Senior Director, and Labor Relations

Department

OPS HR - Employee and Labor Relations

The University of Chicago’s Human Resources team is dedicated to building institutional capacity to advance the University’s mission in providing excellence in education, research and innovation. As a strategic partner, we collaborate with the divisions and units to attract, develop, reward and engage diverse talent to meet their specific goals and those of the University overall. We are a team of resources working together to provide organizational leadership, advice and support to meet the changing needs of our academic and staff community.

The Senior Director, Employee and Labor Relations is a member of the broader University Human Resources team and directs the Employee and Labor Relations (ELR) team, who provide consultation on and resolution of employee and labor relations inquiries from academic and administrative unit leaders. As a member of the HR Leadership Team, this role fosters strategic collaborations and builds partnerships across campus that drive organizational effectiveness and superior service in support of the University’s mission and vision.

Through strategic policies, procedures, labor contracts, and employment practices, the Senior Director creates a positive and collaborative work environment that unites leaders and employees around fair treatment and the consistent, lawful application of University policies and federal/state law. The Senior Director also serves as the University’s chief labor relations representative, responsible for academic and staff bargaining units encompassing over 4,000 employees.

This is a strategic and operations management position reporting to the Associate Vice President for Human Resources. The Senior Director functions with a high level of professionalism, integrity, and sound judgment, partnering with the AVP for HR as a principal interface to the President, Provost, and senior leadership on questions related to employee issues, while managing a complex stakeholder group to effectively influence and lead organizational change across the UChicago community.

Responsibilities include administering staff policy and labor agreements covering staff and academic employees and maintaining a deep understanding of and extensive experience with employment law, including FMLA, ADA, FLSA, NLRA, and state laws. In this capacity, the Senior Director collaborates with the Office of the President and Provost, academic and staff leaders, and HR professionals campus-wide to ensure compliance with University policies and employment laws, consults directly with Deans, Officers, and other University leaders on complex matters, and partners with ELR Consultants to review and conduct risk assessments for employee terminations, layoffs, and other significant adverse employment actions.

• Oversees the development of structures, policies, and labor agreements that promote fair treatment and ensure University-wide compliance with laws and regulations, administered through HR professionals across campus.
• Supervises ELR Consultants’ investigations of employee complaints, occasionally serving as lead investigator, and partners with the Office for Equal Opportunity Programs on investigations involving students, academic appointees, and staff.
• Provides strategic and operational leadership for labor management and employee relations programs with University-wide impact. Administers the collective bargaining agreements. Establishes and directs employee relations procedures, including grievance filings, exit interviews, and employee complaint investigations.
• Represents the University in contract negotiations with labor unions and administrative agency cases before the EEOC,…