VP Labor Relations

Rural Metro Fire Department; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligible

Equity eligible

Job summary

Global Medical Response (GMR) is seeking a Vice President of Labor Relations to lead enterprise labor strategy, bargaining, and labor risk management across the national footprint with significant travel.

The role requires directing a large, multi-state CBA portfolio, advising executive leadership on labor trends, and aligning labor decisions with financial and operational priorities to sustain 24/7 emergency medical services.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree as listed in the requirements.
• 15+ years of progressive labor relations experience with leadership responsibilities.
• Extensive experience leading CBAs across multiple states and managing a large portfolio.
• Proven experience negotiating with large national or international labor organizations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a multi-year labor relations strategy aligned with targets and priorities.
• Advise senior leaders on labor trends, organizing activity, and regulatory developments.
• Lead enterprise bargaining portfolio, negotiations, and strategy.
• Own strike and contingency planning and labor risk management.

Skills

Executive communication

Financial acumen

Judgment

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Labor Relations, HR, Business Admin, Law

Job description

VP, Labor Relations

Location – US - Nationwide with significant travel

(Flexible, with significant travel)

$250,000 to $325,000 DOE

This role is 35% bonus eligible and Equity eligible

Global Medical Response (GMR) is seeking a Vice President, Labor Relations to lead enterprise labor strategy, collective bargaining, and labor risk management across complex, union-dense, multi-state air and ground operations.

This executive will serve as a senior advisor on labor and employee relations strategy, connecting labor decisions to business, financial, operational, and workforce priorities. The VP will lead a national labor relations function, strengthen productive labor relationships, anticipate workforce risk, and build the systems and leadership capability needed to support sustainable operations and position GMR as an employer of choice in emergency medical services.

What You’ll Lead

Enterprise Labor Strategy and Executive Advising

• Develop and execute a multi-year labor relations strategy aligned with financial targets, service commitments, workforce priorities, growth objectives, operating margins, and workforce sustainability.
• Advise senior and executive leaders on labor trends, workforce risks, organizing activity, legislative and regulatory developments, labor-cost pressures, and their implications for the business.
• Integrate labor strategy into enterprise planning, workforce economics, organizational effectiveness, retention, scheduling, compensation, productivity, market expansion, and operating-model decisions.
• Establish clear enterprise visibility into contract risk, economic exposure, grievances and arbitration, organizing vulnerability, and workforce trends.

Collective Bargaining, Labor Risk and Continuity

• Lead a high-volume, multi-state collective bargaining portfolio, including strategy, economic mandates, negotiation planning, and outcomes. Direct first- and second-chair negotiators and serve as chief spokesperson or senior advisor in significant negotiations.
• Build enterprise bargaining strategies and playbooks that protect GMR’s financial and operational objectives while supporting productive, respectful labor relationships.
• Lead enterprise grievance and arbitration strategy in partnership with Legal, identify root causes of recurring disputes, and strengthen consistent contract interpretation and administration.
• Anticipate emerging labor risks and lead lawful organizing readiness, vulnerability assessment, leadership education, employee communication, and response strategies.
• Own strike and contingency planning to support service continuity and patient care during potential labor disruption.
• Lead labor strategy for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, market expansion, and operational restructuring, including due diligence, liability assessment, integration, and bargaining transition planning.

Executive and Organizational Leadership

• Build trusted relationships across Operations, HR, Legal, executive leadership, labor organizations, industry associations, government agencies, and other external stakeholders.
• Build and develop a high-performing national labor relations function with clear enterprise standards, governance, operating practices, analytics, and accountability.
• Partner with HR and operational leaders to strengthen positive employee relations, leadership capability, retention, workplace culture, and the employee experience.
• Present labor strategy, bargaining developments, workforce trends, risk assessments, and continuity plans to executive and Board governance forums.

What You Bring

Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Labor Relations, Human Resources, Business Administration, Law, or a related field.
• 15+ years of progressive labor relations experience, including significant leadership responsibility and 10+ years leading negotiations.
• Extensive experience leading complex, economically significant collective bargaining across multiple states and managing a large, concurrent CBA portfolio.
• Demonstrated success negotiating with large national or international labor organizations.
• Proven experience with positive employee relations, lawful organizing campaign responses, contract administration, grievances, and arbitration.
• Strong command of labor law and labor relations practice, including the National Labor Relations Act and, where applicable, the Railway Labor Act.
• Experience supporting highly regulated, operationally complex organizations with 24/7 operations.
• Executive-level communication, financial acumen, judgment, and the ability to translate complex labor issues into clear business risks, economic impacts, and recommendations.
• Ability to manage multiple high-stakes priorities and travel extensively across a national footprint.

Preferred Experience

• Advanced degree such as a JD, MBA, or master’s degree in Labor Relations or Human Resources.
• Experience in healthcare, EMS, aviation, transportation, logistics, utilities, or another complex 24/7 operating environment.
• SPHR, SHRM-SCP, or equivalent certification.
• Experience supporting labor due diligence and integration related to mergers and acquisitions.

What Success Looks Like

In the first year, the Vice President will:

• Drive bargaining outcomes aligned with approved economic, operational, and workforce strategies.
• Establish a consistent enterprise view of the CBA portfolio, economic exposure, labor disputes, organizing vulnerability, and workforce trends.
• Strengthen positive employee relations and prioritize leader capability in higher-risk markets.
• Implement consistent contract administration, labor governance, bargaining practices, and business-continuity standards across the enterprise.
• Establish credibility with HR, Legal, Operations, and executive leaders as a trusted advisor who brings labor considerations forward early in business decisions.

Reports to the Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Labor Relations and serves as a key member of the Human Resources leadership team and enterprise senior leadership structure.

Why Choose GMR?

Global Medical Response (GMR) and its family of solutions are dedicated to delivering compassionate, quality medical care, primarily in the areas of emergency and patient relocation services. Hereyou’llembark on meaningful work that will make an impact on you and the customers we serve.View the stories on how our employees provide care to the world at www.AtaMomentsNotice.com.

GMR’s Core Behaviors —keep care at the center, raise your hand,seekto understand, find a way together and be accountable—uniteour teamsand set us apart in emergency medical services.

EEO Statement

Global Medical Response and its family of companies are an Equal Opportunity Employer, which includes supporting veterans and providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with a disability.

Check out our careers site benefits page to learn more about our benefit options.