Senior Director of Employee & Labor Relations

New Jersey Institute of Technology; Newark (NJ); On-site; USD 200,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) seeks a seasoned, collaborative labor relations executive to serve as its Senior Director of Employee and Labor Relations. This role will elevate the function as a trusted strategic partner within a highly unionized, research university.

Reporting to the SVP for Human Resources, the Senior Director leads bargaining, contract interpretation, investigations, policy development, and labor-management partnership across ~2,200 employees and eight bargaining

Qualifications

• Experience leading employee and labor relations in complex organizations.
• Demonstrated first-chair collective bargaining experience.
• Ability to translate labor matters into practical guidance for managers and leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead employee and labor relations strategy across the university.
• Serve as lead spokesperson on bargaining and contract administration.
• Conduct workplace investigations and develop policies.
• Build credible relationships with union leaders and campus stakeholders.

Skills

Labor relations

Collective bargaining

Stakeholder management

Policy interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree

J.D. or relevant graduate degree preferred

Job description

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) (https://www.njit.edu/) seeks a seasoned, collaborative, and relationship-centered labor relations executive to serve as its next Senior Director of Employee and Labor Relations. This is a distinctive opportunity to elevate the impact of employee and labor relations at one of the nation’s leading public polytechnic research universities, strengthening systems, deepening relationships, expanding institutional knowledge, and positioning the function as a trusted strategic partner at the intersection of strategy, culture, operations, and institutional trust within a complex and highly unionized environment.

NJIT is one of only 35 polytechnic universities in the United States and stands as New Jersey’s leading producer of technological talent and innovation. The University is the only institution in the nation designated by the Carnegie Classification as an R1 research university, a tech-focused institution, and an opportunity college. With more than 12,300 students across six schools and colleges, approximately $171 million in annual research expenditures, and a $2.8 billion economic impact on New Jersey, NJIT plays a vital role in advancing research, economic mobility, and workforce development. The University is also distinguished by its highly diverse student body and is designated as a Minority-Serving Institution, including as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution and a Hispanic Serving Institution.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Human Resources and Institutional Access, the Senior Director will serve as a key member of the Human Resources leadership team and the University’s lead expert on employee and labor relations. The Senior Director will guide a workforce of approximately 2,200 employees represented by eight collective bargaining units (https://hr.njit.edu/union-contracts) and will provide vision, judgment, and expertise across collective bargaining, contract interpretation, dispute resolution, workplace investigations, policy development, faculty and staff relations, and labor-management partnership.

This leader will join NJIT at a pivotal moment of opportunity and institutional transformation. With major collective bargaining activity on the horizon, significant HR systems modernization underway, and growing institutional momentum around HR stability and service excellence, the Senior Director will help strengthen labor relations strategy, build organizational capability, improve consistency, and position employee and labor relations as a proactive, trusted, and solutions-oriented partner across the University. The role requires a leader who can balance strategic perspective with hands‑on execution, build credibility with union leaders and campus stakeholders, invest in relationships before problems emerge, and help institutional leaders navigate complex workforce matters with clarity, diplomacy, resilience, and sound judgment.

The successful candidate will bring significant progressive experience leading employee and labor relations functions within complex organizations, preferably in higher education, the public sector, healthcare, or other highly unionized, mission-driven, or matrixed environments. In addition, the new executive will bring demonstrated first‑chair collective bargaining experience, including experience serving as lead spokesperson, developing bargaining strategy, building internal consensus, negotiating agreements, discerning when to compromise and when to hold firm, and managing contract administration. The new Senior Director will also bring extensive experience interpreting and applying collective bargaining agreements, labor laws, employment regulations, policies, and contractual obligations, along with the ability to translate complex labor and employee relations matters into practical guidance for managers, HR colleagues, employees, faculty stakeholders, and institutional leaders. Familiarity with faculty environments, shared governance, and the resolution of complex personnel matters in academic settings will be important. Success will require technical depth, strategic judgment, emotional intelligence, resilience, and the ability to serve as a steady and trusted advisor to senior leaders through complex and sensitive matters. A bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree, J.D., or other relevant graduate degree is preferred, and equivalent combinations of education and directly relevant experience may be considered.

NJIT reasonably expects to pay within the range of $200,000 – $225,000.

As an EEO employer, NJIT is committed to building a diverse and inclusive teaching, research, and working environment and strongly encourages applications from individuals with disabilities, minorities, veterans, and women.