Employee Relations Director

Employee Relations Director

You have a clear vision of where your career can go. And we have the leadership to help you get there. At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something important, ensuring the abilities of all employees are used to their fullest potential.

The Employee Relations Director is a high-impact enterprise leader responsible for shaping how Employee Relations drives trust, fairness, and risk mitigation across the organization. This role leads and coaches a high-performing team while setting the standard for thoughtful, data-informed investigations and consistent case management practices. As a strategic advisor to HR and business leaders, this individual brings strong judgment and a forward-looking lens to varied ER matters. Combining hands-on expertise with a continuous improvement mindset, the Employee Relations Director elevates ER practices, enables better decision-making, and delivers clear, people-centered solutions that strengthen culture and support business performance. The successful candidate brings proven ER leadership, strong investigative and analytical acumen, and a track record of influencing stakeholders to deliver consistent, risk-informed outcomes.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Performs a combination of leadership and individual-contributor responsibilities in accordance with departmental guidelines:

• Provides day-to-day leadership for a team of Employee Relations professionals, including hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance management, development planning, and employee engagement.
• Establishes team priorities and manages intake, triage, and assignment of Employee Relations matters; provides escalation support, ensures appropriate resourcing, and drives timely and effective case progression.
• Personally leads complex and sensitive investigations from intake through resolution, including investigation planning, evidence gathering, interviews, documentation, findings, recommendations, alignment on outcomes, and communication of results.
• Provides oversight and quality review of team-managed investigations and casework, coaching on investigative techniques, report writing, policy application, and recommendation development to ensure consistency and defensibility.
• Ensures accurate, timely documentation and reporting of all cases within the case management system; establishes expectations, monitors data quality, and uses case trends and metrics to inform priorities and continuous improvement.
• Serves as a subject matter expert, providing consultation to leaders, HR Business Partners, and HR COEs on employee relations strategy, conflict resolution, performance management, and risk mitigation; aligns approach across their team and supports complex escalations.
• Conducts or oversees additional investigatory and employee relations matters as assigned; ensuring all investigative work is completed professionally, impartially, and in alignment with corporate guidelines and industry standards.
• Leads special projects and initiatives to enhance Employee Relations practices and capabilities (e.g., process design, playbooks, training, and continuous improvement), partnering across HR COEs and the business.

May perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Proven people leadership capability, including coaching, delegation, feedback, and talent development, with a demonstrated ability to build and sustain a high-performing, inclusive team culture.
• Strong operational leadership skills, including the ability to establish and maintain an effective operating cadence (intake/triage, case reviews, workload management) and drive consistent, high-quality ER practices across a team.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build trust and effectively engage with leadership, HR partners, and employees at all levels of the organization.
• Advanced investigative and analytical expertise, including the ability to synthesize complex evidence, assess credibility, identify patterns and themes, and translate findings into clear, practical, and actionable recommendations.
• Sound judgment and decision-making ability, including the capacity to navigate ambiguity, manage high sensitivity matters, and balance business, legal and employee considerations.
• Deep knowledge of federal and state employment laws, HR policies, and employee relations best practices, with the ability to translate requirements into practical guidance for leaders and the ER team.
• Strong time management and organizational skills with the ability to balance team leadership responsibilities and an individual caseload while managing multiple matters with appropriate urgency and follow-through.
• Data-driven mindset, with the ability to leverage case data to identify trends, communicate insights, and drive preventive actions (e.g., training, leader guidance, policy clarification, and process improvements).
• High level of integrity, professionalism and discretion, with the ability to maintain confidentiality, build credibility, and trusted partnerships with customers, peers, direct reports, and company leadership.
• Strong problem-solving skills, including the ability to manage and resolve complex, sensitive situations with balanced, practical solutions.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree required
• A minimum of ten years related work experience in the employee relations field.
• At least five years' management experience