Employee Relations Lead

Form Energy; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision coverage for 100

First day benefits

HSA

Generous PTO

Employee Resource Program

Stock options

401k with company match

Professional development funding

Gallup Strengths Finder access

Life insurance

Short/Long-term disability

Job summary

Form Energy in the United States is seeking a strategic and hands-on Employee Relations leader to build and run ER as a new function. Reporting to the SVP, People, you will define our ER strategy, frameworks, and infrastructure while personally managing a significant caseload from day one.

You will coach managers, conduct sensitive investigations, and design playbooks, policies, and tooling to scale with the company, partnering with Legal and cross‑functional teams across locations.

Qualifications

• Proven experience building or scaling an ER function from early stage.
• Experience partnering across Legal, People Partners, and business leaders.
• Ability to balance strategic program-building with a high-volume caseload.
• 8+ years of progressive Employee Relations experience with complex investigations.
• Deep knowledge of federal and state employment laws and documentation standards.
• Strong communication and influencing skills with senior leaders and employees.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage a high-volume ER caseload across harassment, discrimination, misconduct, and disputes.
• Design and stand up Form Energy’s ER function, including processes, tooling, and playbooks.
• Advise senior leaders on ER risk and precedent; translate patterns into proactive recommendations.
• Coach managers to address ER issues early with clear escalation guidance.
• Develop policies ensuring fair, consistent application and legal compliance.
• Build reporting to track case trends and inform leadership.
• Partner with COEs to embed ER guidance across the employee lifecycle.

Skills

ER strategy

Investigations

Coaching managers

Cross-functional collaboration

Policy design

Data-driven insights

Legal partnership

Communicational influence

Tools

Case management tooling

Job description

• This position, reporting to the SVP, People, is both a high-level strategic force and a hands‑on operational leader, responsible for building and running Employee Relations as a new function at Form Energy
• A successful individual in this role will define our ER strategy, frameworks, and infrastructure from the ground up, while personally carrying a significant, complex caseload from day one
• This individual will be a player‑coach: equally comfortable advising senior leaders on ER risk and precedent, and rolling up their sleeves to conduct sensitive investigations, coach managers through difficult conversations, and close out cases fairly and efficiently
• They will be excited by the opportunity to build something durable in a fast‑paced, evolving environment — creating the playbooks, policies, and systems that don’t yet exist, while never losing sight of the people at the center of every case
• This role will require working from our Weirton, WV Somerville, MA location at least 3 days per week
• The role requires travel to all locations
• Employee Relations Casework & Investigations: Own and manage a complex, high‑volume caseload spanning the full spectrum of ER issues — including harassment, discrimination, misconduct, performance‑related disputes, and interpersonal conflict. Conduct thorough, timely, and legally sound investigations, and drive cases to fair, well‑documented resolution
• ER Function Build‑Out: Design and stand up Form Energy’s ER function from the ground up — including intake processes, investigation methodology, case management tooling, escalation pathways, and documentation standards. Establish the frameworks, templates, and playbooks that will scale with the organization
• Strategic Advisory: Serve as a trusted advisor and coach to senior leaders and People Partners on ER strategy, risk, and precedent. Translate case patterns and trends into proactive recommendations that reduce risk and improve the employee experience before issues escal
• Manager Coaching & Enablement: Equip people managers with the skills, judgment, and confidence to identify and address ER issues early — through training, real‑time coaching, and clear guidance on when and how to escalation
• Policy & Compliance: Develop, maintain, and continuously improve HR policies and practices to ensure fair, consistent application across the company and compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws. Partner with Legal on complex or high‑risk matters
• Data‑Driven Insights: Build the reporting infrastructure to track case trends, cycle times, and outcomes. Use ER data and analytics to identify systemic risks, inform policy decisions, and report on the health of the function to senior leadership
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with People Partners, Legal, EHS, and other People Team Centers of Excellence (COEs) — including Talent Acquisition and Total Rewards — to ensure ER guidance is embedded consistently across the employee lifecycle

Benefits

• 100% of medical, dental, and vision premiums covered for employees
• Health insurance coverage begins first day of employment
• Health Savings Account
• Generous PTO policies to enable employees to recharge when needed
• An Employee Resource Program that provides mental health counseling services, legal guidance, financial resources, and other helpful consulting services
• 80% of the total medical, dental, and vision premiums covered for dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave, 14 weeks for the birthing parent
• Access to a Dependent Care Account
• Access to a Health Flexible Spending Account
• Access to a Commuter Benefits Account
• Access to an Adoption Assistance Flexible Spending Account
• Stock options granted to all employees
• Stock equity education and tax advice service provided by Carta
• Company sponsored 401k
• Access to an annual budget for professional development
• License to complete Gallup’s Strengths Finder Assessment and ongoing resources
• 100% employer-sponsored coverage life insurance, and short and long‑term disability policies

• Proven experience building or significantly scaling an ER function, program, or infrastructure from an early stage — a builder’s mindset, with the ability to create new processes and tools from scratch
• Experience partnering cross‑functionally with Legal, People Partners, and business leaders
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic program‑building with a high‑volume, hands‑on caseload simultaneously
• 8+ years of progressive Employee Relations experience, including direct ownership of complex investigations and casework
• Deep knowledge of federal and [state] employment law, investigation methodology, and documentation standards
• Resilience and adaptability to thrive in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build trust and credibility with senior leaders while also connecting authentically with employees at every level
• Strong judgment and discretion in handling sensitive, high‑stakes situations with empathy and objectivity