Director, Employee Relations - North America

Overview

The Director, Employee Relations - North America is a critical leadership role essential to our core team mission of providing excellence in HR practice. Serving as the strategic ER leader for both the North America Corporate and Retail divisions, this individual will champion the direction of the ER function across the region. This leader will work with a team of regional HR and ER professionals with an aim to cultivate an environment where employees feel respected, valued, and heard, while proactively mitigating organizational risk across a diverse, distributed workforce.  They must model and champion our core belief; People Make the Difference and our values; Be Creative & Innovative, Deliver Excellence and Cultivate an Entrepreneurial Spirit.”

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Leadership & Team Support

• Lead, mentor, and inspire a regional team of Employee Relations professionals supporting North America Retail and Corporate functions, fostering an environment of continuous improvement.
• Act as a thought partner to the broader North America HRBP and Employee Experience teams, ensuring ER strategies align with overarching business and talent objectives.
• Drive a proactive ER culture by leveraging external industry networking, market data, and best-in-class practices to elevate the Tiffany employee experience.

Employment Compliance, Risk Management, & Business Partnership

• Develop, communicate, and implement regional ER strategies alongside local HBRPs, ensuring alignment with Global Center of Excellence standards while tailoring approaches to North American retail and corporate nuances.
• Serve as the senior consultative partner to market leaders and HRBPs regarding policy interpretation, performance management, internal investigations, and legislative changes impacting the US and Canadian markets.
• Ensure all employment practices, handbooks, and policies across North America are up to date, legally compliant, and reflective of the luxury retail community's standards.
• Create, maintain, and manage regional reduction-in-workforce strategies, including oversight of severance protocols, risk assessment, and structural realignments.
• Develop and maintain key internal partnerships with North America Legal, Retail Ops, Asset Protection, and senior business leaders.

Complex Investigations & Escalation Management

• Oversee the regional investigation framework, ensuring consistent and equitable processes are applied across all retail stores and corporate offices.
• Directly conduct and manage complex, high-risk, or executive-level internal investigations into highly sensitive matters (e.g., discrimination, harassment, retaliation).
• Deliver comprehensive investigation reports, deliver strategic remediation recommendations, and influence senior stakeholders to achieve fair, consistent, and legally sound resolutions.

Data Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Leverage metrics, tools, and HRIS data to identify regional ER trends, organizational effectiveness insights, and proactive strategies that increase engagement and reduce risk.
• Conduct organizational audits and needs assessments across the retail network and corporate functions, recommending targeted remediation strategies based on internal and external data.

Training & Capability Building

• In partnership with the Global ER team, design and execute targeted training and communication strategies for North America managers and HR business partners.
• Upskill retail and corporate leadership on navigating critical workplace matters, including harassment, discrimination, and performance management, minimizing organizational risk while empowering front-line leaders.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in Employee Relations, Labor Relations, or Employment Law, with a significant portion of that experience supporting a blended corporate and distributed retail/field workforce.
• Experience successfully leading, developing, and inspiring a team of HR/ER professionals.
• Deep subject matter expertise in US and Canadian labor and employment laws.
• Demonstrated ability to set strategic goals, analyze data to drive decision-making, and navigate ambiguous, high-risk situations.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to persuade and influence decision-makers at the most senior levels of the organization.
• High proficiency in conflict resolution and the ability to exercise considerable judgment and discretion.