Senior Level Employee Relations Director Jobs
Senior level employee relations director jobs place experienced professionals in charge of shaping policy, resolving complex workforce issues, and leading the teams that implement employee relations strategy across an organization. Openings concentrate in Technology & Software and Distribution & Wholesale, with a mix of on-site, hybrid, and remote roles available and employers like Amazon, Zendesk, and Brooks Running hiring at this level now.
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INTRODUCTION
The Manager, ER and HR Operations leads Employee Relations and HR Operations for the Americas. This role delivers consistent and timely employee and manager support, manages employee-relations risk, and ensures accurate execution of core HR processes. The Manager leads and develops HR Generalists and Senior HR Generalists and DC HR team, oversees case allocation and service priorities, and partners closely with Senior HR Business Partners, Compliance and Team Governance, Legal, Benefits, Payroll, and other key partners.
The role balances direct leadership of complex or high-risk employee matters with disciplined operational delivery. The Manager uses cases, exit data, and workforce data to identify patterns, improve manager capability, strengthen processes, and provide practical recommendations to the Director, HR Americas; Senior HRBPs; and HR Leadership Team. Success in this role means employees and leaders experience one coordinated HR team, regardless of where ownership sits.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Employee Relations:
- Own ER intake, triage, and case allocation for employee and manager concerns, ensuring clear routing, decision rights, escalation paths, and appropriate assignment based on risk, complexity, precedent, organizational impact, and team capacity.
- Lead or actively guide complex and high-risk employee relations matters, including investigations, retaliation or discrimination allegations, patterned concerns, sensitive terminations, and matters with significant legal or reputational exposure.
- Oversee performance management and corrective-action support, ensuring fair, consistent, and well-documented practices across comparable situations.
- Guide terminations and separations, including risk review for sensitive matters, partnering with the Director, HR, Legal, Compliance, or Senior HRBPs as appropriate.
- Oversee accommodations and the interactive process in partnership with Compliance, Benefits, Legal, people managers/leaders, and Senior HRBPs.
- Guide employees and managers on conflict resolution, workplace conduct, attendance, leave-related coordination, unemployment claims and hearings, and other employee-relations matters.
- Establish and maintain high-quality and consistent ER case management standards for investigations, findings, documentation, communications, case closure, records, risk levels, escalation indicators, access controls, retention, and audit readiness.
- Conduct consistency and risk reviews across employee matters, escalating issues that may establish precedent or create material legal, employee-safety, business-continuity, or reputational risk.
- Analyze ER and operational trends, including case volume and type and post-case reviews, time to triage and closure, aging cases, escalations, patterned issues, exit themes, transaction accuracy, rework, and manager enablement needs.
- Maintain and continuously improve standard templates, job aids, manager tools, and relevant training content, including resources related to employee relations, ADA/accommodations, performance management, and other recurring manager needs.
HR Operations:
- Oversee Workday transactions, employee movement administration, supervisory-organization maintenance, data-quality audits, and transaction quality.
- Lead standard employee lifecycle processes, workflow management, recurring operational reporting, defined employee and manager inquiries, and operational calendar execution.
- Coordinate job-description workflows while partnering with Senior HRBPs and leaders on role-design decisions and with Compensation on job evaluation or pay considerations.
- Oversee key HR workstreams including exit interviews and exit-data analysis, internship partnership with People Programs team, and other defined HR services.
- Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and improve HR workflows while maintaining sound controls, employee experience, and data integrity.
- Partner with Legal, Compliance, Benefits, Payroll, Security, Compensation, Talent, Recruiting, People Programs, and other teams to deliver coordinated and practical solutions.
- Support change implementation by converting strategic or compliance decisions into repeatable operational steps, manager resources, communications, and sustainable workflows.
- Translate ER and operational trends into actionable recommendations for the Director, HR North America and Senior HRBPs, including interventions that address recurring team, leadership, process, or organizational issues.
Team Management:
- Manage ER and operational workload across the team, monitoring capacity, aging work, high-risk matters, upcoming terminations, accommodation risks, operational blockers, and backup coverage.
- Manage Distribution Center HR Operations – guide and partner with DC HR Manager on ownership, HR service scope, day-to-day HR activities, ER situations, escalations, and delivery expectations for site-level execution.
- Lead direct reports effectively in line with company values and culture by mirroring Connect (our leadership program) principles. Provide a collaborative, open and rewarding team environment.
- Manage (including goal setting, performance review, hiring decisions, team culture, etc.) and support the career development of direct reports to ensure job satisfaction, retention and to identify and develop bench strength.
