR and employee relations community.
Bring sound judgment, discretion, and steady professionalism to sensitive, high-stakes situations.
Build trusted relationships across every level of the organization.