Director, Industry Relations

ACCO Engineered Systems; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

ACCO Engineered Systems in Pasadena, CA seeks a Director of Industry Relations to provide strategic oversight for labor relations across the company and its subsidiaries, encompassing over 120 union agreements nationwide.

As a subject matter expert, the Director develops strategies, supports collective bargaining, leads a high-performing team, and advises regional leadership on labor relations issues to align with organizational goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Labor Relations, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years of leadership experience in Labor Relations or Human Resources.
• Experience in negotiation preparation, bargaining, and administration of CBAs.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic oversight for labor relations across the company and subsidiaries.
• Lead a high-performing team and advise regional leadership on labor relations issues.
• Collaborate with HR, Payroll, Legal, Field Leadership, and Purchasing to address union-related issues.
• Manage 120+ union agreements and review CBAs/MOUs to mitigate non-standard clauses.
• Represent the company in grievance/arbitration proceedings with Legal.

Skills

Servant leadership

Stakeholder relations

Communication

Confidentiality

Problem-solving

Diversity & Inclusion

Continuous improvement

Strategic thinking

Influence

Execution

Professionalism

Education

Bachelor's degree in Labor Relations/HR/related

Job description

Job Summary:

The Director, Industry Relations provides strategic oversight and leadership for all labor relations across the company and its subsidiaries, encompassing over 120 union agreements nationwide. As a subject matter expert, the Director develops strategies, supports collective bargaining, leads a high-performing team, and advises regional leadership on labor relations issues to align with organizational goals. This role requires cross-functional collaboration to achieve optimal organizational impact while aligning all labor relations efforts with the company's culture and core values.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Monitor industry trends, pending labor legislation, and shifting agreement language to ensure the company remains competitive and compliant within the fluctuating landscape.
• Serve as the primary subject matter expert and resource for company leaders regarding agreement interpretations and labor relations solutions.
• Collaborate across multiple departments including Human Resources, Payroll, Legal, Field Leadership, and Purchasing to develop solutions regarding union labor relation issues.
• Develop, lead and mentor a high-performing team supporting the company's union labor relations and responsible for duties including agreement review, documentation management, audit and grievance management, payment of dues, and union event participation.
• Manage and maintain professional relationships with unions, employer groups, and labor authorities holding to the highest level of ethics and demonstrating a strong commitment to the company's core values, culture, and vision.
• Use influence to drive alignment with the company's labor relations philosophy across all regions and divisions of the company.
• Lead, negotiate, and oversee more than 120 union agreements to ensure alignment with company objectives and economic parameters.
• Review Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) to identify and mitigate non-standard or problematic clauses.
• Coordinate with negotiating committees including providing targeted data and language recommendations to secure favorable terms.
• Working with the Legal Department, representing the company in grievance and arbitration proceedings.
• Monitor labor issues and grievance trends to proactively develop strategies that address negative patterns.
• Ensure strict compliance with labor agreements regarding the hiring of non-union subcontractors.
• Develop proactive crisis management communication strategies to minimum operational disruptions during labor issues.
• Additional duties assigned by manager

Position Requirements (Work Experience, Skills, Licenses, etc.)

• Strong servant leadership mindset used to lead by example and mentoring employees for development within the company.
• Demonstrated expertise in managing both internal and external stakeholder relationships, including engagement with executive leadership.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, supported by strong analytical capabilities.
• Proven ability to handle highly confidential information with sound judgment and determine appropriate courses of action.
• Detail-oriented and creative problem-solver who maintains perspective and effectiveness in high-pressure situations.
• Actively champions racial equity, diversity, and multiculturalism in the workplace.
• Embraces a continuous improvement mindset, readily taking on new challenges while mentoring and developing others.
• Skilled at influencing and driving alignment on labor philosophy across multiple regions.
• Demonstrates perseverance by pursuing challenging goals with resilience and the ability to recover from setbacks.
• Possesses strong insight, with the ability to gather, interpret, and apply information to uncover new opportunities.
• Effectively engages others by combining emotional intelligence and logical reasoning to communicate a compelling vision.
• Maintains a big-picture perspective, contributing to both short- and long-term organizational strategy, while also proactively shaping personal career growth.
• Exhibits strong motivation and dedication, committing to excellence, taking ownership of outcomes, and demonstrating humility in achieving collective goals.
• Highly capable problem-solver who identifies, analyzes, and resolves issues in support of individual, team, and organizational objectives.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Labor Relations, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years of leadership experience in Labor Relations or Human Resources.
• Experience in negotiation preparation, bargaining, and administration of Collective Bargaining Agreements.

ACCO Competencies:

• Proactivity/Initiative: Recognizes what needs to be done and accomplishes it in a manner appropriate for one's level/position and with minimal supervision.

• Perseverance: Shows wherewithal to fight for difficult goals despite challenges and to bounce back from adversity.

• Motivation/Dedication: Commits to excellence in pursuing unselfish goals. Initiates action with collective goals, takes responsibility, and shows personal humility.

• Technical Curiosity/Willingness to Learn: Interest in seeking out new experiences, knowledge, and candid feedback; demonstrating an openness to learning and change.

• Insight: The ability to gather and make sense of information that suggests new possibilities.

• Engagement: Shows a knack for using emotion and logic to communicate a persuasive vision and connect with people.

• People Skills: Is approachable and gains the mutual trust and respect of others. Understands people's strengths & weaknesses and actively seeks to understand other perspectives.

• Communication: Fosters open, honest, candid and respectful communication. Effectively assesses, defines and communicates issues in a timely manner, both written and verbal.

• Teamwork: The ability to effectively work toward common goals with others by supporting, encouraging, and sharing information in an authentic and approachable manner.

• Big Picture: Understands and contributes to the organizations' short- and long-term business strategy. On a personal level has independently developed a vision for short- and long-term career success.

• Problem-Solver: Ability to identify, analyze, and solve problems in support of personnel, group, department, or organizational objectives.

• Execution: Effectively takes a vision and translates into action by including the right people. Identify and remove barriers, when possible, to achieve results. Demonstrates appropriate compromise, effective time management, prioritization practices and holds team members (including themselves) accountable for their performance/conduct.

• Professionalism: Respectfully observes and challenges the status quo with intent for improvement. Can take direction, accept feedback, and take full responsibility for his/her actions. Lead by example through positive influence and ethical leadership with consideration of the entire organization.

Job Responsibility Level:

People manager with direct reports

Travel Requirements:

Travel required up to 40% of the time to other office locations, meetings and events.

Hours:

This is an exempt position. Workdays are scheduled from Monday through Friday. Typically, work hours begin and end between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm as scheduled with the position's supervisor. Occasional overtime may be necessary for business needs.

Physical Demands:

• Must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• Prolonged sitting.
• Frequently required to reach with hands and arms.
• Occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch.