Director of Human Resources in Rochester, New York at St Johns Health Care Corporation

Department: Human Resources
Reports To: Vice President of Human Resources & Employee Health

Start Date: 1/4/2027

The Director of Human Resources is a key member of the facility leadership team responsible for leading and coordinating Human Resources operations for St. John’s senior living communities and skilled nursing facility. The Director provides hands-on leadership across employee relations, payroll, benefits administration, talent acquisition, employee health, new employee orientation, performance management, and other employment-related matters.

This position has a significant focus on employee relations and workforce management. The Director serves as a trusted advisor to facility leadership and department managers, providing guidance on employee performance, corrective action, workplace concerns, investigations, attendance, policy interpretation, conflict resolution, accommodations, leaves of absence, and other complex employee matters.

The Director is expected to maintain a strong, visible presence throughout the facility and develop effective working relationships with leaders and employees at all levels of the organization. The successful candidate will combine sound HR judgment with a practical, responsive, and consistent approach to employee relations in a fast-paced healthcare environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Employee Relations & Leadership Support

• Serve as the primary Human Resources resource for employee relations matters within the organization.
• Provide timely and practical guidance to managers regarding employee performance, attendance, conduct, corrective action documentation, workplace conflicts, and policy interpretation.
• Conduct and oversee workplace investigations involving employee complaints, allegations of misconduct, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, inappropriate workplace behavior, and other employee concerns.
• Partner with leaders to ensure corrective actions and performance management decisions are appropriate, consistent, well-documented, and aligned with organizational policies and applicable employment laws.
• Coach managers on addressing performance and conduct concerns promptly rather than allowing issues to remain unresolved.
• Review corrective action and termination recommendations and guide appropriate next steps.
• Facilitate difficult employee and management conversations when Human Resources involvement is appropriate.
• Identify employee relations trends and recommend strategies to address recurring employee, leadership, attendance, retention, or workplace culture concerns.
• Promote consistent application of organizational policies and employment practices among departments and shifts.
• Maintain appropriate documentation regarding investigations, employee relations matters, performance concerns, and employment decisions.
• Provide guidance regarding reasonable accommodation requests, leaves of absence, return-to-work matters, and work restrictions in partnership with Employee Health and senior HR leadership.
• Work collaboratively with senior leadership on sensitive or high-risk employee relations matters.
• Support leaders through organizational changes, leadership transitions, restructuring, and other workforce initiatives.

Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Provide oversight of the organization’s Talent Acquisition team.
• Partner with department leaders to identify staffing priorities and support development of recruitment strategies for difficult-to-fill positions.
• Monitor vacancies, time-to-fill, turnover, hiring activity, and other workforce indicators.
• Ensure hiring practices are timely, consistent, and aligned with approved positions and compensation structures.
• Promote effective recruiting practices for clinical, nursing, support services, leadership, and other facility positions.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen recruitment and improve candidate experience.

Payroll Administration

• Provide leadership and oversight of payroll functions.
• Ensure Payroll Specialist is equipped to process payroll in a timely manner.
• Monitor payroll-related processes involving timekeeping, attendance, wage changes, deductions, differentials, and other employee compensation matters.
• Support managers in properly administering timekeeping and payroll practices.
• Participate in regulatory, compliance, and internal audits involving employment records and HR practices.
• Prepare and analyze workforce reports and HR metrics, including turnover, vacancy rates, employee relations activity, attendance trends, recruiting results, and other key indicators.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR processes, responsiveness, consistency, and operational effectiveness.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality regarding employee, medical, compensation, investigation, and organizational information.

Benefits & Leave Administration

• Oversee the Benefits Coordinator to ensure day-to-day administration and employee support related to benefit programs.
• Ensure employees receive appropriate information and assistance regarding benefit eligibility, enrollment, qualifying life events, and available programs.
• Provide oversight and coordination of leave administration, including applicable federal, state, and organizational leave programs.
• Partner with employees, managers, benefit vendors, and other internal resources to resolve complex benefit and leave issues.
• Ensure benefit and leave records are maintained accurately and confidentially

Employee Health & Occupational Health Coordination

• Provide operational leadership and oversight for Employee Health activities in collaboration with appropriate clinical and occupational health resources.
• Support processes involving pre-employment health requirements, work restrictions, return-to-work matters, occupational exposures, and employee health documentation.
• Work closely with Employee Health regarding accommodation and return-to-work situations requiring HR involvement.
• Help ensure appropriate coordination among Human Resources, Employee Health, department leadership, and employees while maintaining required confidentiality.

New Employee Orientation & Onboarding

• Oversee the new employee orientation and onboarding process.
• Ensure newly hired employees receive a professional, organized, and welcoming introduction to the organization.
• Partner with department leaders, Education, Employee Health, IT, Payroll, and other departments to ensure new hires complete required onboarding activities.
• Monitor new employee completion of required documentation, orientation activities, and other employment requirements.
• Evaluate onboarding effectiveness and recommend improvements that promote employee engagement and early retention.

