Employee Relations Manager

Purpose

Your next big opportunity starts here!  Submit your application today to join the City of Savannah Office of Human Resources as the Employee Relations Manager.  The Employee Relations Manager develops employee relations programs and is involved in complex employee relations issue resolution in order to maintain employee engagement while minimizing costs and risks. This position performs administrative and supervisory duties in support of the Office of Human Resources.

The Opportunity This is a unique opportunity for an individual to build and shape the Employee Relations function for the City of Savannah. The Employee Relations Manager will serve as a strategic leader and advisor responsible for designing, building, and implementing the organization’s employee relations (ER) framework. This role is a foundational, program-building position with no direct reports initially, focused on establishing the structure, policies, systems, and programming necessary to ensure consistent, compliant, and effective employee relations practices across the organization.

Why This Role Matters This individual will assess current ER needs, define enterprise and divisional approaches, and provide expert guidance to leaders and HR partners on employee relations matters, risk mitigation, and policy alignment. The Employee Relations Manager will play a critical role in fostering a fair, respectful, and compliant workplace while positioning the ER function for future growth.

What You’ll Build and Lead

• Design and build the enterprise-wide employee relations strategy, framework, and operating model. 
• Assess current employee relations practices, risks, and gaps across divisions and recommend a scalable structure and direction. 
• Establish ER programming, processes, and governance to ensure consistency, fairness, and alignment with organizational values. 
• Define the role of employee relations at both the enterprise and divisional level, ensuring clarity of accountability and execution. 

Shaping Policy & Compliance

• Develop, review, and refine employee relations policies, procedures, and guidelines to ensure legal and regulatory compliance. 
• Partner with Sr. Director of Human Resources and HR leadership to identify, assess, and mitigate employee relations risks. 
• Ensure ER practices align with employment laws, internal policies, and best practices. 
• Serve as a key escalation point for complex or high-risk employee relations matters. 

Trusted Advisor to Leadership 

• Act as a trusted advisor to HR leaders and senior management on employee relations issues. 
• Provide expert consultation and guidance on investigations, performance issues, conflict resolution, workplace concerns, and corrective action. 
• Influence leadership decision-making through data, risk analysis, and sound ER judgment. 

Building the Tools, Systems and Infrastructure 

• Design and implement ER systems, tools, and documentation standards to support case management, reporting, and trend analysis. 
• Establish consistent processes for tracking, analyzing, and reporting employee relations data and outcomes. 
• Recommend technology or system improvements to enhance ER effectiveness and compliance.

Preparing the Function for What’s Next 

• Define the long-term ER operating model, including future staffing, roles, and capabilities. 
• Build scalable programs and processes that support future team growth and organizational needs. 

Essential Job Functions

• Develops and leads the implementation of employee relations programs, policies, and procedures in compliance with relevant employment laws and regulations. 
• Advises and coaches managers on the resolution of complex employee relations issues, including compliance and application of employment laws and regulations and conflict resolution 
• Conducts investigations into complex employee relations issues that have been escalated by managers and/or Employee Relations Specialists 
• Ensures administrative tasks are completed (e.g. documentation for investigations) and delivers other HR projects (e.g. deliver harassment training) in a timely manner. 
• Oversees and supervises assigned staff, including processing concerns, providing training, delegating tasks, monitoring work, offering performance feedback, and supporting professional development.
• Represents department and provides technical guidance on issues for which functionally responsible; remains current on changes, and advises department heads and others regarding applicable rules, regulations, ordinances, state and federal laws, and professionally accepted practices and procedures. 
• Reviews, researches and recommends innovations for existing or proposed plans, policies and processes; improves program effectiveness and service efficiency, and implements approved changes in conjunction with other human resources divisions. 
• Helps coordinate delivery of human resources services to departments; responds to information requests by participating in special studies and preparation of comprehensive analytical reports on complex general human resources management issues and assisting in document dissemination.  
• Performs division, general, and fiscal administration; participates in setting performance goals and priorities that contribute to departmental mission; prepares recommendations and justifies division program and capital funding to assist in preparation of department budget and control expenditures.  
• Performs other related duties as assigned. 

Minimum Qualifications

Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or Human Resource Management with five (5) years of experience in professional Employee Relations at the management level; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.   

Preferred HR certification (e.g. CHRP, SHRP, PHR, SPHR) and extensive background in Employee Relations. 

A valid driver's license is required.

Additional Requirements
Background investigation, including supervised drug screen, post offer/pre-employment medical screen; and verification of education, certifications, and licenses required prior to employment.

Additional Information

Skill in Program Planning and Development 

• Recommends program metrics to identify success with various initiatives within the program. 
• Directs and oversees more-complex program changes, ensuring that the changes are adopted and understood by stakeholders.  
• Evaluates the HR program by examining strengths, weaknesses, and areas of opportunity for the program in the medium term (6-12 months).  
• Oversees the administrative program tasks and ensures they are completed on time, are accurate, and that current information is being used. 

Conflict Management 

• Mediates complex problems or issues with significant consequences, either within or between teams. 
• Brings individuals or groups together and addresses significant conflict. 
• Uses knowledge of team dynamics and leverages them to create behavioral and organizational change. 

Problem Solving and Decision Making 

• Demonstrates broad knowledge of information sources that can be used to assess problems and make decisions. 
• Invests time in planning, discovery, and reflection to drive better decisions. 
• Effectively leverages hard data as inputs to making decisions. 
• Garners insight from abstract data and makes appropriate decisions. 
• Coaches others in effective decision-making practices. 
• Delegates authority to solve problems and make decisions.
• Thinks several steps ahead in deciding the best course of action, anticipating likely outcomes, risks, or implications.  
• Establishes metrics to aid in decision making, for self and teams. 

Coaching 

• Coaches senior leaders to solve issues pertaining to employees, their business, or to develop skills or abilities in the senior leader.  
• Facilitates connections between members of their network for the benefit of others. 
• Develops strong relationships with business leaders and is viewed by those as a credible source for coaching. 
• Asks open-ended questions to guide a manager to reach a conclusion on their own. 

Technical HR Expertise 

• Applies relevant HR concepts at a department level. 
• Develops other's knowledge in relevant HR areas.