Employee Relations Director in Lexington, Kentucky at University of Kentucky

MA

6 yrs

None

Travel to and attend meetings at multiple locations across the University Enterprise, both on and off campus; work effectively with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and at all organizational levels; master complex systems, laws, regulations, and institutional policies; and exercise sustained professional judgment and confidentiality in complex, high-stakes situations.

Primarily days, with core hours of 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday–Friday. As an exempt position, additional hours — including evenings and weekends — may be required to satisfy work demands and time-sensitive obligations.

The University of Kentucky is seeking an Employee Relations Director to provide strategic leadership for employee relations across the UK enterprise. This role oversees workplace investigations, policy interpretation, employmentrelated risk management, and leave administration programs while leading a team of ER professionals who support both campus and UK HealthCare.

The Director serves as the institution’s senior authority on employee relations governance, ensuring consistent, defensible outcomes and strong alignment with institutional priorities. The position partners closely with Human Resources, Legal Counsel, Equal Opportunity, Compliance, Risk Management, Faculty Advancement, and operational leaders to support a positive, fair, and compliant workplace environment.

What You’ll Do
• Lead enterprisewide employee relations governance, including policy interpretation and precedent management
• Oversee HRled workplace investigations, including highrisk, executive, and faculty matters
• Provide riskbased consultation to leaders and guide decisions in sensitive, complex situations
• Develop and lead a team of Employee Relations Consultants and Specialists
• Establish ER standard work, documentation expectations, and escalation thresholds
• Partner with institutional offices to ensure coordinated handling of employment matters
• Provide strategic oversight for FMLA, Workers’ Compensation, and LongTerm Disability programs
• Identify trends and risks and recommend proactive, preventive solutions

What You’ll Bring
• Significant leadership experience in employee relations, workplace investigations, labor relations, or employment law
• Strong judgment and analytical skills with the ability to navigate complex, highstakes matters
• Experience leading professional teams and managing service standards
• Excellent communication and relationshipbuilding skills
• Ability to interpret policy, apply precedent, and manage institutional risk
• Commitment to professionalism, confidentiality, and a wellmanaged workplace

What’s In It for You
• Enterpriselevel impact across a large academic and healthcare institution
• Leadership authority to shape ER governance, policy, and investigative standards
• Opportunity to build and develop a highperforming ER team
• Collaborative partnerships with senior leaders and key institutional offices
• Competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for professional growth

Why Now?

UK is modernizing its employee relations operating model to strengthen consistency, governance, and institutional risk management. This role offers the opportunity to lead that transformation and establish a mature, scalable ER function that supports the university’s futurestate needs.

Internal Employee Being Considered

The successful candidate will bring significant experience in employee relations leadership, workplace investigations, employment law, policy interpretation, leave administration, and organizational risk management. Demonstrated success is required in leading complex investigations, exercising sound judgment in sensitive situations, and building trusted partnerships across a large, complex organization.

The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret workforce trends, make evidence-based recommendations, and influence senior leaders. Experience leading and developing professional teams, managing service standards and case outcomes, and collaborating effectively across the enterprise is essential. A high degree of professionalism, confidentiality, and commitment to fostering a respectful workplace is required.

Degree in human resources, business, management, law, or a related field, and significant leadership-level experience in employee relations, labor relations, or workplace investigations. Experience in a large, complex, multi-entity, academic, and/or healthcare environment is strongly preferred, as is experience leading function-level modernization, governance development, or operating-model change.

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status or whether the person is a smoker or nonsmoker, as long as the person complies with University regulation concerning smoking.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.