Employee Relations Partner

Employee Relations Partner

Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania and North Central West Virginia is a nonprofit organization that funds job training, education, and other community programs by selling donated clothing and household items in Goodwill stores and online. We offer life-changing work on a mission-minded team. We are 1,000 working as one and each of us is essential to helping our community thrive. For three years running, Goodwill has been named to Forbes' list of America's "Most Inspiring Companies".

With oversight from the Chief People Officer and General Counsel, the Employee Relations Partner serves as the organization's subject matter expert in employee relations, workplace investigations, policy administration, and corrective actions. This role partners with leaders to foster a respectful, equitable, and high-performing workplace by balancing organizational accountability with a People First approach.

The Employee Relations Partner initiates the development, review, and continuous improvement of Human Resources policies, including the Employee Handbook, ensuring policies remain legally compliant, operationally effective, and aligned with the organization's mission, values, and culture.

This position is responsible for conducting complex workplace investigations, managing ethics and compliance concerns submitted through the organization's Ethics Point reporting system, advising other People Services staff and organization leaders through the corrective action process, through promoting fair, consistent, and compassionate employment practices that strengthen employee trust and organizational effectiveness.

Responsibilities include:

• Serve as the organization's primary resource for employee relations matters, providing guidance to leaders and employees on workplace concerns, conflict resolution, and policy interpretation.
• Promote a People First culture by balancing accountability, fairness, employee dignity, and organizational needs in all employee relations decisions.
• Partner with leaders to resolve workplace issues through coaching, problem-solving, and proactive intervention whenever appropriate.
• Develop and maintain employee relations dashboards and reports, analyzing complaint trends, investigation outcomes, corrective actions, and organizational risk indicators.
• Identify trends in employee relations and recommend strategies that improve employee engagement, retention, and workplace culture.
• Identify and maintain workplace service level agreements for team and divisional leaders.
• Lead the development, revision, implementation, and communication of Human Resources policies and procedures.
• Maintain ownership of the Employee Handbook, ensuring content remains current, legally compliant, and reflective of organizational values and operational practices.
• Collaborate with leadership and subject matter experts to develop policies that support operational excellence while enhancing the employee experience.
• Guide leaders through performance management and corrective action processes using a coaching-focused, People First philosophy.
• Review disciplinary recommendations to ensure consistency, fairness, documentation quality, and compliance with organizational policies and employment laws.
• Partner with managers to identify opportunities for coaching, development, and performance improvement before formal discipline when appropriate.
• Support leaders through difficult employee conversations while promoting respectful and productive workplace relationships.
• Serve as an administrator for the organization's Ethics Point reporting system.
• Receive, monitor, triage, investigate, and coordinate responses to Ethics Point complaints and other compliance concerns submitted through the 24/7 Ethics Point hotline and reporting channels.
• Track case outcomes, identify trends, and recommend corrective or preventive actions that strengthen organizational integrity and reduce organizational risk.
• Partner with People Services leadership and legal counsel on complex employee relations matters as appropriate.
• Conduct prompt, thorough, objective, and confidential investigations involving allegations of misconduct, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, ethics concerns, policy violations, workplace conflict, and other employee relations matters.
• Interview employees, supervisors, and witnesses; gather and analyze evidence; prepare investigative summaries; and make recommendations based on findings.
• Coach leaders on effective employee relations practices, documentation, conflict management, and employment law compliance.
• Provide recommendations on employee relations strategies that align with organizational goals while maintaining a positive employee experience.
• Develop and deliver training related to respectful workplaces, performance management, investigations, workplace expectations, and HR policies.
• Maintain a current and up-to-date understanding of and comply with all company policies and procedures, including but not limited to human resources…