Employee Relations Specialist

Job Summary

Opportunities like this don’t come around every day — and if you're a motivated HR professional looking to grow your career in employee relations, this position could be your next big step. The Employee Relations Specialist is a dynamic role ideal for someone who’s passionate about building better workplaces through fairness, consistency, and collaboration. This role supports a wide range of employee relations functions including intake interviews, policy interpretation, investigations, and performance management processes.

As an Employee Relations Specialist, you’ll work closely with HR leadership to support employees and supervisors in navigating workplace issues, applying policies, and fostering a positive, inclusive work environment. You’ll contribute to investigations, help facilitate trainings, maintain accurate case records, and play a key role in ensuring employee relations practices are fair, thorough, and timely.

If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy problem-solving, and want to be part of a supportive HR team that values communication, trust, humor, and integrity — we’d love to hear from you. This is a great opportunity for someone looking to deepen their expertise and grow within a team that’s committed to professional development and continuous improvement.

King County Housing Authority (KCHA) is the largest provider of affordable housing in the Pacific Northwest and a nationally recognized leader in affordable housing. To learn more about KCHA and our Mission visit this link.

We transform lives through housing. 

Please note this position is open until filled; however, to ensure consideration applications should be received by October 13th, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. 

Essential Functions

• Employee Relations & Investigations
  • Supports and conducts investigations into employee concerns and workplace issues, performing initial intake interviews and gathering relevant facts under the guidance of senior HR staff; prepares summaries of findings and applies sound judgment to escalate high-risk cases promptly.
  • Provides day-to-day support to HR leadership in employee relations activities, documents and tracks employee complaints, concerns, and resolutions.
  • Assists in maintaining accurate and up-to-date documentation of employee relations cases, corrective actions, and investigatory outcomes in appropriate systems or files.
• Policy Guidance & Interpretation
  • Offers preliminary guidance to employees and supervisors regarding policies, procedures, and best practices; escalates complex matters to senior team members.
  • Interprets, guides, and responds to employee inquiries regarding HR policies and procedures; facilitates at the New Employee Orientation Program.
• Coordination & Administrative Support
  • Coordinates scheduling and logistics for investigations and other employee relations meetings; prepares documentation for HR leaders and legal review.
  • Drafts routine correspondence including follow-up communications, reminders, and basic summaries under the direction of a senior HR leader.
• Training, Research & Special Projects
  • Supports the facilitation of employee relations trainings and HR compliance workshops; assists in preparing training materials and records attendance.
  • Aids in research and benchmarking efforts related to HR policy development or revision; reviews similar agency practices and summarizes findings for review.
  • Participates in special projects and employee engagement efforts aimed at improving workplace culture and supporting proactive employee relations strategies.
  • Assists Human Resources leadership with a variety of department initiatives, special projects, events and participates in various committees.

Qualifications and Competencies

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related field AND
• Considerable experience in employee relations, human resources, or closely related administrative support work OR
• An equivalent combination of experience and education that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

 Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Understands technical aspects of the position and continuously builds knowledge, keeping up to date on the substantive and procedural aspects of the position.
  • Applies thorough and current knowledge of employee relations principles and human resources best practices to resolve complex workplace issues and support organizational goals.
  • Demonstrates a deep understanding of organizational and departmental policies, procedures, and practices, ensuring consistent and equitable application.  
  • Maintains current knowledge of federal and state employment laws and regulations, providing guidance and ensuring agency-wide compliance.
• Communicates with clarity and professionalism in both verbal and written formats, including the preparation of factual and policy-based documentation.
  • Ability to compose and prepare strong technical correspondence; demonstrated proofreading and editing skills.
  • Ability to understand, interpret and explain difficult materials with complicated information that may contain excerpts from regulatory and/or legal documents to all levels of the organization. 
• Values diversity and possesses an understanding of multicultural and cultural competencies; ability to work effectively and positively with individuals of diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Ability to use tact, discretion, and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive or confidential information.
• Effective interpersonal relations skills with the ability to work collaboratively to garner the trust, respect, and confidence from others; can be relied upon to achieve excellent results; ability to work effectively under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• A collaborative team member with well-developed organizational and time management skills; ability to develop effective working relationships; works cooperatively, exchanges ideas, and addresses issues in a constructive manner. 

Special Requirements:

• PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP preferred but not required.
• Consent to and pass driver’s and criminal records background check.
• Must possess a valid driver's license to travel between work sites as required.  Must have an acceptable driving record at time of appointment and throughout employment.

Position Information and Application Process

Application Requirements:
To be considered for this opportunity:  

• Complete the online application profile in its entirety. 
• Upload a cover letter that addresses how your experience and education qualify you to perform the essential functions listed in the job announcement. (Cover Letter)
• Upload a detailed résumé of all educational and professional experiences. (Résumé)

Salary & Benefits:
The starting salary range for this position is $92,169.00 - $112,905.00 annually dependent on qualifications and professional experience. The complete salary range for this position is $92,169.00 -$133,643.50 annually. Performance based merit increase opportunities and Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) are reviewed on an annual basis. A comprehensive health care benefits package for you and your dependents includes medical, dental and vision insurance, life and long-term disability insurance plans, vacation, sick and personal leave, tuition reimbursement, and retirement benefits are also available. For more details regarding KCHA comprehensive benefits, please visit our benefits page.
 
Work Environment:
After initial onboarding, this position will have the opportunity to work remotely up to 60% in accordance with the KCHA's flexible work arrangements; however, remote work conditions will be reviewed on a regular basis based on business and program need. Employees must reside in Washington State and have the ability to report to the Central Office in Tukwila. Some local and domestic travel may be required to support KCHA business needs.

Physical Requirements:

Incumbent(s) must be able to meet the physical requirements of the classification and have mobility, balance, coordination, vision, hearing and dexterity levels appropriate to the functions performed. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals 

with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

This work requires the regular exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel and repetitive motions, frequently requires standing and reaching with hands and arms and occasionally requires walking, climbing or balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, pushing or pulling and lifting; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels and to receive detailed information through oral communications and/or to make fine distinctions in sound; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work has no exposure to environmental conditions; work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

Equal Opportunity:
King County Housing Authority is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.