Director, Employee Relations

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Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: “Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide.” Otsuka researches, develops, manufactures and markets innovative products, with a focus on pharmaceutical products to meet unmet medical needs and nutraceutical products for the maintenance of everyday health.

The Director, Employee Relations will be a champion of Otsuka's culture and values and will lead the Employee Relations (ER) department for the organization. This role works directly with Senior members of the Otsuka Human Resources (HR) community, partners with business leaders in the performance management process, investigates employee relations issues across our US pharma business, navigates change, and grows the ER organization.

The candidate consults the supported businesses and collaborates with the Core Investigative Committee (CIC) and cross‑functional partners, demonstrates Otsuka culture in decisions and behavior, monitors business decisions on people, and advises management appropriately. The director will challenge status quo, present strong evidence‑based positions, navigate ambiguity, and bring clear solutions.

The position is both hands‑on and strategic, providing investigative and employee relations expertise. The ER team is centralized within HR and strives for consistent, equitable handling of issues. The director leads a small team of experienced ER experts who regularly solve complex problems and maintains current knowledge of federal, state, and local laws, influencing company positions on policy changes. The role is based in Princeton, New Jersey and may be remote;

a hybrid work policy requires ~15% travel.

• Build and lead the ER team, fostering a positive and inclusive work environment
• Provide guidance and mentorship to team members on complex employee relations issues
• Partner and serve as a trusted advisor to the business on complex organizational challenges and people‑related solutions

• Conduct investigations and elevate quality through detailed interview capture, issue spotting, and sound recommendations
• Supervise investigators and handle a range of concerns, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, workplace violence, and other alleged violations
• Use effective interviewing and documentation techniques and the designated online case management tool for tracking
• Report regularly on pending investigations and provide timely investigation reports with supporting documentation for completed investigations
• Identify longer‑term impacts related to case issues to provide a full view of potential risks

• Ensure ER practices and policies comply with employment laws and regulations
• Stay updated on relevant legislation and proactively address ER issues
• Partner with the Core Investigative Committee (CIC) on broader impacts beyond ER and with the LRBO team and HR leaders for legal concerns

• Collaborate with HR Business Partners to guide performance management processes, including coaching, counseling, and performance improvement plans
• Develop and reinforce an employee relations strategy and philosophy that provides clear direction, reliable measurement, and feedback
• Work closely with management and employees to improve work relationships, amplify engagement, increase productivity and retention
• Experience handling difficult, complex, highly sensitive employee relations issues and provide guiding mentorship to employees and leaders

• Develop and deliver ER‑related training programs for executives, people leaders, and employees to enhance understanding of policies, procedures, and best practices

• Utilize HR analytics to track ER trends and identify improvement areas
• Generate regular reports for senior leadership to assess ER metrics and propose actionable insights

• Bachelor's degree required; degree in Business,…