Employee and Labor Relations Manager (38163)

Birch Family Services is a leading New York City provider of education, employment, and community support services for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, with annual revenues just over $100 million. Each year, the organization supports more than 2,000 people across locations throughout New York City. From early childhood through adulthood, including school, employment and residential support. Birch delivers integrated services that help individuals achieve their goals across their lifespan.

Position Summary:

The Employee and Labor Relations Manager is responsible for creating and overseeing employee relations programs, resolving workplace conflicts and fostering a positive and compliant workplace by managing employee relations issues, administering labor agreements, and supporting organizational strategies related to workforce engagement. This role serves as a key advisor to leadership on employee matters, ensures adherence to labor laws and company policies, and promotes effective communication between employees, management, and labor unions.  Reporting to the Director of Human Resources, this position will be responsible for collective bargaining agreements, union and non-union grievances, internal and external investigations and associated reviews and audits.  

 

This is a hybrid position and requires in-office attendance 3 days per week, inclusive of travel to NYC based sites as needed for role responsibilities

 

Key Responsibilities:

 

• Manage and resolve employee and labor relations matters, including grievances, investigations, performance issues, and disciplinary actions.
• Address employee concerns, conducts investigations and manages dispute and grievance resolution process
• Provide coaching and guidance to managers on sensitive employee relations issues
• Foster effective communication and strong working relationships with union representatives.
• Partner with leadership and counsel to oversee administration and interpretation of labor contracts, ensuring consistent application 
• Mentor and support management in identifying and addressing workplace concerns.
• Support managers in developing and delivering performance management and corrective action plans
• Maintain current knowledge of labor relations trends, legal developments, and regulatory changes; conduct research to support compliance and negotiations.
• Provides support for investigations and inquiries from regulatory bodies, including the Department of Labor, DOH, ACS and the New York Justice Center.
• Monitor compliance related to ADA, Workers’ Compensation, and EEO reporting requirements.
• Coordinate and manage requests related to accommodations, termination appeals, EEO complaints, and settlements
• Promote training and proactive strategies to prevent and address employee relations issues.
• Facilitate bi-monthly new hire orientation training on compliance, confidentiality, and HR-related regulatory requirements.
• Review and process external document requests, including subpoenas and court orders.
• Gather, review, and organize documentation for compliance audits and regulatory reviews.
• Support compliance efforts by participating in school visits, quarterly program reviews as well as Compliance and IRC meetings
• Some travel throughout New York City to Birch programs is required
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

 

 

Key Job Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, or a related field.
• Five (5) to ten (10) years of experience in employee relations, labor relations, or human resources.
• Demonstrated experience working with unions and collective bargaining processes.
• Thorough knowledge of employee and labor relations principles, employment laws, and regulations, with the ability to apply them effectively in practice.
• Proven ability to navigate and resolve labor relations issues within the framework of existing collective bargaining agreements while supporting long-term organizational goals.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including written, verbal, listening, presentation, facilitation, influencing, and negotiation abilities.
• Experience utilizing mediation and conflict resolution techniques, with the ability to influence performance management outcomes.
• Effective interpersonal skills, including, written, oral, listening, presentation, group facilitation, influencing, and negotiation

 

 

 

Salary  Range - $105,000- $120,000 annually depending on experience

 

 

EEO Statement

 

Birch Family Services provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements. Birch Family Services complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

 

Birch Family Services expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. 

 

Additional Statements:

 

Per New York State Law, Birch Family Services will NOT seek any past salary history from any applicant or job candidate. Birch Family Services holds the right to inquire about an applicant or job candidate salary expectations for any Birch Family Services advertised job, position, and/or role. 

 

The position description is a guide to the critical duties and essential functions of the job, not an all-inclusive list of responsibilities, qualifications, physical demands, and work environment conditions. Position descriptions are reviewed and revised to meet the changing needs of the agency at the sole discretion of management.

 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions unless this causes undue hardship to the company.