Employee and Labor Relations Partner - Bellingham, United States - Western Washington University

Description

Position Title Employee and Labor Relations Partner
About the University
Western Washington University, with over 16,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western is the highest-ranking public, master's-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the Department The Human Resources Department supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.
About the Position We are seeking an experienced and proactive Employee and Labor Relations Partner to join our dynamic Human Resources team. The ideal candidate will be an experienced HR professional with a deep understanding of employee and labor relations who possesses the ability to strategically navigate complex HR issues. This supportive role is tasked with developing and creating a workplace that promotes and supports employee engagement and delivering excellent customer service to both internal and external partners. This position requires in-depth knowledge of collective bargaining agreements, handbooks, policies, procedures, administrative practices, as well as state and federal law.
The ideal Employee and Labor Relations Partner is a strategic thinker, with strong analytic abilities and excellent interpersonal and communications skills. The ability to exercise good judgment in analyzing complex problems to form important recommendations is key for this position. Emotional intelligence, organizational skills, confidentiality, judgment, and attention to detail are essential for this position.

This position will report to the Director of Employee and Labor Relations.

Job responsibilities include-

Employee and Labor Relations:

Proactively identify, address, and resolve complex employee and labor relations issues.
Conduct thorough investigations into workplace concerns and disputes, ensuring fair and equitable resolutions and provide recommendations to Director when needed.
Collaborate with managers, supervisors, and employees to promote a positive work culture and resolve conflicts in a professional and confidential manner.
Facilitate on-going communication and working relationships with employee representative organizations and other college stakeholders.
Supports the Director with monthly joint labor management meetings, coordinating meetings, taking notes, researching questions, and responding in a timely manner.
Provides support to WWU's bargaining team during contract negotiations, including conducting research, compiling data, and attending negotiation sessions and preparing meeting notes as assigned.
Communicates effectively with union leadership, university leadership and employees, by establishing and maintaining trust and positive relations.
Administers procedures in accordance with the collective bargaining agreements and staff handbooks, including staff layoff procedures and disciplinary actions
Provides support throughout adjudication processes, including grievances, unfair labor practices, complaints, appeals; prepares detailed supporting materials for legal counsel
Stay updated on changes in employment laws, regulations, and industry trends related to classified staff unions and personnel groups
Consultation and Guidance:

Serve as a trusted advisor and partner to employees, supervisors, and university leadership to provide expert guidance on a range of employee and labor relations issues.
Interpret and apply collective bargaining agreements, university policies, and relevant state and federal laws. Responsible for ensuring consistent application of rules and regulation.
Offer proactive solutions to enhance employee satisfaction and foster a positive working relationship between management and staff.
Deliver guidance on on conflict resolution, communication skills, and other relevant topics.
Ability to review employee and supervisor concerns holistically, anticipate potential issues and diagnose the root cause through active listening and conscientious inquiry
Customer Service and Workplace Engagement

Provide excellent customer service to internal and external stakeholders, addressing inquiries and concerns promptly and professionally.
Act as a liaison between employees and management, ensuring effective communication and resolution of issues.
Develop and implement strategies to promote employee engagement and a positive workplace culture.
Identify opportunities to enhance employee morale and satisfaction, contributing to a high-performance work environment.
Participates in the development and delivery of management training programs designed to advance the human resources skills of university personnel
Benefits and Employee Leave Support:

Advise and coordinate with Medical Leave & Disability Administrator and Benefits Office when needed
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience
Three (3) years of relevant Human Resource experience
Experience that encompasses the main aspects of employee relations such as labor relations, collective bargaining, grievances, employee relations and performance management
Demonstrated commitment to support a workplace culture in which diversity is honored, respected, and celebrated
Demonstrated experience using sound judgement and problem-solving skills and making recommendations on complex issues
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to negotiate and resolve complex issues.
Analytical mindset with the ability to assess situations, identify potential issues, and develop effective solutions.
An appreciation for working collaboratively in a collegial, team-oriented department
Preferred Qualifications
Master's degree with focus in employee/labor relations, human resources or other related field and five years of relevant experience or equivalent education and experience.
Experience in the public sector
Proven track record of working with classified staff unions
SHRM­-CP, PHR, SPHR and/or CCP certification

Salary Hiring range is $65,369 - $75,175/year depending on experience and qualifications. Through longevity position tops out at $84,980/year.