Director Labor & Employee Relations

Republic Services

Phoenix (AZ)

Hybrid

USD 150,000 - 190,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental & Vision

HSAs/FSAs

Disability Insurance

Life Insurance

ESPP

PTO

Retirement matching

Job summary

Republic Services is seeking a Director of Labor & Employee Relations to lead our labor relations strategy and field-wide engagement. You will drive programs, partner with site leaders, and support campaigns and negotiations to foster a safe, productive, and trusted work environment.

The role requires deep NLRA knowledge, 10+ years in labor relations, and a proven track record of coaching labor teams across a large, decentralized organization.

Qualifications

Thorough knowledge of NLRA and related laws.
Experience shaping labor relations strategy and campaigns.
Proven ability to coach and develop a Labor Relations team.
Experience leading or participating in union election campaigns.
Strong collaboration with HR and site leaders across multiple states.

Responsibilities

Directs labor relations team to promote positive employee relations and engagement.
Partners with leaders and HR at non-union sites nationwide.
Develops and maintains labor relations education and training programs.
Identifies sites needing improved employee relations and implements solutions.
Represents labor relations in campaigns, negotiations, and strike contingency planning.
Provides guidance to internal customers on labor relations matters.
Travels up to 75% as needed.

Skills

NLRA knowledge

Labor relations strategy

Leadership

Training program development

Change management

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

PHR certification preferred

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Director, Labor & Employee Relations is responsible for the development and execution of labor and employee relations strategy to support a positive work environment that promotes safety and productivity, employee satisfaction, effective communication, and a culture of teamwork and trust.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leads a team of Labor Relations professionals in developing and implementing plans that promote positive employee relations, minimize conflict, and improve employee engagement.

Builds strong partnerships with and supports people leaders and HR professionals at non-union-represented sites across the country.

Develops, implements, maintains, and manages the Company’s labor relations education and training programs. Ensures the effective implementation of labor relations and positive employee relations strategies through training and partnering with internal customers.

Proactively identifies, assesses, trains, and supports Company locations that would benefit from a more positive environment.

Develops and maintains relationships with employees and establishes stronger communication between employees and the Company. Listens to employee concerns and appropriately suggests solutions to employees and management.

Monitors industry trends and provides recommendations for best practices in positive employee relations.

Investigates and handles certain employee complaints.

Directs and/or supports representation campaigns, elections, post-campaign actions and related matters.

Supports aspects of the collective bargaining agreement negotiation process, including occasional participation in and/or leading of negotiations and involvement in strike contingency planning.

Provides labor relations advice to internal customers.

Coordinates communications and implementation of certain company initiatives in the field.

Supports labor relations-related aspects of potential acquisitions, including due diligence and integration.

Provide guidance, direction, and coaching to Labor Relations team members, including assessing performance, providing feedback, and actively developing talent.

This position may require travel up to 75% of the time.

Performs other job-related duties as assigned or apparent.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience working in an organization with a partially unionized workforce.

Experience working in a large, decentralized multi-state organization.

Thorough knowledge of NLRA and other related federal and state laws.

Proven relationship builder with strong consultative, coaching, counseling, and conflict resolution skills.

Business acumen, be innovative, adapt well to change and work collaboratively with strategic influence to drive initiatives across a matrixed environment.

Ability to support senior level leaders in a manner that will effectively advance business strategies throughout their organizations.

Project management and prioritization skills with proven attention to detail.

Flexibility and ability to adapt to a diverse, fast paced environment with changing priorities.

Environmental services or transportation industry experience preferred.

PHR certification preferred.

Bilingual English and Spanish preferred.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

10 years of labor relations or progressive human resources experiencethat includes implementing labor strategy, developing, and implementing campaign strategy, and conducting labor relations-related training.

Experience managing or having significant involvement in union election campaigns.

Experience interpreting collective bargaining agreements and prior involvement in the collective bargaining negotiation process.

3 years of people leadership experience.

This position is a hybrid role based at Republic Service’s headquarters in Phoenix, AZ. Hybrid is 4-days per week onsite, and 1-day remote. This position will not be eligible to be fully remote.

Rewarding Compensation and Benefits

Eligible employees can elect to participate in:

Comprehensive medical benefits coverage, dental plans and vision coverage.

Health care and dependent care spending accounts.

Short- and long-term disability.

Life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment insurance.

Employee and Family Assistance Program (EAP).

