Senior Employee Relations Business Partner

Cox Automotive; Charleston (SC); Remote; USD 81,000 - 122,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first with periodic travel

Job summary

Cox Automotive is seeking a Senior Employee Relations Business Partner to advise leaders and drive equitable employee experiences across the organization. As a trusted ER expert, you will conduct investigations, guide policy interpretations, and collaborate with HR, Legal, and People Leaders to resolve issues while upholding company values and compliance.

Responsibilities include owning ER cases, analyzing trends to improve engagement, and supporting managers with performance and disciplinary

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, business, or related discipline with 4 years' experience.
• Proficient in MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Extensive experience handling employee relations investigations and cases.
• Knowledge of workplace investigations, laws, and compliance.
• Strong influencing, communication, and stakeholder management.
• Travel up to 25% and ability to work remotely with periodic travel.

Responsibilities

• Serve as employee relations expert and guide leaders on concerns; conduct investigations.
• Perform and document investigations per ER guidelines.
• Partner with HR, People Leaders, Legal, and others on recommendations.
• Interpret policies, educate stakeholders, ensure consistent application.
• Own ER cases in case management system and document findings.
• Analyze ER trends to improve engagement.
• Promote a positive ER climate with HR Partners.
• Assist with information gathering for legal complaints.

Skills

Influence & communication

Investigations & case handling

Stakeholder management

Independent work

Data interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

ServiceNow

AI tools (Copilot/Claude)

Job description

Cox Automotive is currently looking for a Senior Employee Relations Business Partner to join our team. Candidates must reside within the Eastern or Central Time Zones of the United States.

The Role:

The Senior Employee Relations Business Partner is responsible for providing guidance, support, and recommendations on various levels of employee relations issues. The incumbent builds strong partnerships and works closely with all levels of management, HR Business Partners, Legal, and other internal teams with the goal of delivering consistent, equitable, and positive employee experience aligned with our company values. The Senior Employee Relations Business Partner manages multiple issues, at times for competing stakeholders, in a fast and ever-changing environment.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as employee relations expert, providing guidance on employee concerns and conducting investigations, advising/guiding leaders, demonstrating effective listening, probing, and investigative skills; with the ability to clearly and objectively synthetize information in a timely manner.
• Perform and document investigations and all other matters according to Employee Relations team process documents and guidelines.
• Partner directly with the Employee Relations team, People Leaders, HR Business Partners, Legal, and other departments as needed on recommendations to resolve inquiries, concerns, and investigations in line with our company values.
• Act as a champion for compliance, helping to interpret company policies and processes, ensure consistent application, alignment with company priorities, and educate employees and other stakeholders, as needed.
• Own assigned employee relations cases in our case management system and/or Ethics Hotline, documenting investigation findings according to best practices.
• Analyze and track employee relations trends to proactively identify and address areas of opportunity and improve employee engagement.
• Partner with HR Business Partners to champion and promote a positive and open employee relations climate, where employees are comfortable seeking guidance and receiving a prompt resolution of issues.
• Assist with information gathering for legal complaints and charges.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Management or a related discipline and 4 years' experience in a related field. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 2 years' experience; a Ph.D. and up to 1 year of experience; or 8 years' experience in a related field.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Direct experience handling all aspects of employee relations issues, including intake, review, and resolution.
• Advanced knowledge of workplace investigations, union avoidance, and state and federal employment laws.
• Demonstrated ability to influence, communicate, and build credibility with employees and leaders at all levels of the organization.
• Exceptional coaching, facilitation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Strong influencing skills with the ability to advise HR Business Partners and all levels of management around recommendations to resolve employee concerns and issues.
• Able to work independently and with a sense of urgency and prioritization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism when handling highly sensitive and confidential matters.
• Ability to analyze, interpret, and communicate data and trends to inform recommendations and business decisions.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time, as needed, for investigations.
• Ability to work successfully 100% remotely other than periodically required travel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP.
• Experience with Service Now or other web-based case management systems.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish).
• Experience leveraging AI tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Claude, or similar technologies) to improve efficiency, support investigations, analyze trends, and enhance employee relations processes.

USD 81,400.00 - 122,000.00 per year

Compensation:

Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $81,400.00 - $122,000.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.

Benefits:

The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.

Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.

EOE, including disability/vets