- Own decisions related to day-to-day employee career, training, performance, etc. and provide recommendations to HR leadership on employee decisions such as compensation, promotions, hiring/termination.
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources or business, or equivalent experience.
- 7+ years of progressive HR experience, including substantial responsibility for employee relations, investigations, performance management, and HR operations.
- 3+ years of experience managing, mentoring, and developing HR professionals.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex and sensitive employee-relations matters and partnering effectively with employment counsel.
- General knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws, including FLSA, EEO, FMLA, ADA, OSHA, and applicable leave, wage-and-hour, and workplace-conduct requirements.
- Experience with HRIS transactions, operational controls, reporting, data quality, process design, and continuous improvement; Workday experience preferred.
- Proven ability to handle confidential information professionally and discreetly and to assess risk, determine escalation, and make practical recommendations.
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build trust and guide employees and leaders through difficult situations.
- Ability to anticipate how decisions affect employees, customers, and operations and to connect employee-level matters to broader leadership, team, culture, and organizational implications.
- Keen attention to detail in planning, organization, documentation, and execution while maintaining a clear view of how the work connects across HR.
- Strong self-starter with the ability to establish structure, prioritize competing demands, and drive work to completion with appropriate independence.
- A positive attitude, passion for learning, and commitment to Brooks’ values and to creating a welcoming, equitable, and consistent employee experience.
- Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner in order to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community.
- Embraces and lives the Brooks values!
BENEFITS
Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!
- Benefits including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance.
- Paid Time Off - Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
- Bonus - in addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.
- Perks - including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits.
LOCATION
You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.
COMPENSATION
The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $124,234 - $186,404 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
INTRODUCTION
The Manager, ER and HR Operations leads Employee Relations and HR Operations for the Americas. This role delivers consistent and timely employee and manager support, manages employee-relations risk, and ensures accurate execution of core HR processes. The Manager leads and develops HR Generalists and Senior HR Generalists and DC HR team, oversees case allocation and service priorities, and partners closely with Senior HR Business Partners, Compliance and Team Governance, Legal, Benefits, Payroll, and other key partners.
The role balances direct leadership of complex or high-risk employee matters with disciplined operational delivery. The Manager uses cases, exit data, and workforce data to identify patterns, improve manager capability, strengthen processes, and provide practical recommendations to the Director, HR Americas; Senior HRBPs; and HR Leadership Team. Success in this role means employees and leaders experience one coordinated HR team, regardless of where ownership sits.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:
Employee Relations:
- Own ER intake, triage, and case allocation for employee and manager concerns, ensuring clear routing, decision rights, escalation paths, and appropriate assignment based on risk, complexity, precedent, organizational impact, and team capacity.
- Lead or actively guide complex and high-risk employee relations matters, including investigations, retaliation or discrimination allegations, patterned concerns, sensitive terminations, and matters with significant legal or reputational exposure.
- Oversee performance management and corrective-action support, ensuring fair, consistent, and well-documented practices across comparable situations.
- Guide terminations and separations, including risk review for sensitive matters, partnering with the Director, HR, Legal, Compliance, or Senior HRBPs as appropriate.
- Oversee accommodations and the interactive process in partnership with Compliance, Benefits, Legal, people managers/leaders, and Senior HRBPs.
- Guide employees and managers on conflict resolution, workplace conduct, attendance, leave-related coordination, unemployment claims and hearings, and other employee-relations matters.
- Establish and maintain high-quality and consistent ER case management standards for investigations, findings, documentation, communications, case closure, records, risk levels, escalation indicators, access controls, retention, and audit readiness.
- Conduct consistency and risk reviews across employee matters, escalating issues that may establish precedent or create material legal, employee-safety, business-continuity, or reputational risk.
- Analyze ER and operational trends, including case volume and type and post-case reviews, time to triage and closure, aging cases, escalations, patterned issues, exit themes, transaction accuracy, rework, and manager enablement needs.
- Maintain and continuously improve standard templates, job aids, manager tools, and relevant training content, including resources related to employee relations, ADA/accommodations, performance management, and other recurring manager needs.
HR Operations:
- Oversee Workday transactions, employee movement administration, supervisory-organization maintenance, data-quality audits, and transaction quality.
- Lead standard employee lifecycle processes, workflow management, recurring operational reporting, defined employee and manager inquiries, and operational calendar execution.
- Coordinate job-description workflows while partnering with Senior HRBPs and leaders on role-design decisions and with Compensation on job evaluation or pay considerations.
