Employee Relations Manager

Job Description:

At Bank of America, we are guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better through the power of every connection. We do this by driving Responsible Growth and delivering for our clients, teammates, communities and shareholders every day.

Being a Great Place to Work and providing a culture of caring is core to how we drive Responsible Growth. We are intentional about fostering an inclusive workplace where every teammate has the opportunity to succeed, build a career and contribute to our shared success. This includes attracting and developing exceptional talent, recognizing and rewarding performance, and supporting our teammates’ physical, emotional, and financial wellness through affordable, competitive and flexible benefits.

We value the unique perspectives individuals bring from all backgrounds and career paths - whether shaped by military service, community college education, or a wide range of work and life experiences. These journeys foster resilience, leadership and innovation, strengthening our workforce and positively impact the communities we serve.

Bank of America is committed to an in-office culture that supports collaboration, engagement, and career development. Our approach includes clear in-office expectations, while providing an appropriate level of flexibility based on role-specific responsibilities and business needs.

At Bank of America, you can build a successful career with opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact. Join us!

Job Description:
This job is responsible for the implementation of employee relations strategies for major business segments of the organization. Key responsibilities include managing and driving resolution to complex employee relations matters in partnership with Human Resources leaders and key stakeholders. Job expectations include facilitating Employee Relations or personnel related projects and supporting conduct goverance routines to mitigate employment risk.

The Employee Relations Manager (ERM) leads a team of Core Employee Relations Consultants responsible for managing a high-volume portfolio of employee relations matters. The ERM sets clear priorities, monitors workload, timeliness and quality, and coaches the team to conduct thorough, objective reviews; identify root causes and potential risk; and document relevant facts, analysis and the rationale for recommendations in the case management system. The ERM uses operational, quality and employee data to identify trends, allocate resources, strengthen team capability and improve the client experience. The ERM partners closely with Human Resources, Employee Relations Investigations (ERI), Legal, Corporate Security, Threat Management, Life Event Services, Quality and Operations to resolve complex or high-risk cases and address systemic opportunities. The ERM upholds the Bank’s risk management framework by ensuring that issues are identified, escalated and debated, and that appropriate controls and actions are implemented.

The Employee Relations Manager is required to:

• Create a culture of trust, accountability, continuous feedback, recognition and continuous improvement that promotes engagement and productivity
• Establish clear performance expectations and conduct routine case reviews and one-on-one coaching; provide timely, direct and actionable feedback and follow through on agreed development actions
• Use case management, quality, workload and employee data to identify trends, recognize strong performance, diagnose root causes and communicate emerging risks and operational needs to the Employee Relations Executive
• Provide sound guidance on moderate- to high-risk cases while building consultant capability to independently assess facts, identify risk and recommend appropriate next steps
• Build trusted partnerships and effectively influence managers, employees, HR partners, Legal, ERI, Quality, Operations and other stakeholders
• Identify and implement controls, education and process improvements that reduce employee relations risk, improve quality and enhance the client experience
• Partner with ERM peers and ER Operations on talent acquisition, onboarding, staffing, workload allocation, service-level performance and workforce planning
• Apply sound, objective judgment to weigh evidence, resolve complex problems and make fact-based recommendations on the highest-risk ER matters

Responsibilities:

• Leverages discretion to mitigate risk, weighing the importance and validity of information to solve problems and make formal recommendations
• Conducts intake of initial concerns, researches, and thoroughly documents information gathered for assigned cases
• Solicits comprehensive information by building trust and rapport, and expressing empathy with employees and managers
• Researches facts related to individual cases, identifying root causes, documenting opportunities process improvements
• Leverages subject matter expertise and business acumen to propose Employee Relations solutions; communicating effectively to influence key stakeholders
• Manages multiple matters simultaneously while prioritizing the most urgent needs, and escalates as appropriate within team leadership structure
• Facilitates projects and initiatives such as conduct governance, consequence model design, and performance management guidelines that apply to assigned businesses and/or the enterprise

Managerial Responsibilities:
This position may also have responsibilities for managing associates. At Bank of America, all managers at this level demonstrate the following responsibilities, in addition to those specific to the role, listed above.

• Opportunity & Inclusion Champion: Models an inclusive environment for employees and clients, aligned to company Great Place to Work goals.
• Manager of Process & Data: Demonstrates deep process knowledge, operational excellence and innovation through a focus on simplicity, data based decision making and continuous improvement.
• Enterprise Advocate & Communicator: Communicates enterprise decisions, purpose, and results, and connects to team strategy, priorities and contributions.
• Risk Manager: Ensures proper risk discipline, controls and culture are in place to identify, escalate and debate issues.
• People Manager & Coach: Provides inspection, coaching and feedback to motivate, differentiate and improve performance.
• Financial Steward: Actively manages expenses and budgets in alignment with objectives, making sound financial decisions.
• Enterprise Talent Leader: Assesses talent and builds bench strength for roles across the organization.
• Driver of Business Outcomes: Delivers results by effectively prioritizing, inspecting and appropriately delegating team work.

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of Human Resources and/or Employee Relations experience; equivalent related experience, such as Legal, will be considered
• Demonstrated people leadership experience managing multiple direct reports in a high-volume, complex operating environment
• Strong executive presence and relationship management skills, including the ability to influence stakeholders, peers and partners at all levels
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex topics in clear, concise and understandable terms
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize multiple data points and evidence into coherent, fact-based conclusions and recommendations
• Strong ER judgment and risk management capability, including the ability to identify, escalate and debate issues and balance risk with business and employee outcomes
• High level of integrity, objectivity and discretion when handling sensitive matters and making consequential decisions
• Demonstrated ability to use case management, operational and quality data, including Excel and PowerPoint, to identify trends, manage performance and communicate insights
• Demonstrated ability to use Copilot to enhance and innovate work products and drive efficiency
• Demonstrated success attracting, hiring, onboarding, coaching, developing and retaining talent
• Demonstrated ability to establish effective management routines, prioritize and delegate work, improve processes and strengthen the client and employee experience

Skills:

• Active Listening
• Coaching
• Critical Thinking
• Executive Presence
• Risk Management
• Hiring and Onboarding
• Performance Management
• Prioritization
• Relationship Building
• Retention
• Conflict Management
• Influence
• Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines
• Project Management
• Record Keeping

Shift:

1st shift (United States of America)

Hours Per Week: 

40