Employee Relations Senior Manager

Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 121,000 - 182,000; Full time

Job summary

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is seeking an Employee Relations Senior Manager to serve as a trusted advisor on workplace investigations, policy interpretation, and risk management. You will partner with HR, Legal, Compliance, and business leaders to resolve sensitive matters, influence decisions, and modernize ER processes for scalable impact.

The role demands strong investigative skills, evidence-based decision making, and the ability to balance employee advocacy with organizational risk.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business, Psychology, Organizational Development, Employment Law, or related field.
• 8–12+ years of progressive HR or Employee Relations experience, with 3–5 years ER focus.
• Significant experience conducting complex workplace investigations independently.
• Strong knowledge of employee relations practices, employment law, and workplace compliance.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and navigate sensitive situations.
• Excellent interviewing, investigation, analytical, and report‑writing skills.
• Discretion and ability to handle confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage complex employee relations matters including harassment, discrimination, and other sensitive issues.
• Conduct thorough, objective investigations involving employees, managers, and leaders; gather evidence and interview witnesses.
• Develop findings and actionable recommendations; produce comprehensive reports and executive summaries.
• Partner with HR, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Internal Audit, Ethics, and leaders to resolve sensitive matters.
• Interpret and apply policies consistently while ensuring legal compliance and governance.
• Develop dashboards and insights on employee relations trends to inform leadership.
• Shape scalable employee relations practices and provide manager training to improve culture.

Skills

Employee relations

Workplace investigations

Policy interpretation

HR policy & procedures

Leadership influence

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/psychology/org dev/employment law

Job description

Position Summary

The Employee Relations Senior Manager serves as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to leaders, HR, Legal, Compliance, and employees in fostering a fair, respectful, and compliant workplace. This role leads complex employee relations matters, workplace investigations, and policy interpretation while helping the organization proactively identify and address workforce risks and trends.

Job Description

Employee Relations Senior Manager

Position Summary

The Employee Relations Senior Manager serves as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to leaders, HR, Legal, Compliance, and employees in fostering a fair, respectful, and compliant workplace. This role leads complex employee relations matters, workplace investigations, and policy interpretation while helping the organization proactively identify and address workforce risks and trends.

The Senior Manager plays a critical role in safeguarding employee experience, ensuring consistent application of policies and practices, and influencing organizational culture through objective, evidence-based decision making. This individual will also help modernize and scale employee relations processes, tools, and reporting to improve operational effectiveness and organizational insight.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations & Investigations

• Lead and manage complex employee relations matters involving:
  • Harassment and discrimination complaints
  • Workplace conduct concerns
  • Retaliation allegations
  • Performance and behavioral issues
  • Substance abuse concerns
  • Mental health and wellness-related workplace matters
  • Conflict of interest reviews
  • Other sensitive workplace issues
• Conduct thorough, objective, and timely investigations involving employees, managers, and leaders.
• Gather and evaluate evidence, interview parties and witnesses, determine findings, and develop recommendations.
• Produce comprehensive investigation documentation, reports, and executive summaries that clearly articulate facts, findings, risk considerations, and recommended actions.

Strategic Partnership & Consultation

• Partner closely with HR Business Partners, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Internal Audit, Ethics, and business leaders to resolve sensitive employee matters.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to managers and leaders regarding:
  • Employment policies
  • Employee conduct
  • Workplace risk mitigation
  • Performance management
  • Corrective action
  • Employee engagement concerns
• Influence decision making by providing balanced, objective perspectives and practical recommendations.

Policy & Compliance

• Interpret and apply company policies while ensuring consistency, fairness, and legal compliance.
• Support policy governance efforts by identifying gaps, recommending enhancements, and contributing to policy development.
• Maintain strong knowledge of federal, state, and international employment laws and emerging workplace trends.

ER Operations & Insights

• Manage employee relations cases through case management systems and ensure accurate documentation and tracking.
• Analyze employee relations data and trends to identify systemic issues and opportunities for organizational improvement.
• Develop dashboards, reporting, and insights that inform HR and business leaders regarding workplace risk and employee experience trends.

Culture & Organizational Impact

• Act as a steward of organizational culture and employee experience.
• Identify recurring themes and emerging workforce risks and elevate insights to HR leadership.
• Recommend proactive interventions, manager training, and process improvements to strengthen workplace culture and accountability.
• Help shape scalable employee relations practices as the function continues to evolve and modernize.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Psychology, Organizational Development, Employment Law, or related field.
• 8-12+ years of progressive HR or Employee Relations experience, with a minimum of 3-5 years of Employee Relations focus.
• Significant experience conducting complex workplace investigations independently.
• Strong knowledge of:
  • Employee relations practices
  • Employment law
  • Workplace compliance
  • HR policies and procedures
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and navigate highly sensitive situations.
• Excellent interviewing, investigation, analytical, and report‑writing skills.
• Exceptional judgment, discretion, and ability to manage confidential information.

Preferred

• Experience within highly regulated industries such as:
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Biotechnology
  • Medical Devices
  • Healthcare
  • Financial Services
  • Other regulated environments
• Experience supporting global organizations and cross‑border employee relations matters.
• Experience implementing or optimizing employee relations case management systems such as ServiceNow or similar platforms.
• HR certification (SPHR, SHRM‑SCP, AWI‑CH, or equivalent).

Critical Success Factors

The Successful Candidate Will Demonstrate

• Deep expertise in workplace investigations
• Ability to proactively identify facts, ask insightful questions, and uncover root causes
• Strong storytelling and influence skills when presenting findings and recommendations
• Objectivity and sound judgment in ambiguous situations
• Emotional resilience and composure under pressure
• Ability to balance employee advocacy with organizational risk management
• Strong collaboration across HR, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, and business stakeholders
• Commitment to creating a fair, respectful, and accountable workplace

Impact of the Role

This role significantly influences employee trust, workplace culture, risk mitigation, and leadership effectiveness. The Employee Relations Senior Manager serves as a critical connector across HR functions and business stakeholders, ensuring employees are treated fairly, organizational values are upheld, and leaders are equipped to address workplace issues consistently and effectively.

HYBRID

At Vertex, we embrace continuous learning and encourage employees to stay informed on advances in AI, technology, automation, and industry trends. We seek talent who bring an external perspective, demonstrate curiosity and sound judgment, and thoughtfully adopt new capabilities that improve decision‑making, drive innovation, increase efficiency, and help deliver better outcomes for patients.

Pay Range

$121,100 - $181,700

Disclosure Statement

The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the base salary pay range for this job at the time of posting. This role is eligible for an annual bonus and annual equity awards. Some roles may also be eligible for overtime pay, in accordance with federal and state requirements. Actual base salary pay will be based on a number of factors, including skills, competencies, experience, and other job‑related factors permitted by law.

At Vertex, our Total Rewards offerings also include inclusive market‑leading benefits to meet our employees wherever they are in their career, financial, family and wellbeing journey while providing flexibility and resources to support their growth and aspirations. From medical, dental and vision benefits to generous paid time off (including a week‑long company shutdown in the Summer and the Winter), educational assistance programs including student loan repayment, a generous commuting subsidy, matching charitable donations, 401(k) and so much more.

Flex Designation

Hybrid-Eligible Or On‑Site Eligible

Flex Eligibility Status

In this Hybrid-Eligible role, you can choose to be designated as:

• Hybrid: work remotely up to two days per week; or select
• On‑Site: work five days per week on-site with ad hoc flexibility.

Note: The Flex status for this position is subject to Vertex’s Policy on Flex @ Vertex Program and may be changed at any time.

Company Information

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.

Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non‑discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E‑Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at [e-mail]