Edtech.com's Summary

Teach For America is hiring a Managing Director, Employee Relations. This role involves coaching and counseling leaders on workplace issues, leading complex investigations and mediations, using data analytics to improve the staff experience, and partnering with various teams to ensure a safe, inclusive, and compliant work environment. The Managing Director will also develop strategies to track employee grievances and support the evolution of the Employee Relations function.

Highlights

Coach and counsel leaders on workplace issues using conflict resolution and mediation.
Consult with People Partners, team leaders, and managers on culture breaches and performance plans.
Lead formal employee relations investigations in collaboration with Legal & Risk teams.
Administer case management system (FreshService) and train staff on its use.
Perform exiting staff interviews, surveys, and related data analysis.
Monitor and track compliance issues related to Safe and Respectful Workplace training.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of federal and state HR and employee relations compliance requirements.
Manage ad-hoc projects and support People team initiatives during capacity needs.
Minimum 7 years HR experience with expertise in employee relations, investigations, and conflict management preferred.
Experience with Workday HRIS or similar digital tools and strong data analysis skills.
Salary range varies by location tier: Tier A ($99,000–$135,100), Tier B ($107,900–$147,200), Tier C ($116,800–$159,500).

Managing Director, Employee Relations Full Description

Role Title: Managing Director, Employee Relations

Reports to: Vice President, People & Performance

PRIORITY APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 9, 2026. Applications received after this date will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Location : Remote/Flexible

WHAT YOU'LL DO

At Teach For America, we are inspired by a single mission - one day, all children will have access to an excellent education. In pursuit of that mission, we are looking for a Managing Director, Employee Relations to strengthen and support the staff experience. With the clear vision that Employee Relations goes beyond compliance - we have a commitment to ensuring a safe and inclusive workplace by strengthening our community, building trust and stewarding staff policies and practices.

We are looking for a strong individual contributor to serve as a specialist in Employee Relations. You are committed to ensuring a positive staff experience for all staff members. In this role, you will be recognized as an expert who may provide direction and mentoring to others in cross-team collaboration. As the Managing Director, Employee Relations, you will partner closely with colleagues across the organization, and serve as a consultant to our People Partners, team leaders, and people managers on culture breaches and performance improvement plans. You love and are skilled at coaching and counseling leaders on workplace issues, all with an eye for strategically and proactively finding solutions. You will use data, among other indicators, to help you develop a holistic view of the staff experience and develop proactive training to ensure a safe and inclusive workplace at Teach For America. You will leverage your deep experience to lead complex investigations and mediations, ensure our employee relations processes demonstrate the ways in which we value and deeply listen to all parties involved. You will communicate thoughtfully throughout all ER processes and maintain meticulous case management record keeping. With your unmatched eye for detail, you will expertly monitor and maintain accurate tracking of compliance issues and eagerly keep up to date knowledge of federal and state compliance requirements related to human resources and employee relations matters.

You will also support the evolution of our Employee Relations function, developing stronger systems for tracking employee grievances and employee relations issues as well as supporting investigations of breaches of our staff policies.

WHAT YOU'LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

Employee Relations Advice, Consultation and Conflict Resolution

Coach and counsel leaders on workplace issues, using conflict resolution/mediation to resolve workplace matters.
Serve as a consultant to People Partners, team leaders, and managers on culture breaches and performance improvement plans.
Develop the strategy to analyze data and trends related to critical employee matters, culture breaches, formal grievances and policy violations to ensure a positive staff experience.
Lead and collaborate with the VP, People & Performance and partner with the Legal & Risk team on all formal ER investigations.
Engage in mediation, restorative conversations, and conflict resolution support activities with staff as needed

Data Analytics

Act as administrator for our case management system (FreshService), managing record keeping and case management processes related to investigations and training staff on the platform as necessary • Perform and manage exiting staff interviews, surveys, and develop and perform data analysis related to exiting staff members.
Pull, analyze and use data regarding employee relations matters and investigations to tell story of the state of employee relations on staff

HR Policy & Compliance

Design, execute, monitor and maintain accurate tracking of compliance issues related to required Safe and Respectful Workplace training
Ensure up to date knowledge of federal and state compliance requirements related to human resources and employee relations matters.
Partner with the Legal Affairs and Risk team to update all People related policies on an annual basis. Maintain agile working habits that allow for the emergent needs across Teach For America
Manage ad-hoc and special projects as they arise, providing project-management capacity across the People team
Flow to support People team initiatives when capacity needs present (e.g. unexpected vacancy, leave, urgent needs that arise)
Demonstrate strong flexibility and prioritization when assessing team needs and supporting decisions about your work and time allocations
Assess and adjust your time allocation and talent flow to ensure prioritized projects have the capacity, resources, and support needed to grow

A WEEK IN THE LIFE

Over the course of any week, the Managing Director, Employee Relations will spend time partnering with team leaders to understand the current state of their talent while also reviewing and receiving staff grievances for escalation to the appropriate teams and/or individuals for support. With the implementation of standardized talent routines, each day as a Managing Director, Employee Relations might look a little different, but through further adoption days should start to follow the seasons of the work. Some days, you might spend time supporting team leaders with the implementation of our performance development system (Elevate) to drive critical outcomes for their team. Other days, you might be reviewing key exit interview and exit survey data to prepare for a team progress review at our next stepback to support in understanding the state of staff experience. Some days you might spend your time developing a plan for conducting an investigation into a policy breach or supporting staff members engaging in the mediation process.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

Your areas of knowledge and expertise that matter most for this role (minimum qualifications):

Minimum of 7 years of related Human Resources experience, preferably within Employee Relations, Consulting or HR Generalist role
Expertise and experience in managing and leading complex employee relations matters including investigations, conducting employee interviews and writing summative reports.
Certification in conflict management, Employee Relations, or workplace investigations (preferred)
Expertise in various HR programs and functions including, but not limited to business partnership, employee relations, performance management, leadership development, and organizational development
Working knowledge and/or experience of compensation and benefits
Track record of building senior-level relationships
Experience mediating employee relations concerns
Experience in utilizing Workday HRIS or other digital tools to maximize efficiency in talent management processes
Experience analyzing data and making strategic recommendations within the Human Resources function
You have a demonstrated ability to manage multiple responsibilities and consistently meet ambitious deadlines and goals
You build rapport quickly, get your energy from seeking to understand the perspectives of your partners and clients, and leverage those insights to connect them to people and experiences aligned with their interests and needs;
You communicate clearly and you are comfortable working across lines of difference.
You have excellent organizational and time management abilities
You can handle a high volume of time-sensitive responsibilities
You are detail-oriented with accuracy

BONUS (preferred qualifications)

3+ years leading and driving strategy in Employee Relations
3+ years previous team management experience preferred
Prior experience coaching adults
Evidence of strong people and systems management results (including lateral management on complex projects)
Expertise in employment law

YOUR FUTURE TEAM

The People Team exists to attract, develop, and support high impact, equity-oriented staff so they can transform education and expand opportunity for children. To have the impact our students and communities deserve, our staff must be on fire for our mission, clear on how they contribute to our collective impact, feel supported, and willing to learn and evolve continuously given our dynamic context. With this understanding of what is required from our staff, we aspire to make the following People Commitments to all of our staff.

At TFA, we promise you that you will have unparalleled opportunities to:

• Be seen and valued for who you are and what you bring to the table

• Grow every year through essential development opportunities

• Join a high performing team led by an effective and people-centered manager

• Receive an equitable and competitive total rewards package

Which make Teach For America a place where:

• People want to work

• People want to stay

• People feel impactful

• People feel like they belong

YOUR COMPENSATION

The applicable salary range for each U.S.-based role is based on where the employee works and is aligned to one of 3 tiers according to a cost of labor index in that geographic area. Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include education, training, experience, location, business needs, or market demands. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role. The expected salary ranges for this role are set forth below. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Tier A: 99,000 - 135,100

Tier B: 107,900 - 147,200

Tier C : 116,800 - 159,500

You can view which tier applies to where you plan to work here.

Original Job Description