Manager, Employee Relations (63207)

TALENT DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT

Manager, Employee Relations

Shape how 500+ people experience work at an organization that changes lives.

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LOCATION

Brooklyn, NY (Hybrid)

SCHEDULE

Full-Time · 35 hrs/week

REPORTS TO

AVP, Human Resources

SALARY

$81,360 base + merit award

The Opportunity

Every organization says employee relations matters. Few actually invest in reinventing it. Graham is doing exactly that — and we're looking for someone who wants to build, not just maintain.

As Manager, Employee Relations, you won't be the person who shows up after something has already gone wrong. You'll be the person who uses data, empathy, and sharp judgment to make sure fewer things go wrong in the first place — and when they do, you'll handle them with the fairness and rigor our employees deserve. This is employee relations as a strategic, forward-looking discipline: proactive instead of reactive, evidence-based instead of anecdotal, and genuinely human at every step.

About Graham

Graham provides life-changing tools and resources for children, young adults, and families facing some of the toughest obstacles — poverty, racial injustice, and unequal access to education, living-wage employment, quality healthcare, and affordable housing. We partner with communities to build innovative strategies so everyone can lead healthy, joyful, successful lives. That same spirit of innovation belongs inside our own walls — which is exactly what this role is here to build.

Why This Role Is Different

• You'll modernize the function. Help lead the adoption of smarter case management tools, data-driven trend analysis, and proactive early-intervention strategies — not just paperwork after the fact.
• You'll own two connected disciplines. Employee relations and performance management aren't separate silos here — you'll use insights from one to strengthen the other.
• You'll be trusted with real influence. As a strategic partner to the AVP of HR, your recommendations shape policy, not just individual cases.
• You'll build a healthier organization, measurably. Track trends, identify hotspots, and design strategies that reduce risk and increase trust — with data to prove it's working.
• You'll be a sounding board, not just a scorekeeper. Leaders will come to you not just when something's gone wrong, but when they're not sure what to do next — and you'll help them think it through.

What You'll Do

Employee Relations & Investigations (45%)

• Serve as a trusted, impartial resource for employees and leaders on workplace concerns, conduct, and conflict.
• Lead thorough, objective investigations into harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and policy violations — and turn findings into clear, defensible recommendations.
• Spot patterns others miss. Use case data and analytics to identify root causes and get ahead of recurring issues before they escalate.
• Serve as a neutral mediator between employees, or between employees and managers, to facilitate resolution of interpersonal or workplace conflicts before they escalate to formal grievances or investigations.

Manager Coaching & Performance Management (25%)

• Coach managers through the hardest conversations - accountability, documentation, and performance — with confidence and clarity.
• Own and continuously improve Graham's performance management process, OKRs, and goal-setting practices.
• Design and deliver training that builds real manager capability, not just checkbox compliance.
• Use performance management data to identify systemic coaching needs and reduce recurring ER escalations.

Labor & Policy Relations (15%)

• Ensure fair, consistent application of Graham's policies and collective bargaining agreements.
• Represent HR in labor-management discussions and grievance processes.
• Track shifting employment law and translate it into practical policy guidance.

Culture, Innovation & Process Improvement (10%)

• Champion new technology and analytics that make employee relations faster, fairer, and more transparent.
• Turn employee feedback and workforce data into real process improvements.
• Represent Graham externally as an ambassador in the HR and employee relations community.

Leadership & Partnership (5%)

• Bring sound judgment, discretion, and steady professionalism to sensitive, high-stakes situations.
• Build trusted relationships across every level of the organization.

What You Bring

• 5+ years of progressive HR experience, with deep roots in employee relations.
• A track record of conducting workplace investigations that hold up — thorough, fair, well-documented.
• Working knowledge of employment law, and comfort navigating collective bargaining agreements.
• The rare mix of empathy and rigor: you can sit with someone in a hard moment and still make a clear-eyed, defensible call.
• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Organizational Development, Labor Relations, or related field.

Preferred: Master's degree; PHR / SPHR / SHRM-CP / SHRM-SCP certification; nonprofit or mission-driven sector experience; experience building ER metrics and dashboards.

Experience with HR technology innovation, including AI-assisted or automated tools for case management, analytics, or employee communications.

Experience providing consultative guidance to leaders — helping them think through options and risk rather than simply telling them what to do.

Formal mediation training or experience facilitating resolution between conflicting parties preferred.

What You'll Get

• A base salary of $81,360, plus eligibility for Graham's annual Performance-Based Merit Award.
• Comprehensive health insurance, retirement plan (403(b) thrift).
• Career coaching through Bravely.
• A hybrid schedule based out of our Brooklyn office at 1 Pierrepont Plaza.
• A seat at the table in reimagining what employee relations can be at a mission-driven organization.

Ready to build the future of employee relations at Graham?

We'd love to hear from you — apply today.

Graham is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all associates and job applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law. We do not condone or tolerate an atmosphere of intimidation, harassment, discrimination, or retaliation, and we expect and require the cooperation of all associates in maintaining a respectful, inclusive workplace.