Sr. Manager, Employee Relations (Near-Site Opportunity)

The Senior Manager, Employee Relations (ER) has overall responsibility to co-lead the delivery of Employee Relations services. They are responsible for the effective management of Employee Relations matters (grievances, discipline) measured by resolution of service requests within defined time periods, levels of accuracy and quality standards and customer satisfaction levels. They will be responsible for any stakeholder management and communications that might be needed in the ER space. They will drive proactive initiatives to increase ER awareness with Managers & Employees (i.e., ER training) and will support any ad hoc workforce events (M&A, Divestitures, etc.) requiring ER involvement.

The Senior Manager, Employee Relations is responsible for leading a team that provides services in a timely manner, treats the workforce respectfully and maintains high levels of confidentiality, trust and integrity in the handling of sensitive matters.  They foster a culture of rigorous adherence to standards, process excellence and continuous improvement.

The position is largely remote but requires the Sr. Manager to be near a Quest facility. Sites may include Baltimore, MD, Chantilly, VA, Marlborough, MA, Pittsburgh, PA, Cincinnati, OH, Lenexa, KS, Dallas, TX, Houston, TX, Tampa, FL, Miami, FL, etc.

• Manage operational activities to achieve target key performance indicators, operational level agreements and service levels by executing resource planning to ensure availability of staff and support.          

• Manage the operational plans to increase the effectiveness of services while improving the customer experience.   

• Ensure timely and compliant handling of all Grievance and Discipline Requests. Coach & train managers and employees.

• Responsible for any stakeholder management and communications that might be needed in the ER space. 

• Ensure a strong and productive partnership with HR Business Partners, the HR Service Center colleagues, among others.  Be able to work in a matrix organization effectively.

• Support management of Grievance and Discipline requests requiring higher level knowledge and authority and/or interaction with 3rd Parties.   

• Conduct environmental scans and participate in significant workplace events (such as the planning and execution of RIF’s, M&A’s, etc.).       

• Provide professional guidance to their team.

• Monitor team members’ workload and performance, ensuring proper assignment of cases and workload balancing to deliver targeted Service Levels.

• Lead and contribute to scheduled and ad hoc training in order to improve performance and promote continuous learning.

• Drive direct interventions with Managers and employees on most sensitive cases and or escalations.

• Understand the Key Performance Indicators and operational metrics that are critical to managing service delivery in order to achieve Service Level Agreements and meet customer service standards.        

• Manage and monitor operational data and reports daily; constantly communicating performance with team and actively working to identify and implement interventions to maintain service standards.    

• Utilize operational practices and reports, including quality audits, standard and ad hoc reports in order to identify issues and take actions to achieve performance goals and targets.

• Implement continuous improvement opportunities to enhance provision of services by reviewing and providing feedback on operational processes, policies, standard operating procedures and work instructions and introduce key improvement plans for execution.

• Manage and motivate team members to achieve and exceed service standards by identifying staff performance gaps, allocating time to listen, monitor and provide constructive feedback for performance improvement.      

• Establish a set of values to promote achievement and continuous improvement in alignment with the overall Company’s vision.        

• Embrace and lead a culture of inclusiveness and multi-cultural engagement through coaching and feedback. 

• Provide leadership, direction, coaching, feedback, and, where appropriate, discipline to and through subordinate team members.

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required.

• A minimum of 8 years progressive HR experience with a concentration in Employee Relations, including experience researching, investigating, and addressing employee misconduct and below job performance standards; providing guidance to management

• 3+ years of experience leading a team; experience managing a virtual team is highly desired

• Knowledge of Employment and Labor Relations practices

• Experience in diagnosing, isolating, and resolving complex issues and recommending and implementing strategies to resolve problems.

• Experience managing, planning and implementing projects and strategic change initiatives.

• Detail-oriented (especially with regard to effectively managing employee relations issues and investigations).

• Proven success in establishing and managing a virtual team. 

• Influence leadership skills, in an indirect, matrix-based, and virtual environment.

• Enthusiastic team player with a strong drive to create a positive work environment.

• Strong management skills; operates as a leader with understanding and appreciation for diversity.

• Relationship management, coaching and collaboration skills.

• Analytical and strategic thinker.

• Influence, negotiation and consultative skills.

• Strong presentation skills: can speak across various forums and communicate to broad, diverse audience.

• Experienced in shaping solutions and driving business results, with strong communication and collaborative partnership skills with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the effective execution of HR solutions across the Company.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• HR Domain experience as an HR Generalist / HR Business Partner

• SPHR or similar certification.

• Experience using Case Management tools.

• Experience with continuous improvement and quality, such as Six Sigma or Lean Methodology.

• Excellent communication (oral and written) skills. 

• Ability to understand and correctly represent the needs of the work locations.