Remote Employee Relations & Policy Specialist

Macmillan Learning; Austin (TX); Remote; USD 68,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Macmillan Learning seeks an experienced Employee Relations & Policy Specialist to lead workplace investigations, maintain multi-state policies, and support employment legal matters.

Reporting to Employment Counsel, this role bridges Legal and HR, coordinating investigations, drafting findings, and advising on performance management across a distributed workforce. Remote-friendly, tied to NY office for tax and compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field; or a Paralegal Certificate from an ABA-approved program.
• 2-3 years of progressive experience in Employee Relations, Workplace Investigations, or Employment Law (in-house legal/HR environment or employer-side law firm preferred).
• Strong working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws (FLSA, FMLA, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, state wage-and-hour laws).
• Proven ability to conduct neutral, sensitive workplace interviews and synthesize complex facts into concise written reports.
• Exceptional strategic judgment, emotional intelligence, discretion, and the ability to influence outcomes across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated capability in advising on complex performance management, leaves, accommodations, and employee relations issues.
• Exceptional legal/policy writing, editing, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with legal research databases (Westlaw/LexisNexis) and document management systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead objective workplace investigations under Employment Counsel guidance.
• Draft comprehensive investigation summaries, findings, and remediation recommendations.
• Maintain multi-state employment policies and SOPs to ensure compliance with laws.
• Provide guidance on performance management, corrective action, coaching, PIPs, accommodations, and leave programs.
• Analyze employee relations trends and maintain compliant case documentation.
• Support leader capability through training, coaching, and mentoring on employee relations best practices.
• Draft, tailor, and track employment agreements and severance/releases in compliance with law.
• Coordinate document collection, litigation holds, and evidence for outside defense counsel.
• Review engagements for proper worker classification (W-2 vs. 1099).
• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively identify policy updates and pre-litigation risk mitigation.

Skills

Policy governance

Investigations

Performance guidance

Trend analysis

Separation & agreements

Legal process support

Contractor classification

Regulatory research

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or Paralegal certificate

Tools

Westlaw/LexisNexis

Job description

Macmillan Learning seeks an experienced Employee Relations & Policy Specialist to lead workplace investigations, maintain multi-state policies, and support employment legal matters.

Reporting to Employment Counsel, this role bridges Legal and HR, coordinating investigations, drafting findings, and advising on performance management across a distributed workforce. Remote-friendly, tied to NY office for tax and compliance.