Director, Employee Relations & Compliance

A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with 60 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world's most dynamic markets enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients.

We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.

Skills, Experience, Qualifications, If you have the right match for this opportunity, then make sure to apply today.

We offer exceptional opportunities for our people : opportunities to work for the world's leading businesses, to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.

Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel.

We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimize your wellbeing.

What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.

ROLE SUMMARY

Based in New York, this position serves as an expert advisor on complex and routine employee relations as well as HR compliance matters.

The Director, Employee Relations & Compliance ensures consistent, practical, and compliant outcomes for all people management issues and ensures that the HR team is aware of all the current legal and regulatory requirements.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Chief Human Resources Officer, Americas
• HR Advisory and the broader HR team
• Global Employee Relations team
• Practice Group and Business Team Heads and members
• US Management

JOB DESCRIPTION

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Guide HR Advisory and HR team members to help drive consistency and execution of HR policy and processes with a strong focus on improving the employee experience for HR related activities.
• Collaborate with HR colleagues to routinely review procedures and practices including forms, files, e-documents, and business processes to ensure compliance with the firm's business needs and with applicable international, Federal, State and local employment laws and regulations.
• Oversee the review and audit of employment policies and practices and update as required to ensure compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Ensure the firm is compliant with respect to its obligations under the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), including the preparation of the firm's annual affirmative action program and pay equity analyses.
• Lead the response to any OFCCP related audits.
• Provide employee relations guidance to HR, managers and employees including conflict resolution, advice and coaching to supervisors at all levels of the organization thereby lowering the associated risks to the firm.
• Conduct, and coach HR professionals to conduct, internal employee-related investigations, document, and determine course of action.
• Collaborate with Professional Development to develop and deliver programs that align with advice and support to human resource professionals, partners, business services leadership and line managers, as appropriate, related to wage and hour issues, discrimination claims, policy violations, sexual harassment prevention, reductions in force, development and implementation of HR policies.
• Develop and deliver programs and facilitate training sessions for the Human Resource professionals regarding progressive discipline, wage and hour issues, discrimination, FMLA, anti-harassment and discrimination, and other employment law and HR risk management topics.
• Direct, coach, and mentor a team of HR compliance professionals.
• Lead and / or participate in other high impact business and change management projects as needed.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Qualified candidates will have a minimum a Bachelor's degree, J.D. preferred, and at least 12 years of experience as an HR practitioner specializing in employee relations, preferably in a professional services organization or law firm.
• Technical competence in all aspects of the role and responsibilities as noted above.
• Hands-on, self-motivated, and able to work well on their own as well as on a team.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to operate under pressure.
• Excellent track record of working with leadership within a matrix organization.
• Strong commercial / business acumen with the ability to influence strategic thinking / direction through creative and pragmatic issue resolution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interface with all individuals and particularly to win the respect of the senior management community and build and develop strong client relationships.
• Collaborative team player with the ability to nurture others and work in a fast-paced, intellectually rigorous environment.
• High energy individual who enjoys both the operational and strategic sides of this role and demonstrates great flexibility.
• Resilient; able to understand that credibility has to be earned and may take time.
• A person of sound judgment, able to establish a high level of credibility in the organization and act as a trusted advisor to management.

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