Senior Director, Employee and Labor Relations

HealthPartners • Bloomington, MN

95d

About The Position

HealthPartners is currently hiring for a Senior Director, Employee and Labor Relations. This high-impact role is a key member of the HealthPartners human resources executive leadership team and reports directly to a Chief People Officer. In support of the Organization, the Senior Director is responsible for developing and operationalizing the systemwide strategy for employee and labor relations and leads a team of five (5) HR professionals that supports employee and labor relations for the HealthPartners/Group Health Plan Inc. (GHI) employer. In partnership with HealthPartners’ Law Department and organization-wide HR, business, and clinical leaders, the Director provides equitable and consistent Employee Relations/Labor Relations (ER/LR) services that minimize risk and align with business needs across both union and non-union workforces. Success in this role requires a strategic mindset, strong relationship-building skills, and the ability to influence across all levels of the organization, including union representatives and senior leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Labor Relations, or related field.
• Thirteen (13) years of progressive HR experience with a focus on labor relations and employee relations in a complex, multi-union, or multi-entity environment.
• Seven (7) years of proven experience leading teams and driving strategic initiatives.
• Experience leading union negotiations and managing labor risk in large organizations.
• Deep knowledge of labor law, collective bargaining processes, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to build, inspire, and motivate teams toward a common vision and goal, navigating ambiguity, adapting to change, and thriving in a dynamic work environment.
• Ability to drive strategic projects for the Organization, with executive presence and impact that spans across the Organization and business divisions.
• Expertise in leading Organization-wide HR COEs.
• Skilled at building collaborative working relationships with all levels of colleagues and leaders.
• Effective critical thinking skills and analytical mindset with ability to understand complex business challenges and develop data-informed solutions.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and influencing skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to translate data and concepts into actionable insights and present to senior level executives.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Labor Relations, or related field or Juris Doctorate degree.
• Previous experience within the health care Industry.
• Mastery in ability to build cross-functional alignment, lead through change, and drive Organization results.

Responsibilities

• Lead the labor and employee relations strategy and implementation for GHI.
• Oversee a team responsible for the day-to-day administration and implementation of the labor relations and employee relations programs.
• Develop the GHI labor relations and employee relations strategy.
• Bargain the GHI/SEIU and GHI/Local 12 Collective Bargaining Agreements.
• Responsible for GHI strike planning strategies and implementation.
• Responsible for effective case management of people-related issues such disciplinary actions, legal issues (harassment, discrimination, leave, accommodations, etc.), performance management (including corrective action), policy interpretation, proactive workplace initiatives and strategies, conflict resolution, and positive workplace climate.
• Develop and steward the Organization’s overarching labor relations strategy and guiding philosophy through the creation of an HR labor center of excellence.
• Define and standardize 'how we do labor' practices across entities, ensuring alignment with Organizational values and operational needs.
• Lead labor impact assessments for Organizational changes, including expansion, consolidation, and operational redesign.
• Align local and system-level labor strategies to ensure coherence and reduce fragmentation.
• Guide labor risk mitigation strategies across both union and non-union environments.
• Advise on complex labor performance cases, grievance escalations, negotiations and contractual disputes with high Organizational risk.
• Is a strategic leader and guide for employee relations leaders and teams throughout the Organization, helping set systemwide ER philosophy, policies, and practice standards.
• Proactively reduce employee relations related risk through risk assessments and actionable feedback to ER/LR teams.
• Work with applicable HR as they counsel VP, directors, and managers consistent with Organization policies/practices, legal considerations, and Organization priorities— advocating for both company and colleague concerns.
• Create and manage Organization-wide collective bargaining frameworks, including negotiation strategy and posture.
• Build and maintain scalable tools such as costing models, negotiation prep kits, and standardized contract language libraries.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive system bargaining calendar and negotiation activity map to coordinate Organization priorities.
• Partner with the Learning and Leadership Development COE to design and deliver strategic labor relations training for HR, Employee Relations (ER), the Law Department, and operational leaders.
• Lead the development of Organization communication strategies and toolkits for internal and external audiences during labor events.
• Develop and maintain Organization labor playbooks and response protocols (e.g., strike readiness, informational picketing, work stoppages).
• Elevate labor and ER capabilities across the Organization by embedding best practices.

Benefits

• Collaborative and professional environment.
• Occasional travel to various HealthPartners sites to support enterprise-wide initiatives.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees