Head of Associate Relations & Enterprise Strategy

GEICO; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 195,000 - 315,000; Full time

Job summary

GEICO is seeking an experienced Head of Associate Relations to own enterprise strategy, governance, operating model, and transformation of the Associate Relations function. The role directly influences the associate experience and partners with strategy, insights and execution across HR disciplines.

Hybrid work with an onsite presence of 3 days per week at our Bethesda, MD; New York, NY; Dallas, TX; Tampa, FL; or Chicago, IL office.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Leadership, Psychology, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience across multiple people disciplines, with meaningful Associate Relations or Employee Relations experience spanning workplace concerns, investigations, employment practices, and workforce risk management.
• Demonstrated leadership beyond traditional employee relations, such as HR operations, business partnership, organizational effectiveness, workforce transformation, employee experience, or enterprise change.
• Proven success leading enterprise-scale functions, transformations, operating model redesigns, process modernization, or service delivery improvements.
• Experience influencing senior executives and aligning diverse stakeholders in complex organizations.
• Ability to use data, associate feedback, workforce insights, and qualitative themes to drive decisions and continuous improvement, supported by strong business acumen.
• Exceptional communication, executive presence, judgment, relationship-building, and commitment to fairness, integrity, inclusion, accountability, confidentiality, and ethical leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a multi-year Associate Relations strategy and roadmap aligned with GEICO's Associate Value Proposition, culture, business objectives, and the needs of a large, evolving workforce.
• Evolve the operating model across organizational design, governance, processes, decision rights, service standards, and escalation pathways.
• Modernize capabilities through technology, analytics, process improvement, and scalable frameworks that strengthen consistency, transparency, fairness, and operational excellence across business units and locations.
• Use associate concerns, investigations, feedback, and workforce data to identify emerging trends, risks, root causes, and opportunities.
• Translate qualitative and quantitative insights into actionable recommendations and sustainable solutions for business and People Group leaders.
• Monitor organizational health and connect individual concerns to broader opportunities to strengthen trust, engagement, accountability, leadership effectiveness, and workplace experience.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to executives and senior leaders on workplace concerns, leadership effectiveness, organizational risk, culture, and associate experience.
• Influence enterprise decisions and represent Associate Relations in executive discussions, transformation initiatives, and working groups, balancing associate impact, business objectives, culture, and risk.
• Build strong partnerships across Legal, Compliance, Operations, Communications, HR Business Partners, HR Operations, and the broader People Group to advance enterprise people strategies.
• Establish and oversee enterprise standards and decision frameworks for investigations, workplace concerns, policy interpretation, corrective action, and related processes.
• Ensure consistent, fair, defensible, and accountable application of policies and practices across the organization.
• Partner with Legal and Compliance to identify and mitigate workforce-related risks and prepare for evolving employment requirements and workplace expectations.
• Lead and develop a high‑performing Associate Relations leadership team grounded in sound judgment, collaboration, accountability, empathy, and continuous learning.
• Build manager and organizational capability through quality standards, coaching, and development frameworks that strengthen investigative rigor, consistency, and associate‑centered judgment.
• Foster a culture of innovation, curiosity, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Partner across Associate Listening, Associate Experience Consulting, Workplace Experience, Community and Engagement, HR Operations, HR Business Partners, and other People Group functions to identify and address systemic issues across the associate lifecycle.
• Support enterprise efforts to improve engagement, trust, retention, leadership effectiveness, cultural health, and operational consistency.
• Help shape the long‑term Associate Experience strategy and champion solutions that balance associate needs, operational realities, business performance, fairness, and accountability.

Skills

Leadership depth

Employee relations

Executive influence

Data-driven decisions

Communication

Ethical leadership

Organizational change

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR / Business / Organizational Leadership / Psychology

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

GEICO is seeking an experienced Head of Associate Relations to own enterprise strategy, governance, operating model, and transformation of the Associate Relations function. The role directly influences the associate experience and partners with strategy, insights and execution across HR disciplines.

Hybrid work with an onsite presence of 3 days per week at our Bethesda, MD; New York, NY; Dallas, TX; Tampa, FL; or Chicago, IL office.