Manager - Workplace Investigations (Hybrid)

Stanford Health Care•Palo Alto, CA

9d•$79 - $105•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager of Workplace Investigations leads Stanford Health Care's workplace investigations function and is responsible for the quality, consistency, timeliness, and integrity of investigations across the organization. This role leads a team of HR professionals who conduct investigations, while also personally handling sensitive and complex cases. The Manager establishes standardized investigation methodologies, documentation practices, and case-tracking systems, while serving as the primary operational leader for investigations involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, workplace misconduct, policy violations, and other employee relations matters. This position works closely with Hospital Compliance, the Office of General Counsel, and outside counsel to ensure investigations are properly structured to preserve attorney-client privilege and align with organizational strategies.

Requirements

10 years of progressively responsible experience in employee relations, labor relations, or related function, conducting workplace investigations required.
Minimum of 5 years of people management responsibility required.
Experience conducting and overseeing investigations related to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other sensitive workplace issues required.
Strong knowledge of California employment law, investigation best practices, and complaint response processes.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with ability to review complex cases and prepare comprehensive reports.
Strong leadership presence and sound professional judgment with ability to lead through ambiguity.
Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment and manage competing priorities.
Ability to translate investigation trends and case outcomes into practical training and prevention strategies.
Strong stakeholder management skills for effectively partnering with legal counsel, compliance, and leadership.
Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle highly sensitive information with appropriate discretion.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or professional certifications (e.g., SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, PHR/SPHR) preferred.
Experience in a California healthcare environment and unionized setting is preferred.

Responsibilities

Leads a team of professionals who conduct workplace investigations, providing supervision, coaching, development, and performance management while also personally conducting investigations for sensitive, high-risk, or executive-level matters.
Establishes and enforces standardized investigation methodologies, documentation protocols, timelines, and case-tracking systems to ensure consistency, quality, and integrity across all workplace investigations.
Serves as the escalation point for sensitive matters and coaches team members on difficult cases, ensuring neutrality, completeness, and legal sufficiency of investigation plans, interview strategies, evidence summaries, findings, and reports.
Partners with Legal and outside counsel as needed to coordinate investigative efforts, particularly for cases involving potential litigation risk, ensuring all investigations follow proper protocols for preserving privilege and confidentiality.
Maintains a rigorous tracking system for investigations, analyzing data to identify trends, recurring themes, substantiation patterns, and organizational hotspots, providing actionable recommendations to mitigate emerging patterns of risk.
Develops and delivers training for leaders and departments on investigative best practices, complaint handling, reporting obligations, documentation standards, anti-retaliation measures, and workplace conduct expectations.
Provides guidance to leaders, other HR practice areas, Security, and other stakeholders regarding case status, interim measures, findings, corrective action, and post-investigation follow-up.
Manages the selection, engagement, and coordination of outside investigators when external support is needed due to complexity, neutrality concerns, specialized subject matter, or capacity constraints.

Benefits

Stanford Health Care sets a high standard for delivering value and an exceptional experience for our patients and families.
Candidates for employment and existing employees must adopt and execute C-I-CARE standards for all of patients, families and towards each other.
C-I-CARE is the foundation of Stanford’s patient-experience and represents a framework for patient-centered interactions.
Simply put, we do what it takes to enable and empower patients and families to focus on health, healing and recovery.
You will do this by executing against our three experience pillars, from the patient and family’s perspective: Know Me: Anticipate my needs and status to deliver effective care Show Me the Way: Guide and prompt my actions to arrive at better outcomes and better health Coordinate for Me: Own the complexity of my care through coordination
Stanford Health Care (SHC) strongly values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination in all of its policies and practices, including the area of employment.
Accordingly, SHC does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity and/or expression, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, or disability, or the perception of any of the above.
People of all genders, members of all racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.
Qualified applicants with criminal convictions will be considered after an individualized assessment of the conviction and the job requirements.
Base Pay Scale: Generally starting at $79.21 - $104.97 per hour
The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training.
This pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage.
At Stanford Health Care, we seek to provide patients with the very best in diagnosis and treatment, with outstanding quality, compassion and coordination.
With an unmatched track record of scientific discovery, technological innovation and translational medicine, Stanford Medicine physicians are pioneering leading edge therapies today that will change the way health care is delivered tomorrow.
As part of our spirit of discovery, we also leverage our deep relationships with luminary Silicon Valley companies to develop new ways to deliver preeminent patient care.
Learn about our awards and significant events.