Employee Relations Specialist

utaustin; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin is seeking an Employee Relations Specialist in the Office of Human Resources. This role provides HR consultation across colleges, schools, and units, focusing on employee relations, investigations, and corrective actions.

Responsibilities include serving as the primary contact for workplace concerns, conducting investigations, writing corrective action documentation, and coordinating with ADA, Legal Affairs, and other HR partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR or related field and 2 years of employee relations experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Discretion handling sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary contact for employees and managers on workplace concerns and policy questions.
• Analyze facts, assess risk, and recommend next steps aligned with policies.
• Conduct investigations into conduct, performance, and policy compliance with interviews and documentation.
• Escalate complex or high-risk matters to senior HR staff as appropriate.
• Manage end-to-end corrective action documentation and coordination.
• Assist with coaching and documentation standards across employee groups.
• Coordinate with ADA, Legal Affairs, and other HR partners for compliance.
• Deliver or assist with employee relations training and materials.
• Approve recruitment and compensation actions in Workday; manage audits.

Skills

Communication skills

Multitasking

Interpersonal skills

Discretion

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

Workday

Job description

Job Posting Title: Employee Relations Specialist

Hiring Department: Office of Human Resources

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40

FLSA Status: To Be Determined at Offer

Earliest Start Date: Ongoing

Position Duration: Expected to Continue

Location: AUSTIN, TX

Job Details

General Notes

The University's Office of Human Resources serves as a strategic campus partner by providing solutions that attract, engage, develop, and retain employees. This position provides human resource consultation to HR professionals, managers, and employees within the Colleges, Schools, and Units (CSUs) of UT Austin.

Purpose

Provide employee relations support to multiple administrative and operational units, manage corrective action processes, and support compliance with university policies and workplace practices.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for employees, managers, and leaders seeking guidance on workplace concerns, policy interpretation, attendance issues, conduct concerns, and departmental procedures.
• Analyze facts, assess risk, and recommend appropriate next steps consistent with university policies and established employee relations practices.
• Conduct investigations related to employee conduct, performance management, interpersonal conflicts, and HR policy compliance, including conducting interviews, evidence gathering, documentation review, and reporting of findings.
• Escalate complex or high-risk matters to senior HR staff as appropriate.
• Manage the end-to-end corrective action process, including writing, reviewing, and editing corrective action documentation to ensure accuracy, consistency, and alignment with university policies and established documentation standards.
• Partner with managers to develop clear, factual, and well-supported documentation, provide coaching on documentation expectations, and ensure consistency across employee groups.
• Coordinate the review and approval process with HR and key stakeholders, track progress through completion, and ensure timely delivery and communication of corrective actions to employees.
• Coordinate with campus partners including ADA, Legal Affairs, and offices within central Human Resources to ensure concerns are routed appropriately and handled in compliance with university policies and procedures.
• Deliver employee relations training on workplace expectations, respectful workplace practices, corrective action processes, and related topics. Assist with development of training materials, communications, and employee feedback initiatives.
• Serve as final approver of recruitment and compensation actions in Workday, ensuring adherence to best practices. Manage dual state employment, unemployment claims, and other audit reporting for assigned units.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources or related field and two years of experience in employee relations.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and support a portfolio of clients in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to influence and build effective working relationships with various stakeholders.
• Demonstrated discretion and ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using Workday.
• Fluent in Spanish and able to translate between Spanish and English to provide support to a Spanish-speaking employee population.
• Experience in a higher education, public sector, or similarly complex organizational environment.

Salary Range

$60,000+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Work-life balance within a typical 40-hour work week
• Work performed in the Austin, TX office location three days per week, with an option to work remotely two days per week from an approved location. May change due to business need.
• Work around standard office conditions.
• Repetitive use of keyboard at workstation.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest