About the People & Culture Department
The People & Culture Department is intended to help our associates navigate the employment journey here at MSF USA, including our standards of behavior, expectations, safety and security measures, and our code of business conduct, together with a general description of the benefits associated with employment at MSF-USA. We work to assist all MSF-USA employees & staff. Our workplace practices, policies and codes of conduct, and rules of engagement are here to support and protect you, your colleagues, and ensure the organization is functioning at its highest and best capacity.
About the Project
ROLE OVERVIEW
The Opportunity to Impact:
The Sr. Employee Relations Specialist, acting as a neutral party ,will partner with our General Counsel and People Partners to investigate workplace related incidents, in a hybrid working environment, strongly focused on our US locations. As part of the People Team, the Employee Relations Specialist will manage all aspects of US workplace investigations and find solutions consistent with our culture and business values.
Though the Employee Relations Specialist will focus on resolving investigations, complaints, and disciplinary actions, they will also provide pragmatic HR advice and assist the broader People Team with other employment issues and cross functional efforts
Finally, you will be a subject matter expert on all employee relations within the organization and be the primary owner of all process execution or administration. You will have strong analytical skills, sharp intuition, and comfort navigating ambiguity.
Daily Activities & Responsibilities
ROLES SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Work with People Partners, General Counsel, the Head of International Employee Relations, and business leaders to develop and implement an Employee Relations (ER) strategy and program.
- Acts as an escalation point on all aspects of Employer Relations (ER) cases, complex employee relations matters in a consistent, empathetic manner to include Partnering with People Partners and General Counsel on an investigation strategy and risk assessment as well as recommend and implement improved systems/processes
- Conduct interviews, preparing reports, and owning investigation outcomes and close out; tracking and preparing status updates and coordinating input from multiple stakeholders; and advising on and overseeing disciplinary and remediation actions.
- Support complex performance improvement, leave of absence and medical accommodation cases.
- Perform analysis on ER trends and statistics in our case management tool
Who You Are:
DEPARTMENT ACCOUNTABILITIES
Integrity and Trust: Is widely trusted; is seen as direct, truthful individual; can present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidence, admits mistakes, doesn’t represent themself for personal gain.
Listening: Practices attentive and active listening
People Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of the internal and external staff, to getting first-hand information and using it for improvements in benefit delivery services; acts with people in mind, establishes and maintains effective relationships with staff and gains their respect and trust.
Managing Diversity and Inclusion: Interacts with all kinds of classes of people equitability; deals effectively with all races, nationalities, cultures, disabilities, ages, sexual orientations, and genders; supports equal, fair treatment, and opportunity for all.
Negotiating: Can negotiate skillfully in tough situations with both internal and external groups; can settle differences with minimum noise; can win concessions without damaging relationships; can be both direct and forceful as well as diplomatic; gains trust quickly of other parties of the negotiations; has a good sense of timing.
Conflict Management : Steps up to conflict, seeing them as opportunities; reads situations quickly; good at focused listening
Problem Solving : Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions.
Composure: Is cool under pressure; does not become defensive or irritated when times are tough; is considered mature; can be counted on to hold things together during tough times; can handle stress; is not knocked off balance by the unexpected; doesn’t show frustration when resisted or blocked; is a settling influence in a crisis.
Approachability: Is easy to approach and talk to; spends the extra effort to put others at ease; can be warm, pleasant, and gracious; is sensitive to and patient with the interpersonal anxieties of others; builds rapport well
Self- Development : Is personally committed, and actively works, to continuously improve himself/herself/themselves; understands that different situations and levels may call for different skills and approaches
Planning : Accurately scopes out length and difficulty of tasks and projects; sets objectives and goals; breaks down work into the process steps; develops schedules and task/people assignments; anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks; measures performance against goals, evaluates results.
Excellent Communications : Can communicate and write clearly and succinctly in a variety of communication settings and styles; can get messages across that have the desired effect
These core accountabilities should not be construed to contain every function/responsibility that may be required to be performed by an incumbent in this job. Incumbents are required to perform other functions as assigned.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
You’ll Need:
- A minimum of 5 years of Employee Relations experience
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college and/or university (e.g., preferably business, HR, or another related field) or Two+ years of HR generalist / HRBP role or employment law role
- Working knowledge of federal and state employment laws and a track record of applying problem-solving and analytical skills to a range of HR issues
- Proficiency in conducting administrative investigations in order to collect and analyze facts for cases to identify obscure or underlying causes of misconduct or poor performance to develop options for appropriate solutions
- Maturity, discretion, and good judgment in managing complex decisions and handling sensitive information
- Strong knowledge of HR processes and US employment laws
What You’ll Experience:
No matter your role with MSF- USA, you will contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference for people and communities around the world. MSF- USA prides itself on being a culture that allows employees to bring their best selves to work in a welcoming and hybrid workplace. We are committed to cultivating a community and working in a manner defined by collaboration, equity, inclusivity, independence, and integrity.
MSF- USA’s greatest value is found is our people.
What we offer:
- Ample opportunities to learn and grow, from generous professional development allowance to onsite training and learning conversations with visiting experts.
- Premiere benefits and rewards designed for your well-being and a healthy work-life balance., this includes generous time off, employer-paid health insurance, transit benefits, generous retirement savings plan, progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support and more
- A commitment to creating a culture of belonging supported by our DEI council comprised of colleagues and association members of various levels and positions throughout MSF – USA and the MSF Global—that help foster a culture of inclusivity for our diverse workforce. They encourage and engage in conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges, and host events with the aim of improving inclusive work practices and appreciation for one another
Expected to work in a hybrid work environment with the ability to come into either the NYC office or regional hub (Washington, DC or Bay Area, California) a minimum of 2 times a week.
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled
No phone calls or emails please. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Our staff works a hybrid schedule of two days a week in the office, three days remote. The required days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from January to June and September to December.
Summer months of July and August are fully remote. In office work attendance during July and August is optional.
Your Safety Matters: Vaccination and booster against COVID-19 is a requirement at MSF – USA.
Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination
MSF-USA is committed to building a diverse, unbiased, and inclusive workforce. MSF- USA is an equal opportunity employer; we recruit, hire, train, promote, develop, and provide other conditions of employment without regard to a person’s gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other differences consistent with applicable laws. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for disabilities, or religious beliefs and practices. Members of communities historically underrepresented in the Humanitarian Aid sector are encouraged to apply.
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