Workforce Relations Specialist

UC Irvine; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 79,000 - 111,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Retirement savings

Discounts

Job summary

UC Irvine seeks a Workforce Relations Specialist to provide labor and employee relations services across the enterprise. The role manages union petitions, supports investigations, and ensures compliance with policies and laws.

You will collaborate with HR teams, handle RFIs and public records requests, prepare notices, and assist with strike planning, contributing to fair and efficient workplace practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years in employee or labor relations in a complex organization.
• Experience applying employee relations concepts.
• Experience with conflict resolution and policy interpretation.

Responsibilities

• Support labor and employee relations services across the UC Irvine enterprise.
• Manage union representation petitions, accretions, and unit petitions.
• Assist with RFIs from unions and public records requests with deadlines.
• Support investigations and document case data in ServiceNow.
• Assist with strike planning and on-site support as needed.

Skills

Organizational skills

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving

HR policy knowledge

Union/labor contracts knowledge

State and federal laws knowledge

Employee relations experience

Conflict resolution

Microsoft Excel data analysis

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

ServiceNow

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Who We Are

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. To learn more about UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu. UCI Human Resources (HR) serves the UCI enterprise in three distinct business units: Health (Academic Hospitals and Community Network), College of Health Sciences, and Main Campus. UCI HR's vision is to empower people to drive a culture of innovation, learning, and service that requires us to enable the success of individuals within the UCI community and those who aspire to join. The HR enterprise consists of the Partnership for Strategy and Innovation (Partnership), People Services, Health HR, Campus HR, and the Office of the Senior Vice President and Vice Chancellor, Human Resources. The Partnership serves as a strategic center responsible for planning and implementing strategic initiatives across the entire UCI HR enterprise. People Services is a trusted partner in providing administrative support functions that allow the UCI community to focus on their core functions to accomplish the UCI mission of teaching, research, public service, and patient care. Members of the Partnership and People Services work in close collaboration with all three business units to leverage expertise across the enterprise. https://hr.uci.edu/partnership/workforce-relations/

Your Role on the Team

Reporting to the Senior Director, Workforce Relations, the Workforce Relations Specialist provides essential support to the broader Workforce Relations team in delivering consistent, high-quality labor and employee relations services across the UCI enterprise. This role contributes to the fair and consistent application of HR policies and procedures and supports operational efficiency within the Workforce Relations unit. Manages the union representation petition process, including accretions and new unit petitions. Responsibilities may include intake, tracking, communications, identifying statutory exclusions, and delivering related training to internal stakeholders. Partners with HR teams and enterprise stakeholders to ensure the petition process is administered accurately, consistently, timely, and in accordance with applicable legal and procedural requirements. Serves as a primary coordinator for requests for information (RFI) from unions and public records requests, key stakeholders to gather, compile, and respond to requests in compliance with applicable timelines and legal requirements, which may include Workforce Relations team members. May conduct workplace investigations, including intake, fact-finding, and documentation, in accordance with applicable policies and procedures. Supports the Workforce Relations investigations team by assisting with accurate and up-to-date case data entries within the ServiceNow platform. Conducts due process (Skelly) hearings as assigned. Supports Workforce Relations Consultants with collective bargaining activities, including preparation, research, data gathering, and coordination efforts as needed. May assist with drafting union notices in compliance with applicable collective bargaining agreements and legal requirements. May participate in strike planning and provide onsite support activities. This role cultivates strong, collaborative relationships with HR colleagues and organizational clients and serves as a reliable resource for assigned functional areas. Applies employee relations expertise to address and resolve questions, concerns, and workplace matters for a diverse group of employees in creative and effective ways. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required

What It Takes to be Successful

• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills to conduct analysis and develop recommendations.
• Thorough knowledge of other areas of HR.
• Thorough knowledge of organizational policies and procedures; knowledge of functional area and understands how work impacts other areas.
• Thorough knowledge of union / labor contracts.
• Thorough knowledge of applicable state and federal laws and regulations.
• Thorough knowledge of employee relations practices and programs.
• Effective written and oral communication skills. Demonstrated experience with conflict resolution.
• Demonstrated ability to handle very difficult or volatile situations / individuals effectively.
• Experience providing employee relations related support to assigned client groups.
• Demonstrated experience with conflict resolution.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, and reporting to support business decisions.
• Demonstrated experience with applying employee relations specific concepts.
• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training
• 3+ years relevant experience performing related employee and/or labor relations functions in a complex organization.

Preferred

• Experience working in a higher education or healthcare institution.
• Experience in project management and/or applying lean process improvement methodologies.
• Current PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP Certification
• Association of Workplace Investigators Certification

Total Rewards

In addition to the salary range listed below, we offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

The expected pay range for this recruitment is $79,200 - $111,300 (Annual).

Conditions Of Employment

• Background Check and Live Scan
• Employment Misconduct*
• Legal Right to work in the United States
• Vaccination Policies
• Smoking and Tobacco Policy
• Drug Free Environment
• Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

The following additional conditions may apply, some of which are dependent upon business unit or job specific requirements.

• California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
• E-Verify
• Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page - https://hr.uci.edu/new-hire/conditions-of-employment.php

Closing Statement

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy. We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce along with honoring unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming. UCI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities upon request. For more information, please contact Human Resources at [phone] or [e-mail].

Consideration for Work Authorization Sponsorship

Must be able to provide proof of work authorization.