Employee and Labor Relations Partner

WWU; Bellingham (WA); On-site; USD 71,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

Western Washington University is seeking an Employee and Labor Relations Partner to provide employee relations and labor relations services across the university, consulting on policies and CBAs, and supporting grievance administration. The role gathers information, prepares documentation, and advises HR leadership on appropriate next steps while safeguarding confidential data.

Responsibilities include guiding supervisors, managing case records, coordinating with HRIS and Payroll, and supporting

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Three years of relevant human resources experience, including employee relations, labor relations, or workplace policy interpretation.
• Experience responding to workplace concerns and researching and applying employment policies or collective bargaining agreement provisions.
• Experience working with HR information systems and employee data, including running reports and protecting confidential information.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to work with employees, supervisors, and representatives.

Responsibilities

• Respond to assigned employee and supervisor questions, gather information, identify applicable policies, and recommend practical next steps.
• Provide guidance to supervisors on performance expectations, documentation, and routine workplace concerns.
• Support fact finding by organizing records, interviewing participants, and preparing summaries and recommendations.
• Maintain accurate case records and tracking information.
• Research and explain collective bargaining agreement provisions for supervisors, and assist with grievance intake and administration.
• Support communication with union representatives and labor-management meetings; coordinate notes and follow-up actions.
• Support bargaining preparations and negotiations with data gathering and meeting notes.
• Develop resources and training for supervisors on policies and union basics.
• Track recurring questions and improve guidance and forms.

Skills

HR experience

Policy interpretation

HRIS

Data management

Communication

Labor relations

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree or HR certification (preferred)

Tools

HRIS

Job description

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Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

About the Department Human Resources supports Western's mission , which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. All are encouraged to apply, including women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.

About the Position

The Employee and Labor Relations Partner supports employee and labor relations services across the university, working with represented and nonrepresented employee groups, including student employees. The ELR Partner consults with employees and supervisors on routine workplace concerns, interprets collective bargaining agreements and university policies, and helps identify appropriate next steps. The position gathers information, researches questions, prepares documentation, and recommends options for review by the Human Resources Director. The ELR Partner supports grievance administration, labor management meetings, and supervisor education while referring complex, sensitive, or precedent-setting matters to the HR Leadership.

Employee Relations Consultation and Case Support

• Respond to assigned employee and supervisor questions, gather relevant information, identify applicable policies or agreements, and recommend practical next steps in consultation with the Director.
• Provide guidance to supervisors on performance expectations, documentation, communication, and routine workplace concerns; refer proposed disciplinary actions and more complex matters to the Director.
• Support fact finding on assigned matters by organizing records, interviewing participants when assigned, documenting information, and preparing summaries and recommendations for review.
• Maintain accurate case records and tracking information

Labor Relations and Contract Administration

• Research and explain collective bargaining agreement provisions and help supervisors apply them consistently, consulting with the Director on disputed or unclear interpretations.
• Assist with grievance intake and administration by gathering records, researching relevant provisions, tracking deadlines, and preparing draft materials for the Director's review.
• Support communication with union representatives and joint labor management meetings, including coordination, notes, research, follow up, and tracking agreed actions.
• Support bargaining preparations and negotiations through research, data gathering, meeting notes, and other assigned work.

Supervisor Resources and Communication

• Help develop and deliver practical resources and training for supervisors on policies, collective bargaining agreement basics, documentation, and employee relations processes
• Track recurring questions and case themes, and suggest improvements to guidance, forms, and communication for review by the Director.
• Work with supervisors to outline practical steps for addressing recurring workplace concerns or implementing changes, including a proposed timeline, communication needs, and follow-up points for review with the Director

HR Team Support

• Coordinate with HRIS, Payroll, Benefits, and other campus partners to resolve employee relations questions and route specialized issues to the appropriate team.
• Provide cross-functional support and perform related duties as assigned, including participation in special projects, process improvements, and compliance-related tasks to support the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the HR department

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Three years of relevant human resources experience, including experience with employee relations, labor relations, or workplace policy interpretation.
• Experience responding to workplace concerns and researching and applying employment policies or collective bargaining agreement provisions.
• Experience working with HR information systems and employee data, including the ability to run reports, identify data issues, and use the results to answer HR questions.
• Ability to gather and organize information, exercise sound judgment, prepare clear written summaries, manage deadlines, and protect confidential information.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with employees, supervisors, and employee representatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a unionized public sector or higher education environment.
• Experience supporting grievance processes, workplace fact finding, or labor management meetings.
• Experience supporting collective bargaining or developing supervisor guidance and training.
• HR professional certification or advanced degree in a related field.

Conditions of Employment All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to [e-mail] if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.

Salary Hiring range is $71,078 - $81,740 depending on qualifications and experience. Through longevity position tops out at $92,400/year.

Closing Date Notes Position closes 11/23/2026 at 11:55 pm.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs.

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services , 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life at [e-mail] . The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report .

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check .