Employee & Labor Relations Advisor

Howard Community College; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 65,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Retirement options

Paid leave

Tuition benefits

Professional growth

Life insurance

Job summary

Howard Community College seeks an Employee & Labor Relations Advisor to strengthen workplace relationships and ensure fair, consistent employment practices. The role conducts intake, supports investigations, and administers CBAs with independence and sound judgment.

The ideal candidate is analytical, organized, and adept with HR systems, able to review records, prepare materials, and collaborate with HR leadership to maintain a positive workplace culture on campus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR or related field; 3 years of progressively responsible HR/employee relations experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage confidential information and multiple deadlines.
• Strong written communication, organizational, analytical, and customer-service skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct preliminary employee-relations intake and assess risk within parameters.
• Maintain organized case files, chronologies, and evidence logs.
• Support workplace investigations and fact-finding; schedule interviews and take notes.
• Assist with bargaining administration, grievances, and CBAs as needed.
• Prepare documents and reports for HR leadership and counsel.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Resourceful

Technologically proficient

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Adobe Acrobat Pro

PDF tools

Job description

Position Details

Position Information

About Us

Howard Community College (HCC) is an award‑winning institution where talented professionals make a meaningful difference in the lives of students and the community.

Recognized by Niche as the #1 Community College in Maryland and the Baltimore Area for 2026, HCC also ranks among the top 5% of community colleges nationally, according to WalletHub's 2025 rankings. The College was also selected among 200 institutions nationwide eligible to compete for the prestigious 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

At HCC, we’re building on this tradition of excellence through innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to student success. We invite talented, resourceful professionals to join a forward‑thinking institution where their expertise, initiative, and contributions can make a lasting impact.

Wherever you want to go in your career, you can get there from here!

Position Title

Employee & Labor Relations Advisor

FLSA Status

Exempt

Employment Type

Full Time

Hours Per Week

37.5

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm

Grade

14-15

Compensation Range

$65,218-86,739 (Gr 14) Higher Grade Commensurate w/Qualification

Summary

Join the Human Resources team at Howard Community College as an Employee & Labor Relations Advisor, helping strengthen workplace relationships, advance fair and consistent employment practices, and build a responsive, effective employee and labor relations function.

This professional position offers meaningful opportunities to exercise independent judgment, conduct employee-relations intake and preliminary fact-finding, support workplace investigations, administer collective bargaining agreements, analyze complex employment matters, and prepare documentation for grievances, regulatory proceedings, and other formal matters.

The ideal candidate is analytical, resourceful, technologically proficient, and exceptionally organized-someone who enjoys solving problems, navigating complex situations, and improving systems and processes. Working collaboratively with HR leadership and campus partners, the Advisor will play an important role in strengthening institutional practices and supporting a positive, accountable workplace culture.

Essential Role Responsibilities

• Conducts preliminary employee-relations intake; assesses the nature, urgency, and apparent risk of concerns; identifies appropriate initial actions within established parameters; and determines when escalation is required.
• Reviews case records and communications to identify relevant information, factual gaps, inconsistencies, missing evidence, and additional sources requiring follow-up.
• Creates and maintains organized electronic case files, chronologies, evidence logs, correspondence files, interview materials, disciplinary records, policy and CBA references, and related documentation.
• Coordinates and prepares complex document productions for external agencies, grievances, investigations, subpoenas, litigation support, and other formal matters; assesses apparent relevance and responsiveness and flags sensitive materials requiring higher-level or legal review.
• Supports workplace investigations and fact-finding by scheduling interviews, preparing background materials, attending meetings, taking accurate notes, organizing evidence, and conducting defined preliminary interviews or follow-up inquiries as assigned.
• Researches policies, procedures, collective bargaining agreements, historical practices, organizational records, and other relevant sources; synthesizes findings and recommends next steps.
• Handles routine employee-relations questions and lower-risk matters within delegated authority and refers complex, sensitive, precedent-setting, or high-risk matters to HR leadership.
• Supports informal conflict resolution, facilitated problem-solving conversations, team discussions, and other appropriate early-intervention efforts; assists with ER presentations, workshops, and manager or employee education as assigned.
• Maintains accurate case-status, activity, outcome, and closure information; prepares basic reports and identifies recurring issues, delays, or patterns for higher-level review.
• Helps maintain ER knowledge resources, templates, precedent/reference materials, and case-closing practices so that institutional learning is preserved and assigned matters are driven through documented completion.
• Maintains the AVP's employee and labor relations case calendar, including agency deadlines, grievance dates, interviews, hearings, follow-up obligations, and other time-sensitive commitments; proactively flags upcoming deadlines and unresolved items.
• Uses approved AI-enabled and other workplace technologies to support document review, chronology development, research, comparison, drafting, and workflow efficiency while independently verifying accuracy and protecting confidential information.
• Navigates College organizational structures, systems, departments, record sources, and historical processes to locate information and resolve assigned work without requiring step-by-step direction.
• Demonstrates a strong service orientation through responsiveness, reliability, persistence, timely follow-through, professionalism, and willingness to perform both complex and routine work necessary to meet department needs.
• Supports administration of collective bargaining agreements by tracking contract obligations, grievance steps, information requests, deadlines, labor-management action items, and required notices; escalates interpretive or disputed issues.
• Compiles union roster, bargaining-unit eligibility, dues deduction, and information-request data in collaboration with HRIS and Payroll; identifies exceptions, verifies information, and routes proposed disclosures for authorized review.
• Prepares grievance files, meeting materials, relevant CBA extracts, preliminary correspondence, and draft responses for HR leadership and counsel; assists with bargaining preparation and labor-management committee logistics.
• Assists supervisors with documenting performance expectations, coaching, evaluations, performance-improvement plans, and corrective‑action records, consistent with applicable policies and CBAs and within delegated authority.
• Performs other employee-relations, labor-relations, compliance, case-management, and Human Resources responsibilities as assigned.

