Microsoft

HR Manager- Data Center Operations (Onsite, Elk Grove Village or Hoffman Estates, IL locations)

Microsoft • $86K — $169K *
Chicago, IL 60629In-Person
Business Services
5 - 7 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Legal, Business, Psychology, or related field with 5+ years of HR experience.
  • 5+ years hands-on experience in labor relations including collective bargaining and grievance management.
  • Master's Degree in HR, Legal, Business, Psychology, or related field preferred.
  • Human Resources Professional Certification (e.g., PHR, SPHR, SHRM) preferred.
  • Experience in a production, critical 24/7 environment, such as IT infrastructure or manufacturing.

Responsibilities

  • Support and manage labor relations activities and collective bargaining efforts.
  • Develop relationships with employees through active engagement ('walking the floor').
  • Create and implement HR strategies to improve employee engagement.
  • Provide timely support to employees and managers regarding HR questions and concerns.
  • Participate actively in datacenter leadership meetings to provide HR insights.
  • Collaborate with HR partners to optimize recruitment and onboarding processes.
  • Assist in crisis management strategies and activation of Employee Assistance Programs.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive employee assistance and well-being programs.
  • Opportunities for professional growth through skill development and training.
  • Involvement in a diverse operational workforce environment.
  • Access to Microsoft's HR support and operating model.
Full Job Description
We are seeking an experienced HR professional with labor relations expertise to partner directly with one of our fastest-growing datacenter campuses in the northern Chicago suburbs (Elk Grove Village/Hoffman Estates area). This role supports a 24/7, 365-day operation with a workforce of 250+ employees and growing. As the dedicated HR Manager for the Chicago metro, you will work onsite to provide strategic HR support to datacenter leadership, managers, and employees-fostering collaboration, driving compliance, and ensuring a positive employee experience in an evolving, technical environment.

This is an exciting opportunity to exercise a broad range of HR skills to support a unique and diverse workforce (datacenter technicians and managers) while scaling through the broader Microsoft HR ecosystem. We are looking for someone who is proactive and results driven. The right fit is someone who is a collaborator (both with the business and within the HR function), a trusted advisor, and a proactive problem solver with labor relations experience and a proven ability to partner effectively within represented workforce environmentsas well as someone who can work autonomously in a rapidly evolving environment.

Responsibilities

Labor Relations
  • Support labor relations activities, including collective bargaining efforts, collaboration with employee representative bodies
  • Partner with HR teams and business leadership on labor relations matters, including engagement with unions and works councils, support of collective bargaining processes, and participation and management of grievance resolutions.
  • Contribute to balanced outcomes that align with legal requirements, organizational policy, and employee experience.

Engagement

  • Through in-person relationship-building and observation ("walking the floor"), develop clear perspective on local employee and manager experiences, areas of risk, and culture of the local area to provide necessary context and guidance to datacenter (DC) leadership and broader HR team


  • Create and execute people strategies and programs that create a positive work environment, improve employee engagement, etc.


  • Be a trusted, neutral resource to employees and managers in helping them seek out support on HR questions and concerns leveraging Microsoft's HR operating model


  • Provide support to employees and managers on time-sensitive, urgent questions on the spot in accordance with Microsoft policy and process


  • Be present onsite during some evenings and weekends to connect with employees and managers on evening/night shifts.


  • Partner across the HR model to foster seamless, quality delivery of HR services (e.g., onboarding, offboarding, statutory reporting, tracking and reporting).


HR Community Leadership

  • Have a regular seat at datacenter leadership and team meetings to partner and provide HR perspective on site strategy, goals, and challenges.


  • Partner with the Chicago metro director and HR Business Partner team to develop the broader team's skills and capabilities, by providing training, coaching, feedback, etc.


  • Compile, share and leverage insights (anecdotal, case insights, other listening systems) with leadership and partners to propose and develop needed solutions and risk assessment plans.


  • Assists managers and leaders through organizational change and recommends inclusive leadership practices.


  • Supports the implementation of interventions to improve leadership and team performance.


Projects, Programs, & Initiatives

  • Design and implement specific manager capability building efforts at the site attune with the different professions, shifts, and needs. Leverage and build upon existing broader manager capability resources and efforts.


  • Identifies opportunities and engages local communities while promoting culture with stakeholders such as professional networks, schools, community-based organizations, etc.


