Senior Employee Relations Business Partner

Overview

Be inspired. Be rewarded. Belong. At Emory Healthcare.

At Emory Healthcare we fuel your professional journey with better benefits, valuable resources, ongoing mentorship and leadership programs for all types of jobs, and a supportive environment that enables you to reach new heights in your career and be what you want to be. We provide:

• Comprehensive health benefits that start day 1
• Student Loan Repayment Assistance & Reimbursement Programs
• Family-focused benefits
• Wellness incentives
• Ongoing mentorship, development, and leadership programs
• And more

Work Location: Atlanta, GA

The Senior Employee Relations Business Partner (Sr. ERBP) serves as a subject matter expert responsible for managing the organization's most complex, sensitive, and high-risk employee relations matters within a large, complex academic healthcare environment. The Sr. ERBP provides strategic employee relations consultation to executive leaders, HR partners, legal counsel, and operational stakeholders while leading workplace investigations involving significant organizational, regulatory, legal, or reputational risk.

The Sr. ERBP is expected to demonstrate advanced judgment, exceptional investigative expertise, strong influence skills, and the ability to navigate highly complex workplace issues. In addition to managing top-tier investigations, the Sr. ERBP serves as a trusted advisor to leaders, coaches less experienced ER professionals, supports proactive risk mitigation initiatives, and contributes to leader capability development, policy enhancement, and organizational culture efforts.

This role operates with substantial autonomy while partnering closely with Employee Relations leadership, HR Business Partners, Legal, Compliance, Labor Relations (where applicable), and executive leadership to support fair, compliant, and business-aligned employment decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Complex Employee Relations Consultation

• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leaders, physicians, executives, HR Business Partners, and operational leaders on highly complex employee relations matters.
• Provide expert guidance regarding performance management, disciplinary actions, workplace conflict, policy interpretation, behavioral concerns, employee misconduct, and organizational risk.
• Assess potential legal, compliance, regulatory, employee experience, and reputational risks associated with workplace situations.
• Influence and guide leaders through sensitive employment decisions while balancing organizational objectives and employee concerns.
• Support consistent application of policies, practices, and organizational values across business units.

Workplace Investigations

• Lead highly complex and high-risk investigations involving allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, workplace misconduct, ethics violations, conflicts of interest, executive leader concerns, regulatory issues, and other sensitive matters
• Develop investigation strategies, conduct interviews, evaluate evidence, assess credibility, and determine findings
• Prepare comprehensive investigation reports and recommendations for leadership review and action
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, Security, Labor Relations, and other stakeholders throughout the investigative process
• Ensure investigations are conducted in a timely, objective, and defensible manner consistent with organizational standards and legal requirements
• Manage matters involving significant organizational exposure, elevated stakeholder visibility, or potential litigation

Strategic Risk Mitigation

• Identify emerging employee relations trends, workplace risks, and organizational vulnerabilities
• Recommend proactive interventions to address recurring workplace issues and reduce future risk
• Analyze case data and workplace trends to inform leadership decision-making
• Support organizational initiatives focused on employee engagement, culture, retention, leader effectiveness, and workplace conduct
• Participate in development of employee relations strategies that advance organizational objectives and cultural priorities

Leadership Coaching and Stakeholder Partnership

• Coach leaders at all levels regarding effective employee relations practices and workplace conflict resolution
• Build trusted relationships with executive and operational leaders to strengthen organizational capability and accountability
• Partner closely with HR Business Partners to ensure integrated and consistent workforce solutions
• Provide guidance during organizational changes, workforce actions, and other complex employee-related initiatives

Employee Relations Center of Excellence Support

• Serve as a senior resource and mentor to Employee Relations Business Partners and other HR professionals
• Share best practices, investigative techniques, and employee relations expertise to elevate overall team capability
• Contribute to policy development, process improvement initiatives, training programs, and leader education efforts
• Support organizational initiatives designed to promote proactive,…