ER Business Partner – Financial Services

Human Resources Business Partner (Union Environment)

Manhattan, NY | Financial Services | Unionized Workforce | Regulated Environment

Oakleaf Partnership is partnering with a well‑established New York-based financial services institution to appoint an experienced Human Resources Business Partner
.

This organization operates in a highly regulated, member‑focused environment and supports a unionized workforce. The HRBP will play a visible role partnering with senior leaders while serving as the primary HR contact for union‑represented employees.

This is a hands‑on role requiring strong labor relations depth, sound judgment, and comfort operating within regulatory frameworks.

The HR Business Partner will balance strategic partnership with operational delivery across employee relations, labor relations, compliance, and performance management.

Success in this role will be demonstrated through:

• Stable and productive union relationships
• Consistent and defensible application of policies
• Strong grievance and investigation management
• Trusted advisor status with leadership
• Balanced decision‑making across compliance, employee advocacy, and business priorities

• Partner with executive and department leaders to align people strategy with business objectives.
• Translate operational needs into practical HR solutions that support engagement and performance.
• Provide coaching to leaders on employee management and organizational effectiveness.

• Act as primary HR partner for union‑represented employees.
• Interpret and administer Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
• Manage grievance processes, investigations, and arbitration preparation.
• Support labor negotiations in collaboration with HR leadership and legal counsel.
• Maintain productive relationships with union representatives while protecting organizational interests.

• Advise leaders on corrective action, discipline, and terminations.
• Conduct and oversee investigations into employee complaints and policy violations.
• Ensure consistent and legally compliant application of policies across union and non‑union employees.

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws (NLRA, FLSA, FMLA, ADA, etc.).
• Support audits, regulatory reviews, and documentation standards.
• Maintain HR practices aligned with governance and regulatory expectations.

• Support job evaluations, pay ranges, and internal equity.
• Provide guidance on compensation and benefits programs.
• Partner on annual compensation review processes and pay transparency compliance.

• Partner with Talent Acquisition on hiring aligned with union agreements.
• Support onboarding within a unionized environment.
• Contribute to leadership development and engagement initiatives.
• Use HR data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.

• 7‑10 years of progressive HR generalist or HRBP experience.
• Direct experience supporting a unionized U.S. workforce.
• Strong working knowledge of CBAs, grievance processes, and labor relations.
• Solid understanding of U.S. employment law.
• Experience operating within financial services, credit unions, not‑for‑profit, or other regulated industries preferred.
• Exposure to collective bargaining negotiations and arbitration preparation.

• Trusted advisor with strong judgment and discretion.
• Clear, confident communicator comfortable handling sensitive matters.
• Strong problem‑solving and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to balance compliance, fairness, and business objectives.
• Comfortable operating both strategically and hands‑on.