  • Collaborate with GTA to support the recruitment and onboarding of the right workforce for the site, and collaborate with the recruiters and broader HR team.


  • Partner with CO+I HR Business Partners with various HR projects and initiatives.


Crisis Management Team (CMT) and Disaster Recovery

  • Partners with the leadership team to design and orchestrate crisis management strategy, including emergency responses, disaster recovery, risk management, communications, and business continuity


  • Ensures assistance for employees by activating the company's Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and employee well-being programs, during and after a crisis


Operational Compliance & Labor Relations

  • Maintain contemporary knowledge of laws, regulations, standards, emerging trends that may affect Human Resources (HR) policies and execution of these (e.g., legal signatories, court representation, health and safety, benefits, local documentation requirements).


  • Ensure compliance with applicable labor laws and regulatory environment. Provides information on questions from leadership.
  • Own and manage labor relations activities for the business, partnering with leaders and employee representation stakeholders to support compliance with formal labor agreements, resolve workforce issues, and maintain effective labor-management relationships.


  • Facilitates the localization/update of policies and procedures related to managed projects and programs by analyzing trends and making recommendations to HR Business Partners; may manage and initiate the updates to policies (e.g., benefits-related) in collaboration with peer HR disciplines.


Embody our culture and values

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources (HR), Labor Relations, Legal, Business, Psychology, or related field AND 5+ years experience with HR or related experience (e.g., hiring, training, performance management) involving applicable employment laws and policies OR equivalent experience.


  • 5+ years demonstrated hands-on experience in labor relations, including direct involvement with collective bargaining and/or managing relationships with employee representative bodies (e.g., unions, works councils), including direct involvement with representing management in grievances (including resolving/settling grievances).


Additional or Preferred Qualifications

  • Master's Degree in Human Resources (HR), Legal, Business, Psychology, or related field.


  • Human Resources Professional Certification (e.g., PHR, SPHR, SHRM).


  • 3+ years of experience partnering with a wide network of clients and across Human Resources to deliver effective business solutions


  • Experience working in a production, mission-critical 24/7 environment (such as manufacturing, warehouse, retail, military, physical operations in an IT and/or critical environment infrastructure)


  • Experience managing the union grievance process including working with union representatives, grievance handling, and arbitration preparation


  • General knowledge of employment and labor laws in the US


  • Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with employees at all levels and adapt people strategies to evolving external factors and workforce trends


  • Experience with facilitating and supporting change management initiatives


  • Communication and interpersonal skills


  • Ability to handle sensitive information confidentially


  • Organizational and time-management skills


HR Generalist IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $86,100 - $169,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $113,300 - $187,400 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

About Microsoft

Microsoft is an American multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells a range of software products and services. Microsoft’s devices and consumer (D&C) licensing segment licenses the Windows operating system and related software, Microsoft Office for consumers, and the Windows Phone operating system. The company’s computing and gaming hardware segment provides Xbox gaming and entertainment consoles and accessories, second-party and third-party video games, and Xbox Live subscriptions; surface devices and accessories; and Microsoft PC accessories. Its phone hardware segment offers Lumia smartphones and other non-Lumia phones. Its D&C segment provides Windows Store, Xbox Live transactions, and Windows phone store; search advertising; display advertising; Office 365 Home and Office 365 Personal; first-party video games; and other consumer products and services as well as operating retail stores. Microsoft’s commercial licensing segments license server products, including Windows Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Visual Studio, System Center, and related Client Access Licenses (CALs); Windows Embedded; Windows operating system; Microsoft Office for business, including Office, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, and related CALs; Microsoft Dynamics business solutions; and Skype. Its commercial segment offers enterprise services, including premier support services and Microsoft consulting services; commercial cloud comprising Office 365 Commercial, other Microsoft Office online offerings, Dynamics CRM Online, and Microsoft Azure; and other commercial products and online services. The company markets and distributes its products through original equipment manufacturers, distributors, and resellers, as well as online.

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Learn more about Microsoft
Size
181,000 employees
Market Cap
$1,762.4 billion
Industry
Enterprise Technology
Net Income
$51.3 billion
Founded
1975
5 Year Trend
+15.5%
Revenue
$153.2 billion
NASDAQ
MSFT
* Ladders Estimates

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