Senior Employee Relations Manager

Crusoe•San Francisco, CA

2d•$195,000 - $230,000•Onsite

About The Position

As our Senior Employee Relations Manager, you will handle workplace concerns, conflict resolution, and internal investigations across the company. We are looking for someone who relies on empathy, strong listening skills, and personal connection to resolve issues—rather than leaning on rigid bureaucracy or formalized playbooks. Because a significant portion of our workforce or operations interfaces with California’s complex regulatory environment, deep expertise and a strong working knowledge of California labor law is a strict requirement for this role. You will ensure that our investigation, compliance, and resolution processes are fair, timely, thorough, and legally airtight. Your goal is to keep our workplaces safe and respectful while managing risk and protecting the business. This is a fully onsite position, requiring five days a week at our San Francisco, CA office.

Requirements

California Labor Law Expertise: Comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of California employment law, state compliance frameworks, and wage-and-hour regulations.
Strong Relationship Builder: A gifted listener who reads team dynamics easily and builds trust with people at all levels.
Pragmatic Problem Solver: Comfortable navigating ambiguous, sensitive situations and resolving issues in real-time without needing a step-by-step playbook for every scenario.
High Emotional Intelligence: Calm and objective when handling high-stress or emotionally charged employee conflicts.
Execution & Detail-Oriented: Focused on keeping cases moving forward, meeting tight deadlines, and maintaining airtight documentation.
HR Generalist Leadership & Advisory: 8+ years of deep HR generalist experience with a proven ability to act as a trusted advisor to leaders on complex performance management, compensation, benefits, and talent management issues. You know how to connect the dots between individual employee relations cases and broader organizational health.
Employment Law Expertise: Proven, deep knowledge of employment law and regulatory environments across multiple U.S. states. Specific, hands-on experience navigating California’s complex labor laws, wage-and-hour regulations, and CRD compliance frameworks is a strict requirement for this role.
Interpersonal Strength & Trust Building: Exceptional communication and conflict resolution skills, with a proven ability to listen deeply and build immediate trust with employees and leaders alike. You excel at reading team dynamics and emotional cues , navigating high-stress or sensitive situations with absolute discretion, composure, and empathy.

Nice To Haves

Fast-Scaling Environment (Bonus): Experience working in a fast-growing, scaling, or volatile business environment is highly preferred; comfort adapting ER processes dynamically as the company grows is a major plus.

Responsibilities

Conduct Investigations: Personally run the majority of internal investigations across the company regarding workplace complaints or concerns. Ensure everything is documented accurately, handled fairly, and completed in a timely manner.
Manage Sensitive Matters: Act as a trusted point of contact for employees and leaders dealing with sensitive, confidential, or emotionally charged situations.
Protect Peer Focus: Handle cases discreetly so that cross-functional peers (like Employee Success Partners) can stay focused on their core responsibilities.
Consistency: Partner with Legal, Compliance, and People Operations to ensure our workplace policies are clear, fair, and compliant with both federal and state labor laws—with particular attention to California-specific mandates. Track historical cases to make sure similar issues receive consistent outcomes.
Manager Advisory: Act as a sounding board and advisor to managers and People Success Partners, coaching them through tough employee situations, difficult conversations, and complex policy questions.
California Law Guidance: Provide clear guidance to leadership on California-specific nuances, such as mandatory harassment prevention training, meal/rest break compliance issues, and independent contractor guidelines.
Collaboration & Education: Work with teammates to deliver practical training for managers on conflict resolution, documentation best practices, and spotting early ER risks.
Identify Risks: Pay close attention to workplace dynamics, using regular communication and observation to spot early signs of morale issues or cultural strain.
Trend Reporting: Share regular insights and trend data from your observations with leadership to help guide proactive culture improvements or policy adjustments.