Lead Employee Relations Consultant

Northwestern Mutual - Milwaukee, WI

Full-time

Milwaukee, WI

Insurance Carriers and Related Activities

About the position

At Northwestern Mutual, we are strong, innovative, and growing. We invest in our people and care to make a positive difference. As part of a central team, you will collaborate with Human Resources Business Partners and Consultants, Compliance, Security, Internal Audit, and Employment Legal. Your role will involve providing strategic, trusted consultation and thought leadership on employee matters to maintain positive and effective employment relationships throughout the company. In this position, you will work on a variety of complex, high-risk employee relations issues. This includes advising on Northwestern Mutual's policies and practices, addressing workplace issues, managing reorganizations, performance management, and coaching/development. You will utilize your knowledge of applicable employment laws, as well as our policies and practices, to independently lead or serve as a trusted subject matter expert on various strategic projects related to Employee Relations that impact enterprise-wide philosophy and/or policy. You will independently lead complex investigations and partner with other teams to ensure that investigations and disciplinary processes are handled fairly and in a timely manner. This includes assessing and documenting best practices for investigations. Additionally, you will provide thought leadership to drive best practices for employee relations and develop and implement training, tools, systems, and templates for Employee Relations, embedded HR, and/or people leaders to facilitate effective execution of employee/labor relations strategies and practices across the organization. You may also be responsible for developing and delivering HR's responses, including proposed policy updates, to regulatory changes and inquiries from agencies such as the EEOC, ERD, Homeland Security, and DOL. This may involve leading efforts, in partnership with legal counsel, to comply with various federal or state legal or regulatory reporting and/or training requirements, including but not limited to EEOC, affirmative actions, VETS, EEO-1, Illinois Equal Pay reporting, and California violence prevention. Furthermore, you will provide counsel to embedded HR and business leaders on escalated issues.

Responsibilities

• Work on a variety of complex, high-risk employee relations issues.
• Advise on Northwestern Mutual's policies and practices.
• Address workplace issues, reorganizations, performance management, and coaching/development.
• Independently lead or serve as a trusted subject matter expert on strategic projects related to Employee Relations.
• Lead complex investigations and partner with other teams to ensure fair and timely handling of investigations/disciplinary processes.
• Assess and document best practices for investigations.
• Provide thought leadership to drive best practices for employee relations.
• Develop and implement training, tools, systems, and templates for Employee Relations and HR leaders.
• Develop and deliver HR's responses to regulatory changes and inquiries from agencies.
• Lead compliance efforts with federal or state legal or regulatory reporting and training requirements.
• Provide counsel to embedded HR and business leaders on escalated issues.

Requirements

• Minimum of 7 years of human resources experience.
• Bachelor's degree in HR or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible work experience.
• Excellent consultative and interpersonal/influencing skills.
• Ability to build trusted advisor relationships and stakeholder engagement across the organization.
• Ability to lead and engage in constructive dialogue.
• Willingness to offer or hear new and potentially challenging ideas.
• Ability to deliver difficult/complex messages and help others understand multiple points of view.
• Must be able to handle conflict situations.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of human resources.