Director, Associate Engagement

Position Purpose:

The Associate Engagement Director is a people leader responsible for supervising and developing the AR Specialists HRGs and Senior HRGs ensuring the consistent accurate and effective execution of the Associate Relations function nationwide. This role provides team-level governance supports capacity and escalation management and partners with field leadership. The Associate Relations Director focuses on execution and operational excellence to help identify process improvements to enhance efficiency and usability.

Key Responsibilities:

Leader Coaching & Enablement

• Serve as head of Associate Relations function with full accountability for performance management goals setting calibration development planning and corrective action as needed.
• Act as the final internal escalation point for complex or sensitive associate relations matters.
• Partner with Sr. HRBPs on separation documentation and agreements as directed.
• Provide team-level coaching on effective execution (HR policies procedures and associate relations practices) and calibration to reduce variability in decision-making and execution quality.
• Lead onboarding training and continuous development for Associate Relations ensuring readiness to execute enterprise programs independently.
• Conduct regular quality reviews of the work of the Associate Relations Team to identify trends coaching opportunities and systemic execution gaps while monitoring workload balance and maintaining coverage.

Risk Identification & Feedback Loops

• Monitor associate relations trends risk indicators and execution gaps across assigned regions.
• Provide structured data-informed feedback to improve enterprise programs tools and processes.
• Problem solve and provide strategies to field business partners to determine root cause of associate issues/concerns drive solutions and limit vulnerability risks. Proactively drive change that leads to a high performing and positive work environment

Labor Relations Support

• Strategically collaborate with HR and business leaders on complex labor relations issues including grievances arbitration discipline and contract interpretation.
• Collaborate closely with Legal HR Business Partners and Operations teams to mitigate labor-related risks.
• Provide support in coordinating and compiling data reports and communication materials needed during union organizing counter campaigns.
• Manage projects and labor relations initiatives that support the labor relations strategy.
• Ensure compliance with all federal and state labor regulations including the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
• Monitor labor trends and legislation to proactively address potential impacts to the organization.
• Support leadership development through training and guidance on labor relations best practices

Metrics & Continuous Improvement

• Own team-level HR Execution metrics including case quality timeliness consistency and escalation trends.
• Track escalated issues to ensure timely follow-up and resolution and enable operational efficiency.
• Hold AR Team accountable for meeting defined performance and execution standards.
• Identify systemic execution gaps and drive corrective actions through training process refinement or escalation to Product Owners.
• Ensure follow-through on escalated issues and removal of execution barriers impacting HRG & Sr. HRG effectiveness.
• Participate in enterprise HR initiatives and projects as assigned.

Direct Manager/Direct Reports:

• Reports to: VP of HR
• Direct Reports: HRGs Senior HRGs Associate Engagement Sr. Manager

Travel Requirements:

Must be able to travel up to 30% to attend meetings branch visits

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit for extended periods
• Ability to work at a computer and attend virtual and in-person meetings

Working Conditions

• Professional office or remote environment
• Operates in a dynamic collaborative and fast-paced environment.
• Must manage multiple priorities efficiently while responding swiftly to employment-related inquiries and policy updates.

Minimum Qualifications

• Proven experience supporting field leaders in a multi-location or regional environment
• Working knowledge of federal state and local employment laws
• Strong analytical problem-solving and risk assessment skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to operate within defined decision rights and enterprise standards
• High level of integrity judgment and professionalism

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced HRIS reporting and analytics capability
• Experience leading and developing HR professionals
• Experience supporting enterprise change initiatives
• Demonstrated success driving consistency and reducing variability across locations
• Proactive compliance mindset with strong execution discipline
• Juris Doctor (JD) or advanced degree in Labor Relations Law or a related field

Minimum Education:

Bachelors degree in Human Resources Business Administration or equivalent experience.

Minimum Years of Work Experience:

• Minimum of 6 years of professional HR experience with a focus on associate relations and HR advisory services.
• At least 3 years of people management experience is preferred.

Certifications: Not required

Preferred: SHRM-SCP SPHR or equivalent certification

Competencies:

• People Leadership & Team Development
• Associate Relations & Case Management
• Policy Execution & Consistency
• Risk Identification & Escalation
• Frontline Leader Coaching
• Enterprise Execution Discipline
• HR Program Implementation
• Metrics Awareness & Continuous Improvement
• Strong judgment confidentiality and professionalism

Work Location:

Remote/Virtual Hybrid or in-office