Senior Director, Employee and Labor Relations

HealthPartners is currently hiring for a Senior Director, Employee and Labor Relations. This high-impact role is a key member of the HealthPartners human resources executive leadership team and reports directly to a Chief People Officer. In support of the Organization, the Senior Director is responsible for developing and operationalizing the systemwide strategy for employee and labor relations and leads a team of five (5) HR professionals that supports employee and labor relations for the HealthPartners/Group Health Plan Inc. (GHI) employer. In partnership with HealthPartners' Law Department and organization-wide HR, business, and clinical leaders, the Director provides equitable and consistent Employee Relations/Labor Relations (ER/LR) services that minimize risk and align with business needs across both union and non-union workforces. Success in this role requires a strategic mindset, strong relationship-building skills, and the ability to influence across all levels of the organization, including union representatives and senior leadership.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Labor Relations, or related field.
• Thirteen (13) years of progressive HR experience with a focus on labor relations and employee relations in a complex, multi-union, or multi-entity environment.
• Seven (7) years of proven experience leading teams and driving strategic initiatives.
• Experience leading union negotiations and managing labor risk in large organizations.
• Deep knowledge of labor law, collective bargaining processes, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
• Proven leadership skills with the ability to build, inspire, and motivate teams toward a common vision and goal, navigating ambiguity, adapting to change, and thriving in a dynamic work environment.
• Ability to drive strategic projects for the Organization, with executive presence and impact that spans across the Organization and business divisions.
• Expertise in leading Organization-wide HR COEs
• Skilled at building collaborative working relationships with all levels of colleagues and leaders.
• Effective critical thinking skills and analytical mindset with ability to understand complex business challenges and develop data-informed solutions.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and influencing skills.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to translate data and concepts into actionable insights and present to senior level executives.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Labor Relations, or related field or Juris Doctorate degree
• Previous experience within the health care Industry.
• Mastery in ability to build cross-functional alignment, lead through change, and drive Organization results.

Hours/Location:

• Monday - Friday; core business hours
• This position is based at our Bloomington Corporate Office, offering a collaborative and professional environment. While primarily office-based, the Senior Director will occasionally travel to various HealthPartners sites to support enterprise-wide initiatives and foster strong relationships across teams.

Responsibilities:

• (40%) Lead the labor and employee relations strategy and implementation for GHI.
  • Oversee a team responsible for the day-to-day administration and implementation of the labor relations and employee relations programs.
  • Develop the GHI labor relations and employee relations strategy.
  • Bargain the GHI/SEIU and GHI/Local 12 Collective Bargaining Agreements
  • Responsible for GHI strike planning strategies and implementation.
  • Responsible for effective case management of people-related issues such disciplinary actions, legal issues (harassment, discrimination, leave, accommodations, etc.), performance management (including corrective action), policy interpretation, proactive workplace initiatives and strategies, conflict resolution, and positive workplace climate.
• (30%) - Strategic leadership (Labor Relations):
  • Develop and steward the Organization's overarching labor relations strategy and guiding philosophy through the creation of an HR labor center of excellence.
  • Define and standardize "how we do labor" practices across entities, ensuring alignment with Organizational values and operational needs.
  • Lead labor impact assessments for Organizational changes, including expansion, consolidation, and operational redesign.
  • Align local and system-level labor strategies to ensure coherence and reduce fragmentation.
  • Guide labor risk mitigation strategies across both union and non-union environments.
  • Advise on complex labor performance cases, grievance escalations, negotiations and contractual disputes with high Organizational risk.
• (20%) - Strategic leadership (Employee Relations)
  • Is a strategic leader and guide for employee relations leaders and teams throughout the Organization, helping set systemwide ER philosophy, policies, and practice standards.
  • Proactively reduce employee relations related risk through risk assessments and actionable feedback to ER/LR teams.
  • Work with applicable HR as they counsel VP, directors, and managers consistent with Organization policies/practices, legal considerations, and Organization priorities- advocating for both company and colleague concerns.
• (5%) - Bargaining Infrastructure
  • Create and manage Organization-wide collective bargaining frameworks, including negotiation strategy and posture.
  • Build and maintain scalable tools such as costing models, negotiation prep kits, and standardized contract language libraries.
  • Develop and maintain a comprehensive system bargaining calendar and negotiation activity map to coordinate Organization priorities.
• (5%) - Capability Building & Communications
  • Partner with the Learning and Leadership Development COE to design and deliver strategic labor relations training for HR, Employee Relations (ER), the Law Department, and operational leaders.
  • Lead the development of Organization communication strategies and toolkits for internal and external audiences during labor events.
  • Develop and maintain Organization labor playbooks and response protocols (e.g., strike readiness, informational picketing, work stoppages).
    Elevate labor and ER capabilities across the Organization by embedding best practices.

*Job description rankings/percentages are intended to reflect normal averages over an extended period of time and are subject to daily variances. Quality and efficiency standards should at no time be compromised to meet the average expectations expressed above. Job descriptions are subject to change to accommodate organization or department needs.