Employee Relations Partner

About the Team:

The People team is a core enabler of the business, with a true seat at the table and broad visibility across the company. From compensation and benefits to performance and onboarding, the team takes a comprehensive approach to supporting employees and leaders alike. We embed ourselves into departments, understanding needs and shaping the foundational strategies that will help individuals thrive as the company scales. Every challenge is an opportunity to solve for what really matters, with agility, empathy, and creativity.

About the Role:

As the second member of the Employee Relations team within the People Function and reporting into Relativity Space's Senior Director, Head of Employee Relations, Investigations and People Standards, the Employee Partner's primary responsibility is to investigate complaints in the workplace and to support the hyper growth scaling of the function in all aspects that are needed, including data-driven analytics, policy and compliance. The ideal candidate will act as an investigator and advisor to the Company as it continues to support its positive work environment. In addition, this role requires a deep understanding of employment laws, company policies, and human behavior to effectively resolve conflicts and promote a culture of fairness and respect. This is a fully on-site position at our Long Beach, California location. Candidates must be open to occasional travel to our sites at Cape Canaveral, Florida and Stennis, Mississippi, as needed.

Employee Relations Management/Investigations (50%)

• Serve as the first point of contact for employee relations issues, including not limited to complaints of harassment, discrimination or/retaliation.
• Conduct thorough and prompt investigations into employee concerns, ensuring confidentiality and impartiality.
• Recommend and implement appropriate solutions and interventions to resolve conflicts and improve employee morale.
• Partner closely with the People Business Partners and the business on any and all employee relations issues that arise, including but not limited to employee misconduct, performance issues, work environment concerns/complaints.

Whistleblower/Case Management Tracking/Trends/Projects (10%)

• Management of internal reporting hotline and case administration/disposition.
• Use data analytics and statistical measurements to identify company trends and propose and drive projects/initiatives.
• Support reporting to leadership and tracking of projects/initiatives.

Workplace Dispute Resolution (10%):

• Promote open communication and positive employee relations through proactive initiatives and programs, including mediation and grievance and dispute resolution.
• Act as an intermediary to help resolve interpersonal and workplace conflict.

Training and Development (10%):

• Identify training needs related to employee relations and develop training programs to address them.
• Conduct workshops and seminars on conflict resolution, effective communication, and other relevant topics.

HR Compliance (10%):

• Stay updated on federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Ensure all employee relations practices and decisions comply with organizational policies and practices while upholding Legal compliance.
• Prepare and support all required external HR compliance reporting (CA pay transparency reporting, EEO-1 etc.).
• Leverage and maximize technological tools and resources to create efficiency in implementing compliance across the company.

Policy Development and Implementation (10%):

• Develop and revise company policies and procedures, including but not limited to employee handbook ensuring compliance with legal requirements and best practices.
• Educate employees and managers on policies, procedures, and their rights and responsibilities

About You:

• Bachelor's degree required. Advanced HR degree/education is a plus.
• 8+ years of Employee Relations/Human Resources or equivalent experience, including managing complex investigations and preferably, scaling an employee relations function.
• You have strong knowledge of best practices within employee relations, investigations, training, and conflict resolution.
• You have a deep understanding of FMLA, EEO laws, ADA and other employment-related state and federal laws & regulations in the United States, and experience working with a large California workforce.
• You have experience working in a start-up environment and/or in the tech or aerospace industries.
• You have experience balancing between pro-active solutioning and crisis-response.
• You are organized, detail-oriented and have good reasoning and communication skills that will inspire a high-degree of trust and confidence in your communication with others.

Nice to haves but not required:

• Relevant HR/workplace investigation certifications, such as Society for Human Resource Management and Association of Workplace Investigators.
• Experience creating or working with ethics/compliance rules and programs.
• Experience and understanding of cross-over areas of general compliance such as OFCCP government contractor compliance.