Employee Relations Specialist Jobs in Illinois
Employee Relations Specialist jobs in Illinois are active across a broad range of sectors, with the strongest demand in manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and retail, and openings from entry-level HR coordinators through senior employee relations managers. Chicago drives the majority of hiring, with additional concentration in Rockford and Peoria, where companies like Abbott Laboratories, Walgreens, and United Airlines maintain large workforces and established HR functions. The most in-demand specialties include labor relations and union management, workplace investigations, and leave and accommodation compliance. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 4 of 14+ Employee Relations Specialist jobs
The Company:
Founded on a passion for creating meaningful experiences and lasting relationships, KemperSports is built on the belief that great hospitality starts with exceptional team members. Since opening Kemper Lakes Golf Club in 1978, KemperSports has grown to over 10,000 team members by empowering passionate individuals to create memorable moments for guests, members, clients and communities.
The Opportunity:
The Director of Human Resources, Compliance and Employee Relations supports a legally compliant, positive, and respectful workplace. The Director partners with HR leaders, business leaders, and legal counsel to ensure compliance with federal, state and local employment requirements, audit execution, and interpreting company policies.
The position requires compliance and legal experience (JD preferred), California compliance experience, strong judgment, confidentiality, organization, and the ability to communicate effectively with employees and leaders at all levels of the organization.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Lead programs that support compliance with federal, state, and local employment requirements.
- Monitor changes in employment law and evaluate their potential effect on company policies and business practices.
- Partner with legal counsel to update policies when laws or regulatory expectations change.
- Provide guidance regarding wage-and-hour, background-check, recordkeeping, equal-employment opportunity, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, retaliation, disability accommodation, protected leave, and other employment-related compliance.
- Conduct or oversee internal compliance reviews and risk assessments.
- Develop corrective-action plans to address audit findings, policy gaps, or inconsistent practices.
- Ensure employment-related records are accurate, confidential, appropriately retained, and accessible only to authorized individuals.
- Ensure policies are practical, legally compliant, and aligned with company culture and operating needs.
- Establish policy-governance standards, including ownership, approval, communication, training, version control, and periodic review.
- Translate complex regulatory requirements into clear instructions for associates and leaders.
- Develop manager resources, investigation protocols, decision guides, escalation procedures, and compliance checklists.
- Coordinate responses to government-agency requests, subpoenas, personnel-file requests, legal holds, and employment-related documentation requests.
- Use data to identify locations, departments, or practices requiring intervention.
- Measure the effectiveness of preventive programs and recommend continuous improvements.
- Support consistent implementation of the Team Member Handbook.
- Develop and deliver training on employment compliance, and safety.
- Educate leaders on recognizing and escalating potential associate-relations or safety concerns.
- Evaluate training effectiveness using completion data, case trends, audit findings, safety incidents, and leader feedback.
- Support compliant background-check and pre-employment notification processes.
- Identify recurring employee-relations trends and recommend policy, training, or process improvements.
- Partner with HR business partners, finance, payroll, and legal counsel on sensitive, complex, or high-risk employee matters.
- Conduct or support workplace investigations, document findings, and recommend appropriate resolutions.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required; Juris Doctor, preferred.
- At least 5 years of progressive experience in human resources compliance and employment law, or a related field.
- Experience supporting a large, geographically distributed, non-exempt, field-based workforce.
- Significant experience managing employee relations and compliance matters in California.
- Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state employment laws and workplace-safety requirements.
- Experience advising leaders on high-risk employee relations and compliance matters.
- Experience managing programs across a multi-location organization.
- Experience working with employment counsel, insurance providers, claims administrators, or government agencies.
- Strong analytical, strategic-planning, project-management, and change-management capabilities.
- Excellent written, verbal, presentation, interviewing, and documentation skills.
- Ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive matters with discretion.
- Ability to manage several complex priorities and respond effectively to urgent situations.
- Proficiency with HR information systems, case-management platforms, reporting tools, and standard office applications.
Classification:
Full-Time Salaried, Exempt
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
The Company:
Founded on a passion for creating meaningful experiences and lasting relationships, KemperSports is built on the belief that great hospitality starts with exceptional team members. Since opening Kemper Lakes Golf Club in 1978, KemperSports has grown to over 10,000 team members by empowering passionate individuals to create memorable moments for guests, members, clients and communities.
The Opportunity:
The Director of Human Resources, Compliance and Employee Relations supports a legally compliant, positive, and respectful workplace. The Director partners with HR leaders, business leaders, and legal counsel to ensure compliance with federal, state and local employment requirements, audit execution, and interpreting company policies.
The position requires compliance and legal experience (JD preferred), California compliance experience, strong judgment, confidentiality, organization, and the ability to communicate effectively with employees and leaders at all levels of the organization.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Lead programs that support compliance with federal, state, and local employment requirements.
- Monitor changes in employment law and evaluate their potential effect on company policies and business practices.
- Partner with legal counsel to update policies when laws or regulatory expectations change.
- Provide guidance regarding wage-and-hour, background-check, recordkeeping, equal-employment opportunity, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, retaliation, disability accommodation, protected leave, and other employment-related compliance.
- Conduct or oversee internal compliance reviews and risk assessments.
- Develop corrective-action plans to address audit findings, policy gaps, or inconsistent practices.
- Ensure employment-related records are accurate, confidential, appropriately retained, and accessible only to authorized individuals.
- Ensure policies are practical, legally compliant, and aligned with company culture and operating needs.
- Establish policy-governance standards, including ownership, approval, communication, training, version control, and periodic review.
- Translate complex regulatory requirements into clear instructions for associates and leaders.
- Develop manager resources, investigation protocols, decision guides, escalation procedures, and compliance checklists.
- Coordinate responses to government-agency requests, subpoenas, personnel-file requests, legal holds, and employment-related documentation requests.
- Use data to identify locations, departments, or practices requiring intervention.
- Measure the effectiveness of preventive programs and recommend continuous improvements.
- Support consistent implementation of the Team Member Handbook.
- Develop and deliver training on employment compliance, and safety.
- Educate leaders on recognizing and escalating potential associate-relations or safety concerns.
- Evaluate training effectiveness using completion data, case trends, audit findings, safety incidents, and leader feedback.
- Support compliant background-check and pre-employment notification processes.
- Identify recurring employee-relations trends and recommend policy, training, or process improvements.
- Partner with HR business partners, finance, payroll, and legal counsel on sensitive, complex, or high-risk employee matters.
- Conduct or support workplace investigations, document findings, and recommend appropriate resolutions.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required; Juris Doctor, preferred.
- At least 5 years of progressive experience in human resources compliance and employment law, or a related field.
- Experience supporting a large, geographically distributed, non-exempt, field-based workforce.
- Significant experience managing employee relations and compliance matters in California.
- Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state employment laws and workplace-safety requirements.
- Experience advising leaders on high-risk employee relations and compliance matters.
- Experience managing programs across a multi-location organization.
- Experience working with employment counsel, insurance providers, claims administrators, or government agencies.
- Strong analytical, strategic-planning, project-management, and change-management capabilities.
- Excellent written, verbal, presentation, interviewing, and documentation skills.
- Ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive matters with discretion.
- Ability to manage several complex priorities and respond effectively to urgent situations.
- Proficiency with HR information systems, case-management platforms, reporting tools, and standard office applications.
Classification:
Full-Time Salaried, Exempt
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
See All 14 Employee Relations Specialist Jobs in Illinois
Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsEmployee Relations Specialist Jobs by City in Illinois
Where Illinois roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Employee Relations Specialist Job Market in Illinois
A snapshot from current Illinois openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
What Illinois Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in employee relations specialist jobs across Illinois.
- Bachelor's degree in human resources, labor relations, business, or a related field
- Professional HR certification such as PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP preferred
- Demonstrated experience conducting workplace investigations and resolving employee complaints
- Working knowledge of Illinois employment law, including the Illinois Human Rights Act
- Experience supporting union environments or administering collective bargaining agreements
- Strong written communication skills for documenting investigations and drafting HR policies
Employee Relations Specialist Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a employee relations specialist in Illinois?
Most Illinois employers require a bachelor's degree in human resources, labor relations, business, or a closely related field as the foundation for this role. Illinois does not issue a state license for employee relations specialists, but earning a nationally recognized credential such as the SHRM-CP or PHR is a strong differentiator in a competitive Chicago-area market. Gaining experience in HR generalist or coordinator roles at mid-size Illinois employers before specializing is a common and effective path.
How much do employee relations specialists make in Illinois?
Employee relations specialists in Illinois earn a median of about $76,820 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $48,980 for the lowest 10% to over $123,940 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire employee relations specialists in Illinois?
Employers hiring employee relations specialists in Illinois right now include ALDI, AXIOM, and Abbott, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Illinois's concentration of Fortune 500 headquarters, large healthcare systems, and major manufacturers means steady, ongoing demand for this role across the state.
Which Illinois cities have the most employee relations specialist jobs?
The cities with the most employee relations specialist openings in Illinois are Chicago, Lisle, and Aurora. Chicago dominates the distribution because of its dense cluster of corporate headquarters, major hospital systems, and large retail and logistics employers, while other markets reflect the presence of anchor manufacturers and regional medical centers that maintain in-house HR and employee relations teams.
Are there remote employee relations specialist jobs in Illinois?
Yes, though they are less common than in purely analytical HR roles because employee relations work frequently involves in-person investigations, mediations, and meetings with managers and employees. About 100% of employee relations specialist openings tied to Illinois are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with fully remote positions most often available for senior specialists handling policy development or multi-site compliance work rather than day-to-day site-level casework.
How can I get hired as a employee relations specialist in Illinois with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is starting as an HR coordinator or HR generalist at an Illinois employer and handling employee relations casework as part of a broader role before moving into a dedicated position. Large Illinois hospital systems and manufacturers often post HR associate or HR specialist roles designed for recent graduates. Earning the SHRM-CP credential early signals commitment to the field and is actively sought by Chicago-area employers hiring at the junior level. Internships through Illinois university HR programs at companies like Aon, Hyatt, or Kraft Heinz can also open the door directly.
Where can I find and apply to employee relations specialist jobs in Illinois?
You can find and apply to employee relations specialist jobs in Illinois on Migrate Mate, which lists current Illinois openings across industries and experience levels. Find a role that fits and apply directly through the listing.
See All 14 Employee Relations Specialist Jobs in Illinois
Find roles in Illinois that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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