Job DescriptionWe are seeking a Manager of Employee Relations to join our team in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. In this role, you will work to foster a positive and productive work environment by promoting employee engagement, addressing conflicts, and ensuring compliance with labor laws and regulations. You will lead and develop employee(s) directly assigned to you and be responsible for mentorship, process and policy interpretation and application, along with setting the day-to-day work and team goals, responsibilities and measurements for success. This role involves investigating and resolving employee complaints, providing guidance to management and employees on employee relations issues, and collaborating with peers and leaders to drive organizational changes and improve overall employee experience.
In addition, you will work closely with the local union to interpret the collective bargaining agreement, lead grievance procedures, address and resolve complex topics and issues and maintain a collaborative labor-management relationship. You will serve as a primary point of contact for union stewards and representatives, ensuring that all contractual obligations are met while proactively resolving disputes to prevent escalation. By fostering open communication and trust with union leadership, you will help balance the needs of the business with the rights of the workforce to ensure operational stability and a fair, equitable workplace.
This position will be located in Fort Wayne, IN and the candidate must be local to the site or be willing to relocate.
Other responsibilities of the role include:
Labor & Employee Relations Management
- Build and maintain effective working relationships with management and employees to provide expert counsel on organizational matters, serving as both a strategic coach to leaders and an advocate for fair employee treatment.
- Lead the end-to-end management of performance improvement plans, formal grievances, workplace investigations, and terminations in partnership with HR Business Partners, Legal, Ethics, and Security.
- Manage the administration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), ensuring strict compliance with contractual language and leading the resolution of grievances at the local level.
- Facilitate regular labor-management meetings to proactively address workplace issues, maintain a positive union relationship, and mitigate the risk of labor disputes.
- Communicate effectively with HR and Business Sr. leadership, peers and peer organizations with a keen sense of escalation protocol and process.
Strategic Partnership & Leadership
- Lead and develop the Fort Wayne Employee and Labor Relations team, providing mentorship and oversight on complex ER/LR cases to ensure consistency and legal compliance.
- Collaborate with the broader HR network (HRBPs, Talent Management, Benefits, and HR Compliance) to develop and deploy site-specific strategies that improve employee engagement and retention.
- Act as a primary liaison between the company and union leadership to negotiate local interpretations of contracts and implement mutually beneficial workplace initiatives.
Operational Excellence & Innovation
- Seek innovative ways to automate and streamline ER/LR workflows.
- Track, document and analyze workforce trends and grievance data to identify root causes of conflict and implement preventative strategies to improve the overall employee experience.
- Lead and support high-priority special projects as assigned by leadership to drive organizational change and operational efficiency.
- Build reportable KPI that is measurable and trackable to produce performance data points for success and highlight gaps for corrective actions.
- Establish presentation skills to deliver the bottom line message that is easily understood and acceptable for Executive summary.
Required Skills and Education- Bachelors degree, preferably in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Business Administration, or a related field, and 10+ years of prior relevant experience OR 8+ years with an advanced degree in a related field.
- Extensive experience leading high-risk workplace investigations and conducting disciplinary actions that mitigate legal risk.
- Proven track record of interpreting and administering collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) and managing the formal grievance process.
- Strong organizational skills with a proven ability to manage multiple competing priorities, ensuring all deadlines are met and follow-through is completed with precision and timeliness.
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
Preferred Skills and Education- Experience managing HR operations within a large-scale manufacturing facility
- Experience participating in contract negotiations
- Experience working within the defense or aerospace industry
- Experience coaching and developing leaders
- Experience in project management and continuous improvement
