Full-Time

Senior Director of Human Resources and Employee Relations

Human Resources, Employee Relations

Posted on 9/27/2025

Cotulla Education

Cotulla Education

51-200 employees

Career-focused vocational education with hands-on training

Compensation Overview

$125k - $150k/yr

Virginia Beach, VA, USA

Hybrid

Must reside in Eastern Standard Time; commute to corporate office in Virginia Beach, VA once per month is required.

Category
People & HR (1)
Requirements
  • Strong background in employee relations
  • Conflict resolution skills
  • Workplace culture development expertise
  • Strategic HR leadership skills
Responsibilities
  • Serve as the company’s senior-level advisor on employee relations, overseeing escalated and sensitive workplace matters to ensure timely, fair, and compliant resolutions.
  • Develop, implement, and continuously improve employee relations strategies, policies, and tools that support consistency across all regions.
  • Partner with leaders to foster a workplace culture rooted in trust, accountability, and respect, proactively addressing trends and potential challenges.
  • Provide coaching and training to regional HR teams and managers on conflict resolution, investigations, progressive discipline, and performance improvement planning.
  • Monitor regional compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws, while driving proactive adjustments to policies and practices.
  • Lead, mentor, and develop Regional HR Managers, equipping them to effectively manage both day-to-day HR needs and complex employee relations cases.
  • Translate corporate HR initiatives into employee-focused regional strategies, ensuring consistent and meaningful implementation.
  • Champion a culture of collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement across the HR function.
  • Establish performance metrics for HR and ER effectiveness, using insights to strengthen engagement and reduce employee relations risks.
  • Ensure Regional HR Managers provide effective HR cross-functional support to the Talent Acquisition and Onboarding teams, coordinating regional HR processes as needed.
  • Oversee how Regional HR Managers support recruitment- and onboarding-related HR activities, ensuring compliance and consistent employee experience across campuses.
  • Guide regional HR Managers in implementing effective performance management processes, talent development initiatives, leadership pipeline, career growth frameworks, and succession planning within their regions.
  • Collaborate with benefits, payroll, and HRIS teams to ensure employee relations cases and outcomes are documented and reflected with accuracy and sensitivity.
  • Ensure compliance in employment transactions, while supporting processes that consider the employee impact of HR operations.
  • Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with regional leadership, corporate departments, and C-level executives.
  • Act as a key liaison between corporate and regional HR teams, ensuring seamless communication and alignment of employee-first practices.
  • Lead or contribute to special initiatives focused on workplace culture, employee engagement, and organizational effectiveness.
Desired Qualifications
  • SHRM CP/SCP or CPTD (preferred, but not required)

Cotulla Education runs a network of career-focused schools and training centers that prepare students for in-demand trades and technical careers. Its brands include the Aviation Institute of Maintenance, Centura College, Tidewater Tech, and the American Lineman College, spanning about 20 campus locations in the United States. Courses blend hands-on training with online study, backed by a Career Services team to help with job placement, and tuition and fees generate revenue. The company partners with employers to create employment pathways and maintains digital platforms for student support; its goal is to reduce labor shortages by equipping graduates with market-ready skills and helping them find work in fields like aviation, healthcare, IT, and electrical line-work.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Founded

2024

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • American Lineman College expands Cotulla into electrical line-worker training.
  • Aviation.co and Aviation.edu create a digital recruiting and community funnel.
  • Chief David L. Perry strengthens campus security across 21 campuses.

What critics are saying

  • Tuition dependence exposes Cotulla to enrollment declines and withdrawal spikes.
  • FAA certification or compliance issues can directly constrain AIM enrollment and throughput.
  • State or federal scrutiny of placement claims could damage aid eligibility and demand.

What makes Cotulla Education unique

  • Cotulla spans aviation, healthcare, business, and skilled trades across 20 campuses.
  • AIM is the largest FAA-certified aviation maintenance school system in the United States.
  • Its schools combine online learning with extensive hands-on training and employer pathways.

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Your Connections

People at Cotulla Education who can refer or advise you

Benefits

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Parental Leave

Paid Time Off

Employee Assistance Program

Tuition Reimbursement

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-8%

1 year growth

-8%

2 year growth

-8%
PR Newswire
Mar 3rd, 2026
Big Human and Cotulla Education launch dual aviation platforms to address workforce shortage

Big Human has partnered with Cotulla Education to launch two digital platforms addressing aviation workforce shortages. Aviation.edu focuses on career discovery and educational support, whilst Aviation.co serves as an industry-wide community platform for mentorship and knowledge-sharing. The initiative responds to projected shortfalls of tens of thousands of aviation maintenance professionals in the US over the next decade, driven by retirements outpacing new training programme entrants. The platforms aim to expand career awareness and provide sustained digital support throughout professionals' careers. Since launching, Aviation.co has generated over 750,000 social views, 20,000 organic impressions and 3,000 qualified waitlist sign-ups within six months. Big Human provided strategy, design, development and growth marketing for the partnership.

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