Senior Employee Relations Partner

Relativity

1d•$112,000 - $168,000•Remote

About The Position

The Employee Relations Specialist serves as a trusted advisor and practitioner responsible for navigating complex workplace matters with sound judgment, legal fluency, and a commitment to both people and organizational health. The Senior Employee Relations Specialist (Level 6) is a senior IC expert responsible for leading complex employee relations and performance management cases end-to-end, ensuring consistent, defensible, and equitable outcomes across the organization. This role operates as a strategic partner to Sr. HRBPs, absorbing high-risk and high-complexity ER work while enabling HRBPs to focus on business strategy, talent decisions, and organizational effectiveness. This role partners closely with HRBPs, Legal, and senior leadership to resolve issues swiftly and fairly while strengthening the company's culture as we scale.

Requirements

5+ years of progressive HR experience with at least 3 years in a dedicated Employee Relations or HR compliance role
Demonstrated experience leading workplace investigations independently from intake through resolution
Working knowledge of multi-state employment law and regulatory compliance requirements
Proven ability to manage sensitive, high-risk cases with discretion and sound judgment
Strong written communication skills — able to produce clear, legally-defensible documentation

Nice To Haves

Experience in a global SaaS/technology, or pre-IPO company environment
Experience partnering with HRBPs in a global, matrixed org
PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification
Experience using HRIS platforms (Workday, Rippling, or similar) and case management tools

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end investigations into complex employee relations matters (e.g., misconduct, discrimination, retaliation, policy violations)
Conduct structured interviews, assess credibility, synthesize evidence, and produce clear, legally defensible findings and recommendations
Partner closely with Legal to manage risk, escalation thresholds, and compliance requirements
Ensure consistent application of policies globally, accounting for regional legal and cultural differences
Advise on high-risk performance cases, including PIPs, coaching plans, and involuntary separations
Ensure performance processes follow structured, documented frameworks with clear expectations, timelines, and success metrics
Support differentiation between performance vs. capability vs. organizational/system issues in partnership with HRBPs
Drive consistency in disciplinary actions and ensure fairness across managers and teams
Act as a subject matter expert in employment law (multi-state and global) and internal policy frameworks
Ensure rigorous documentation standards and audit readiness across all ER and performance cases
Identify and mitigate legal, reputational, and employee experience risks before escalation
Own ER case governance, including escalation pathways and decision frameworks
Coach managers on feedback delivery and documentation, navigating difficult conversations, and when/how to escalate ER matters
Partner with Sr. HRBPs to align ER decisions with broader talent, calibration, and organizational outcomes
Provide real-time case consultation for ambiguous or sensitive situations
Analyze ER case data to identify patterns by manager, function, or region, repeat manager risk patterns, policy gaps, and organizational friction points
Drive improvements to ER playbooks, templates, and workflows
Design and deliver manager education on performance management rigor, documentation standards, bias mitigation, and fair process
Build scalable tools (templates, guides, intake frameworks) that improve quality and consistency of ER handling
Partner with HRBPs to elevate overall organizational capability in managing performance and ER proactively