Health System Sr. Director, ELR

Position Summary

We have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Health System Sr. Director, ELR. In this role, the successful candidate provides strategic leadership and oversight of NYU Langone Health's employee and labor relations programs, fostering strong collaborative relationships, serving as the principal authority for labor‑management relations, managing collective bargaining negotiations, arbitrations, and dispute resolution, overseeing policy governance, handling sensitive employee relations matters, and leading compliance and government reporting.

• Strategizes and leads the enterprise‑wide employee and labor relations strategy, aligning negotiation and dispute resolution approaches with organizational priorities, financial objectives, and long‑term workforce planning.
• Serves as the system labor strategy lead related to collective bargaining strategy, alongside the Office of Legal Counsel – driving complex negotiations and high‑impact outcomes.
• Establishes and directs negotiation frameworks, including economic modeling and position strategy, to optimize labor costs and operational performance.
• Collaborates with the Office of Legal Counsel on implementation of contracts and development of labor strategies, and advances the organization’s position concerning claims, prevailing laws, rules and regulations.
• Partners with senior leadership and Legal to shape organizational positions on labor matters, regulatory changes, and emerging risks.

• Provides executive oversight of contract administration, ensuring consistent, system‑wide interpretation and application of CBAs.
• Leads strategy and resolution of complex grievances, arbitrations, and high‑risk employee relations matters.
• Oversees organizational response to external claims and agency actions, ensuring strong legal positioning and risk mitigation.
• Works cooperatively and closely with in‑house labor counsel regarding all litigation activities, and ensures all documentation and responses to charges filed with administrative agencies such as the NLRB, EEOC, NYSDHR, NYCDHR, OSHA, etc., are properly prepared.
• Ensures oversight of the preparation of materials by professional staff to assist legal counsel in arbitration.
• Works with outside counsel to ensure that government reporting and compliance plans are created each fiscal year and reviews plans, working with other areas of HR, including Talent Acquisition, to develop strategies to help find diverse qualified candidates for our job groups.
• Institutionalizes continuous improvement with in‑house legal counsel that have been filed with third parties or by outside counsel through post‑case analysis, identifying systemic risks and strengthening organizational practices.

• Defines the strategic direction for employee relations practices, ensuring consistency, fairness, and alignment with organizational values.
• Develops and implements strategies that strengthen relationships between employees and supervisors, foster trust and accountability, and position employee and labor relations as a fair, objective, and credible resource for employees, leaders, and labor partners.
• Promotes the use of mediation and other early dispute resolution practices by educating employees and leaders on available resources for addressing workplace concerns, while supporting positive employee relations strategies that enhance engagement, responsiveness, and workforce stability.
• Advises senior leaders on sensitive and high‑impact workforce matters, balancing business needs with employee experience.
• Establishes frameworks for performance management, discipline, and conflict resolution that drive accountability and engagement.
• Builds organizational capability in effective people management through coaching, guidance, and thought leadership.
• Oversees guidance to management staff for disciplinary cases based on consistent application of policies and practices.

• Serves as the authority on labor and employment law compliance, ensuring…