Employee Relations Business Partner

Cox Enterprises; Indianapolis (IN); Remote; USD 67,000 - 101,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation with pay

Seven paid holidays

Paid wellness hours

Job summary

Cox Automotive is seeking an Employee Relations Business Partner to guide leaders on disciplinary actions, performance plans, and termination reviews while conducting investigations as needed.

You will collaborate with HR, Legal, and ER teams to ensure compliant, values-driven decisions across multiple matters in a fast-paced environment. Remote work is possible with travel up to 25% as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Management, or related field; 2 years' related HR/Employee Relations experience (or alternate combinations as described).

Responsibilities

• Provide guidance on employee disciplinary actions, performance improvement plans, and involuntary termination reviews.
• Support reviews using Workday and ServiceNow.
• Partner with ER team, HRBP, Legal, and others to align on recommendations with company values.
• Ensure policies are interpreted consistently and educate stakeholders as needed.
• Own assigned ER cases in the case management system.
• Analyze ER trends and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Assist with information gathering for legal complaints and charges.
• Backup for ER intake and conduct less complex investigations.

Skills

Communication

Coaching

Conflict resolution

Influencing

Data analysis

Travel readiness

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Management, or related field

Tools

ServiceNow

Workday

Case management systems

Job description

Cox Automotive is currently seeking an Employee Relations Business Partner to join our team. Candidates must reside within the Eastern or Central Time Zones of the United States.

The Role:

The Employee Relations Business Partner (ERBP) provides guidance, support, and recommendations across a range of employee relations matters. This role primarily supports business leaders with employee disciplinary actions, performance improvement plans, involuntary termination review, and related advice, as well as performing less complex risk investigations.

ERBPs build strong partnerships and collaborate closely with leaders at all levels, HR Business Partners, Legal, and other internal teams, with the goal of delivering a consistent, equitable, and positive experience aligned with our company values. The ERBP manages multiple matters simultaneously - often for competing stakeholders - in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as an employee relations subject-matter expert, advising and guiding leaders with strong listening, probing, and investigatory skills, and the ability to clearly and objectively synthetize information in a timely manner.
• Using Workday and Service Now to support business leaders with reviews of employee disciplinary actions, performance improvement plans, and involuntary termination review requests.
• Partner directly with the ER team, people leaders, HR Business Partners, Legal, and other departments to provide recommendations that align with company values and priorities.
• Act as a champion for compliance by interpreting policies and processes, ensuring consistent application, and educating employees and stakeholders as needed.
• Own assigned employee relations cases within the case management system and/or Ethics Hotline, documenting and handling matters in accordance with ER team processes and practices.
• Analyze employee relations trends and proactively identify and elevate areas of opportunity.
• Partner with HR Business Partners to promote a positive and open employee relations environment where employees feel comfortable seeking guidance and receiving a timely issue resolution.
• Assist with information gathering related to legal complaints and charges.
• Serve as a backup for Employee Relations intake role as needed.
• Conduct less complex employee relations investigations as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Management, or related field and 2 years' related experience in Human Resources and/or Employee Relations. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and up to 2 years' experience; or 6 years' experience in a related field.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Direct experience supporting business leaders with employee disciplinary actions, conduct/behavior issues, performance improvement plans/performance issues, and involuntary terminations.
• Working knowledge of state and federal employment laws and union avoidance.
• Ability to communicate effectively across all employee levels (exempt, non-exempt, corporate, and field).
• Strong coaching, facilitation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Demonstrated influencing skills, with the ability to advise HR Business Partners and leaders on recommendations related to discipline, performance improvement plans, and terminations.
• Ability to work independently and with a sense of urgency and prioritization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Sound judgement and discretion when handling sensitive matters.
• Ability to collect, understand, interpret and share data effectively.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time, as needed.
• Ability to work successfully 100% remotely, with occasionally required travel primarily for meetings.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP certification.

• Experience with ServiceNow or other web-based case management systems.

• Bilingual (English/Spanish).
• Experience leveraging AI tools (Microsoft CoPilot, Claude, or similar technologies) to improve efficiency, support investigations, analyze trends, and enhance employee relations processes.

USD 67,100.00 - 100,700.00 per year

Compensation:

Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $67,100.00 - $100,700.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.

Benefits:

The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.

Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.

EOE, including disability/vets