Minimum Education Required

Bachelor's degree

Experience Required

Bachelor's degree in human resources, psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, legal studies, paralegal studies, business administration, public administration, organizational leadership, sociology, or a related field; and three years of progressively responsible experience in human resources, employee relations, legal support, paralegal work, investigations, compliance, litigation support, case management, higher education administration, or similarly complex professional work. An equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience may be substituted for the bachelor's degree requirement on a year for year basis.

• Demonstrated experience managing confidential information, multiple deadlines, and detailed case, legal, investigative, or HR work.
• Demonstrated ability to learn unfamiliar systems and processes, independently locate information, solve problems, and advance assignments with limited direction.
• Strong written communication, note-taking, organizational, analytical, interpersonal, and customer-service skills.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear, accurate, polished correspondence, case summaries, interview notes, chronologies, and sensitive documentation, and to communicate professionally with employees, supervisors, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, and thoroughness in reviewing records, identifying inconsistencies and omissions, maintaining confidential files, and ensuring complete, reliable work products.
• Proficiency with electronic records, productivity software, PDF tools, spreadsheets, collaboration platforms, and electronic file-management systems.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel; ability to organize and analyze case data and prepare accurate documents, spreadsheets, chronologies, and reports.
• Working proficiency with Adobe Acrobat Pro or comparable PDF tools, including PDF assembly, page organization, bookmarking, and secure redaction of confidential information; ability to verify that redacted content cannot be recovered.
• Ability to use approved AI-enabled tools responsibly to support research and drafting, independently verify outputs against authoritative sources, and protect confidential employee information.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound judgment, recognize limits of authority, and escal ate appropriately.
• Ability to work a schedule established according to operational needs, including occasional evenings and weekends.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least one year of experience supporting labor relations, CBA administration, grievance processing, or HR work in a unionized setting is preferred.
• Paralegal certificate, legal studies education, or substantial experience supporting employment law, workplace investigations, litigation, administrative charges, regulatory responses, or complex document productions.
• Experience in employee relations, labor relations, higher education, government, public-sector employment, or another unionized or highly regulated environment.
• Experience preparing document productions, chronologies, case indexes, investigative materials, or external agency responses.
• Experience conducting intake interviews or supporting workplace investigations.
• Demonstrated responsible use of approved artificial‑intelligence tools and emerging workplace technologies.
• Experience with mediation, conflict resolution, team facilitation, public speaking, training, workshop facilitation, or adult learning.
• Professional proficiency in Spanish for workplace communication is preferred; proficiency in other languages is valued.
• Military or veteran experience demonstrating transferable skills in investigation, documentation, compliance, leadership, conflict resolution, or personnel administration.
• Relevant professional credentials, such as SHRM‑CP, PHR, IPMA‑HR, paralegal certification, or equivalent specialized training.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to exercise independent judgment in triaging concerns, evaluating information, assessing document relevance, and recommending next steps.
• Exceptional organization, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple concurrent matters and deadlines.
• Resourcefulness and persistence in locating records and navigating complex organizational structures.
• Ability to operate effectively when processes, responsibilities, systems, or historical information are incomplete, undocumented, or evolving.
• Ability to interact professionally with employees who may be upset, frustrated, confused, or concerned while maintaining neutrality and appropriate boundaries.
• Ability to read and work with electronic, scanned, archived, and handwritten records, including cursive handwriting.
• Strong technology aptitude and willingness to learn new tools quickly.
• Ability to communicate clearly and credibly in one-to-one and group settings and to support presentations, facilitated discussions, and learning activities.

Physical Demand Summary

This is a full-time position. The work schedule is established by Human Resources based on College operational requirements and employee-relations needs and is not independently determined by the incumbent. Regular on-campus presence is required. The position may occasionally require work outside normal business hours, including evenings or weekends, to support investigations, hearings, meetings, urgent matters, external deadlines, or other operational needs. The incumbent routinely handles confidential, sensitive, and at times emotionally charged matters.

Supervisory Position?

No

Division

Human Resources

Department

Human Resources

Benefits Summary

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance options for employees and eligible dependents.
• Retirement Security: Maryland State Pension System and Optional Retirement Program (ORP) options, subject to eligibility requirements.
• Generous Paid Leave: Vacation, sick and personal leave, paid holidays, and scheduled winter recess.
• Educational Benefits: Tuition waivers for eligible HCC courses and tuition reimbursement for approved coursework at other accredited institutions.
• Professional Growth: Training, leadership development, continuing education, and career advancement opportunities.
• Financial Protection: Employer-provided life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Employee Wellness: Wellness initiatives, mental health resources, employee assistance services, and programs supporting physical and emotional well-being.

At HCC, you’ll find more than a job—you’ll find opportunities to grow professionally, contribute meaningfully, and thrive as part of a community dedicated to student and institutional success.

Benefits are subject to eligibility, plan provisions, and applicable College policies. For additional information, visit the HCC Employee Benefits page.

EEO Statement

Howard Community College (HCC) is an Equal Employment Opportunity &affirmative action employer & values diversity within its faculty, staff & student population. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

HCC understands that persons with specific disabilities may need assistance with the job application process and/or with the interview process. For confidential assistance with the job application process, please contact the Office of Human Resources at 443-518-1100.