HR Operations & Compliance

• Ensure HR practices are administered consistently and in accordance with organizational policies and applicable federal, state, and local employment requirements.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee and HR records.
• Assist with developing, implementing, interpreting, and communicating Human Resources policies and procedures.
• Experience overseeing or working closely with payroll, benefits, recruitment, leave administration, accommodations, and employee health functions preferred.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and support assigned Human Resources and Employee Health team members.
• Establish clear expectations and accountability for HR service delivery.
• Promote an HR culture characterized by responsiveness, professionalism, consistency, confidentiality, sound judgment, and excellent customer service.
• Ensure HR staff understand when issues should be escalated to the Director or Vice President of Human Resources.
• Develop team members through coaching, feedback, training, and appropriate delegation of responsibility.
• Establish effective working relationships with Nursing, Finance, Payroll, Administration, Employee Health, Education, and department leadership.

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field required.
• Master's degree preferred.
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR, or comparable professional certification preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 7 years of progressive Human Resources experience, including significant employee relations responsibility.
• Minimum of 3 years of HR leadership or management experience preferred.
• Strong experience conducting workplace investigations and managing complex employee relations and performance matters required.
• Experience supporting a large, diverse workforce strongly preferred.
• Healthcare, skilled nursing, long-term care, senior services, or other highly regulated employment environment experience strongly preferred.
• Maintain objectivity when investigating or resolving workplace concerns.
• Apply policies and employment practices consistently.
• Provide leaders with clear recommendations, including when those recommendations involve difficult employment decisions.
• Escalate significant legal, regulatory, employee relations, or organizational risks appropriately.
• Understand the operational realities of a 24/7 healthcare environment and provide HR support accordingly.
• Demonstrate commitment to the organization's mission, values, residents, employees, and culture

The successful candidate must demonstrate:

Exceptional employee relations skills and sound HR judgment.

• Ability to independently manage sensitive and complex employee relations situations.
• Strong workplace investigation skills.
• Ability to evaluate competing accounts, review documentation, identify relevant facts, and reach objective conclusions.
• Strong knowledge of performance management, corrective action, attendance management, and employee coaching practices.
• Working knowledge of federal and New York employment requirements affecting the workplace.
• Strong understanding of confidentiality requirements associated with employee and medical information.
• Ability to coach managers while holding leaders accountable for appropriate, consistent people-management practices.
• Ability to remain calm, objective, and professional during difficult or emotionally charged situations.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organization and follow-through.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to prioritize multiple urgent issues in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
• Ability to balance employee advocacy with the operational needs and responsibilities of the organization.
• High level of integrity, discretion, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Strong working knowledge of HRIS, payroll, applicant tracking, timekeeping, and Microsoft Office systems. Experience with Paylocity a plus.

Position Expectations

The Director of Human Resources is expected to:

• Maintain a visible and approachable presence within the facility.
• Respond to employee and management concerns promptly.
• Develop credibility and trusted relationships with both employees and leadership.
• Address issues early and directly.
• Maintain objectivity when investigating or resolving workplace concerns.
• Apply policies and employment practices consistently.
• Provide leaders with clear recommendations, including when those recommendations involve difficult employment decisions.
• Escalate significant legal, regulatory, employee relations, or organizational risks appropriately.
• Understand the operational realities of a 24/7 healthcare environment and provide HR support accordingly.
• Demonstrate commitment to the organization's mission, values, residents, employees, and culture.
• Partner with leaders to ensure corrective actions and performance management decisions are appropriate, consistent, well documented, and aligned with organizational policies and applicable employment laws.
• Coach managers on addressing performance and conduct concerns promptly rather than allowing issues to remain unresolved.
• Review corrective action and termination recommendations and guide appropriate next steps.
• Facilitate difficult employee and management conversations when Human Resources involvement is appropriate.
• Identify employee relations trends and recommend strategies to address recurring employee, leadership, attendance, retention, or workplace culture concerns.
• Promote consistent application of organizational policies and employment practices among departments and shifts.
• Maintain appropriate documentation regarding investigations, employee relations matters, performance concerns, and employment decisions.
• Provide guidance regarding reasonable accommodation requests, leaves of absence, return-to-work matters, and work restrictions in partnership with Employee Health and senior HR leadership.
• Work collaboratively with senior leadership on sensitive or high-risk employee relations matters.
• Support leaders through organizational changes, leadership transitions, restructuring, and other workforce initiatives.

Physical & Work Requirements

• Ability to regularly move throughout a large healthcare campus or facility and interact with employees in various departments and work areas.
• Ability to work on-site and maintain a visible presence with employees and leadership.
• Ability to occasionally adjust work hours to address employee relations matters or operational needs outside traditional business hours.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive employee and organizational information.