Employee discount programs.

Retirement plan with a generous company match.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Benefits: https://jobs.republicservices.com/us/en/about-us/benefits

The statements used herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by an employee in this position, and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties and skills required by an incumbent so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the Company.

EEO STATEMENT:Republic Services is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, relationship or association with a protected veteran (spouses or other family members), genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. For any concerns relating to Republic Services’ commitment to equal opportunity employment, you may contact the AWARE Line at 1-866-3-AWARE-4.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG) is a leader in the environmental services industry. We provide customers with the most complete set of products and services, including recycling, waste, special waste, hazardous waste and field services.Our industry-leading commitments to advance circularity and support decarbonization are helping deliver on our vision to partner with customers to create a more sustainable world.

In 2025, Republic’s total company revenue was $16.6 billion, and adjusted EBITDA was $5.3 billion. We serve 13 million customers and operate more than 1,000 locations, including collection and transfer stations, recycling and polymer centers, treatment facilities, and landfills.

Although we operate across North America, the collection, recycling, treatment, or disposal of materials is a local business, and the dynamics and opportunities differ in each market we serve. By combining local operational management with standardized business practices, we drive greater operating efficiencies across the company while maintaining day-to-day operational decisions at the local level, closest to the customer.

Our customers, including small businesses, major corporations and municipalities, want a partner with the expertise and capabilities to effectively manage their multiple recycling and waste streams. They choose Republic Services because we are committed to exceeding their expectations and helping them achieve their sustainability goals. Our 42,000 team members understand that it’s not just what we do that matters, but how we do it.

Our company values guide our daily actions:

Safe : We protect the livelihoods of our colleagues and communities.

Committed to Serve : We go above and beyond to exceed our customers’ expectations.

Environmentally Responsible : We take action to improve our environment.

Driven : We deliver results in the right way.

Human-Centered : We respect the dignity and unique potential of every person.

We are proud of our high employee engagement score of 86. We have an inclusive and diverse culture where every voice counts. In addition, our team positively impacted 5.1 million people in 2024 through the Republic Services Charitable Foundation and local community grants. These projects are designed to meet the specific needs of the communities we serve, with a focus on building sustainable neighborhoods.

STRATEGY

Republic Services’ strategy is designed to generate profitable growth. Through acquisitions and industry advancements, we safely and sustainably manage our customers’ multiple waste streams through a North American footprint of vertically integrated assets.

We focus on three areas of growth to meet the increasing needs of our customers: recycling and waste, environmental solutions and sustainability innovation.

With our integrated approach, strengthening our position in one area advances other areas of our business. For example, as we grow volume in recycling and waste, we collect additional material to bolster our circularity capabilities. And as we expand environmental solutions, we drive additional opportunities to provide these services to our existing recycling and waste customers.

Recycling and Waste

We continue to expand our recycling and waste business footprint throughout North America through organic growth and targeted acquisitions. The 13 million customers we serve and our more than 5 million pick-ups per day provide us with a distinct advantage. We aggregate materials at scale, unlocking new opportunities for advanced recycling. In addition, we are cross-selling new products and services to better meet our customers’ specific needs.

Environmental Solutions

Our comprehensive environmental solutions capabilities help customers safely manage their most technical waste streams. We are expanding both our capabilities and our geographic footprint. We see strong growth opportunities for our offerings, including PFAS remediation, an increasing customer need.

Sustainability Innovation

Republic’s recent innovations to advance circularity and decarbonization demonstrate our unique ability to leverage sustainability as a platform for growth.

The Republic Services Polymer Center is the nation’s first integrated plastics recycling facility. These innovative sites process rigid plastics from our recycling centers, producing recycled materials that promote true bottle-to-bottle circularity. We also formed Blue Polymers, a joint venture with Ravago, to develop facilities that will further process plastic material from our Polymer Centers to help meet the growing demand for sustainable packaging. We are building a network of Polymer Centers and Blue Polymer facilities across North America.

Our customers are increasingly looking for decarbonization solutions, and we are leveraging our network of landfills to meet that need. Republic is committed to harnessing landfill gas, a natural byproduct of decomposing waste, and converting it to energy. Republic has partnered with renewable gas developers to construct Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) plants at our landfills, expanding beyond the 77 projects we currently have to make progress towards our goal to beneficially reuse 50% more biogas by 2030 (2017 baseline year).

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