The Field Services Human Resources Manager provides leadership and oversight to a team of HR Managers responsible for employee relations, workers’ compensation, employee leaves, and workplace accommodations. This position ensures consistent, compliant, and employee-centered HR practices across the organization while building and maintaining strong, trusted relationships with internal clients.
The Human Resources Manager serves as a senior resource for complex employee matters, coaches and develops the HR team, identifies trends and risks, and partners with organizational leaders to understand their needs and support a positive and productive workplace.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Team Leadership:
- Lead, coach, and develop a team of HR Managers.
- Establish team priorities, assign responsibilities, and monitor workload and performance.
- Provide guidance on complex, sensitive, or high-risk employee matters.
- Promote consistency in HR practices, documentation, decision-making, and communication.
- Establish and report operational and result driven team KPIs.
- Conduct regular team meetings and individual check-ins.
- Support the professional development and ongoing training of HR team members.
Employee Relations:
- Oversee the organization’s employee relations function.
- Advise HR Managers and organizational leaders on performance management, workplace concerns, policy interpretation, conflict resolution, and corrective action.
- Review complex or escalated employee complaints and workplace investigations.
- Ensure investigations are timely, objective, well documented, and handled consistently.
- Identify employee relations trends and recommend proactive solutions.
- Partner with legal counsel and senior leadership when appropriate.
Workers’ Compensation:
- Provide oversight of the workers’ compensation program and related claims-management processes.
- Ensure workplace injuries are reported, documented, and managed promptly.
- Monitor open claims, return-to-work plans, and communication with employees, supervisors, insurance carriers, medical providers, and other partners.
- Review claim trends and collaborate with leadership and safety personnel to reduce workplace injuries and associated costs.
- Ensure compliance with applicable workers’ compensation requirements.
Employee Leaves and Workplace Accommodations:
- Oversee the administration of employee leave programs, including FMLA, medical leave, military leave, paid leave, and other legally required or organizational leaves.
- Ensure requests for workplace accommodations are handled promptly, consistently, and confidentially.
- Guide the interactive process under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other applicable laws.
- Support HR Managers in coordinating leave, accommodation, return-to-work, and fitness-for-duty matters.
- Ensure employees and supervisors receive clear and timely communication regarding responsibilities, documentation, and next steps.
Compliance and Program Administration:
- Ensure HR practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and organizational policies.
- Develop, review, and improve procedures related to employee relations, workers’ compensation, leaves, and accommodations.
- Maintain accurate and confidential records and ensure appropriate documentation standards.
- Maintain Regional Employee Handbooks
- Monitor changes in employment laws and recommend updates to policies, procedures, and training.
- Prepare reports and analyze data to identify risks, trends, and opportunities for improvement.
- Participate in audits and respond to agency inquiries, charges, claims, or requests for information as needed.
Qualifications:
Education & Experience:
- 6+ years of progressive human resources experience, including employee relations, workplace investigations, performance management, and employment law compliance.
- 3+ years of experience leading, supervising, or managing human resources professionals.
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Employee Relations, or a related field preferred.
- Demonstrated experience overseeing employee relations, workers’ compensation, employee leaves, and workplace accommodations.
- Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, and applicable workers’ compensation requirements.
- Experience managing complex employee relations matters, conducting or overseeing workplace investigations, and advising organizational leadership on appropriate resolutions.
- Experience developing and implementing HR policies, procedures, and operational improvements.
- Ability to establish, monitor, and analyze team performance metrics and KPIs to identify trends, mitigate risk, and improve service delivery.
- Experience partnering with business leaders, legal counsel, and cross-functional stakeholders to support organizational objectives.
- Experience supporting multi-location organizations or charter school environments preferred.
- Professional HR certification, such as PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP, preferred.
Behavioral Competencies:
- Strong leadership, coaching, and team development skills.
- Outstanding skills in conflict resolution, counseling, negotiation, risk management, and relationship building.
- Ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion when handling sensitive and confidential employee matters.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, complex employee matters, and multiple stakeholder relationships.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence and advise organizational leaders.
- Demonstrated commitment to consistency, accountability, confidentiality, and continuous improvement.
- Ability to embrace Vertex Education's mission, vision, and values.
Background Check:
- Must be able to obtain and hold a valid IVP Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card at all times.
