Employee Relations & Ethics Manager

Cox Automotive is currently looking for an Employee Relations & Ethics Manager to join our team. Atlanta, Georgia is the preferred location for this role, which follows a hybrid work arrangement. Candidates must reside within the Eastern or Central time zones of the United States. Candidates located outside of Atlanta but within the Eastern or Central time zones will be considered for remote employment.
The Role:
The Employee Relations & Ethics Manager is responsible for providing guidance, support, and recommendations on various levels of employee relations issues with a primary focus on investigating ethics and compliance matters, investigating escalated employee relations matters, auditing investigation output and work product, and tracking and identifying labor and employee relations trends to support proactive strategy and training efforts.
The Employee Relations & Ethics Manager must build strong partnerships and work closely with all levels of management, HR Business Partners, Legal and other internal teams with a goal of driving a consistent, equitable, and positive experience for our employees in line with our company values. The Manager will manage multiple issues, at times for competing stakeholders, in a fast and ever-changing environment.
Responsibilities:

• Serve as a trusted ethics & compliance and employee relations subject matter expert, providing guidance on employee concerns and conduct investigations, advising/guiding people leaders, demonstrating effective listening, probing, and investigatory skills with the ability to clearly and objectively synthesize information in a timely manner.
• Perform and document investigations and all other matters according to Employee Relations team process documents and guidelines.
• Partner with the Employee Relations team, People Leaders, HR Business Partners, Legal, and other departments as needed on recommendations to resolve inquiries, concerns, and investigations in line with our company values.
• Act as a champion for compliance, helping to interpret company policies and processes, ensure consistent application, alignment with company priorities, and educate employees and other stakeholders as needed.
• Own assigned employee relations and ethics and compliance cases in our case management system and/or Ethics Hotline, documenting investigation findings according to best practices.
• Monitor employee sentiment and concerns (through employee engagement surveys and other tools) and identify trends and risks for presentation on a combined Labor & Employee Relations heatmap, dashboard, or other reporting solutions.
• Proactively identify and address areas of opportunity and improve employee engagement, as well as aid in the maintenance of a compliant workplace.
• Partner with HR business partners to champion and promote a positive and open employee relations climate, where employees are comfortable seeking guidance and receiving prompt resolution of issues.
• Assist with information gathering for legal complaints and charges.
• Conduct case audits and support the review and optimization of Sr. ERBP case investigation materials and work product.
• Contribute to the development of investigations processes and protocols designed to drive efficiency and consistency across the function.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business management, or related field, and 6 years of relevant experience in employee relations/ human resources. The right candidate could also have a different combination, such as a master's degree and 4 years of experience; a Ph.D. and 1 year of experience; or 10 years of experience in a related field.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Direct experience handling all aspects of employee relations matters, including intake, review, and resolution.

• Advanced knowledge of workplace investigations, labor relations, ethics and compliance requirements, and state and federal employment laws.

• Ability to think, understand, and communicate at all employee levels (exempt, non-exempt, corporate, field) when resolving issues.

• Exceptional coaching, facilitation, and conflict resolution skills.

• Strong influencing skills with the ability to advise HR Business Partners and all levels of management on recommendations for resolving employee concerns and issues.

• Experience working with or advising executive leadership.

• Ability to work independently and with a sense of urgency and prioritization.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Capable of applying sound judgement and discretion when handling sensitive information.

• Ability to collect, understand, interpret, and share data.

• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time, as needed, for investigations.

• For candidates located outside of Atlanta, ability to work successfully in a fully remote environment, with periodic travel as required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PHR/SPHR or SHRM-CP/SCP.
• Experience with Service Now or other web-based case management systems.
• Experience with AI tools such as Claude or Microsoft Copilot.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish).

USD 92,300.00 - 153,900.00 per year
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $92,300.00 - $153,900.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
EOE, including disability/vets