- Oversee key HR workstreams including exit interviews and exit-data analysis, internship partnership with People Programs team, and other defined HR services.
- Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and improve HR workflows while maintaining sound controls, employee experience, and data integrity.
- Partner with Legal, Compliance, Benefits, Payroll, Security, Compensation, Talent, Recruiting, People Programs, and other teams to deliver coordinated and practical solutions.
- Support change implementation by converting strategic or compliance decisions into repeatable operational steps, manager resources, communications, and sustainable workflows.
- Translate ER and operational trends into actionable recommendations for the Director, HR North America and Senior HRBPs, including interventions that address recurring team, leadership, process, or organizational issues.
Team Management:
- Manage ER and operational workload across the team, monitoring capacity, aging work, high-risk matters, upcoming terminations, accommodation risks, operational blockers, and backup coverage.
- Manage Distribution Center HR Operations – guide and partner with DC HR Manager on ownership, HR service scope, day-to-day HR activities, ER situations, escalations, and delivery expectations for site-level execution.
- Lead direct reports effectively in line with company values and culture by mirroring Connect (our leadership program) principles. Provide a collaborative, open and rewarding team environment.
- Manage (including goal setting, performance review, hiring decisions, team culture, etc.) and support the career development of direct reports to ensure job satisfaction, retention and to identify and develop bench strength.
- Own decisions related to day-to-day employee career, training, performance, etc. and provide recommendations to HR leadership on employee decisions such as compensation, promotions, hiring/termination.
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources or business, or equivalent experience.
- 7+ years of progressive HR experience, including substantial responsibility for employee relations, investigations, performance management, and HR operations.
- 3+ years of experience managing, mentoring, and developing HR professionals.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex and sensitive employee-relations matters and partnering effectively with employment counsel.
- General knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws, including FLSA, EEO, FMLA, ADA, OSHA, and applicable leave, wage-and-hour, and workplace-conduct requirements.
- Experience with HRIS transactions, operational controls, reporting, data quality, process design, and continuous improvement; Workday experience preferred.
- Proven ability to handle confidential information professionally and discreetly and to assess risk, determine escalation, and make practical recommendations.
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build trust and guide employees and leaders through difficult situations.
- Ability to anticipate how decisions affect employees, customers, and operations and to connect employee-level matters to broader leadership, team, culture, and organizational implications.
- Keen attention to detail in planning, organization, documentation, and execution while maintaining a clear view of how the work connects across HR.
- Strong self-starter with the ability to establish structure, prioritize competing demands, and drive work to completion with appropriate independence.
- A positive attitude, passion for learning, and commitment to Brooks’ values and to creating a welcoming, equitable, and consistent employee experience.
- Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner in order to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community.
- Embraces and lives the Brooks values!
BENEFITS
Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!
- Benefits including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance.
- Paid Time Off - Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
- Bonus - in addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.
- Perks - including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits.
LOCATION
You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.
COMPENSATION
The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $124,234 - $186,404 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
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Senior Level Employee Relations Director Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a senior level employee relations director job?
Employers at this level look for candidates who have owned enterprise-wide employee relations programs, not just supported them. Demonstrating that you have designed policy, advised executives, led investigations with legal implications, and built or mentored HR teams will set you apart. A history of reducing organizational risk while improving workplace culture is what moves a resume to the top of the pile at this stage.
Which companies hire senior level employee relations directors?
Companies hiring senior level employee relations directors right now include Amazon, Zendesk, and Brooks Running, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Hiring at this level tends to come from large employers with complex workforces, including multisite corporations, heavily regulated industries, and organizations navigating significant labor or culture initiatives.
Are there remote senior level employee relations director jobs?
Yes, though availability varies by employer and industry. About 100% of senior level employee relations director openings are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the growing acceptance of distributed HR leadership. Fully remote roles are more common at large employers with established virtual HR infrastructure, while heavily unionized or regulated industries often prefer on-site presence.
What makes an employee relations director role senior level?
Senior level employee relations director roles are defined by scope and accountability. These positions own the strategy, not just the execution, handling enterprise-wide policy development, executive advising, complex investigations, and labor relations programs. They also carry responsibility for mentoring junior HR professionals and influencing organizational culture at a leadership level, distinguishing them clearly from mid-level positions focused on day-to-day case management.
Which industries hire the most senior level employee relations directors?
Senior level employee relations director roles concentrate in Technology & Software and Distribution & Wholesale, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. These sectors tend to drive demand because of their large, distributed workforces, compliance complexity, and the strategic importance of maintaining consistent employee relations programs across multiple business units or locations.