Senior Director, Employee Relations

About the role

Join the future of news We're on a mission to deliver riveting storytelling for all of America. At The Washington Post, you'll help reinvent news. Our work is driven by a deep investigative spirit and enhanced by innovation to bring audiences closer to the stories that matter most. About Our Team The Washington Post is powered by the passion and talent of our people. It takes all of us to reinvent news. Beyond our award-winning Newsroom and Opinions teams, we work across many departments, including Brand & Events, Communications, Customer Care, Engineering & Product, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing & Advertising, Print Operations, and Sales. Why This Role Matters The Senior Director, Employee Relations is responsible for leading the company-wide employee relations function, ensuring consistent, fair, and effective practices across a complex, multi-union workforce. Reporting to the CHRO, this role serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, translating strategic priorities into disciplined execution through a team of HR Business Partners. The role combines deep expertise in investigations and labor relations with the ability to build scalable processes, strengthen manager capability, and manage organizational risk. This leader works closely with our Legal team to execute labor relations strategy while driving consistency, quality, and measurable improvements in employee relations outcomes across the company. The Senior Director, Employee Relations serves as a trusted advisor to executive leaders, managers of all levels, and employees, providing sound judgment and practical guidance on complex employee and labor relations matters. This role leads the development and enforcement of company policies and practices that support a dynamic, unionized media environment while minimizing organizational risk. What Motivates You You may be a strong fit for this role if you are energized by: Being a trusted sounding board to senior leaders and managers of all levels, helping them navigate high-stakes, sensitive people issues Applying sound judgment in ambiguous situations where there is no clear "right answer" Leading complex investigations and ensuring fairness, consistency, and integrity in outcomes Working in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment where business, editorial, and workforce dynamics intersect Engaging in labor relations, including union negotiations, grievance management, and contract interpretation Building and improving processes that create consistency and scalability across employee relations practices Coaching managers to handle performance, conduct, and employee concerns more effectively Balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution and high attention to detail How You Will Contribute to the Mission Serve as a primary advisor to the CHRO and senior leadership on complex employee and labor relations matters Lead complex, high-risk employee relations investigations end-to-end and ensure best practices in documentation and case management Lead the enterprise-wide employee relations team and provide oversight to HR Business Partners delivering ER support across the organization Set and enforce standards for ER practices across the HRBP team, ensuring consistency and defensibility Partner with Legal in labor relations matters, including bargaining preparation, grievance management, and contract administration Oversee highly complex and sensitive ER matters with legal, operational, and reputational implications Design and implement ER policies, programs, and scalable processes Strengthen manager capability through coaching, tools, and training Drive measurable improvements in ER outcomes, including reducing reliance on severance through stronger performance management Manage departmental budgets including payroll and severance-related expenses The Skills and Experience You Bring Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred 10+ years of progressive experience in employee and labor relations, ideally in a unionized environment Experience in media or entertainment industry preferred Demonstrated experience leading complex investigations and advising senior leadership Experience supporting union negotiations and labor relations execution preferred Experience designing company policies, processes, and frameworks Experience managing and developing teams SPHR, PHR, or SHRM-SCP certification preferred Exceptional judgment and ability to navigate ambiguity with fairness and consistency Strong organizational skills and attention to detail Strong coaching, influencing, and relationship-building skills Strong knowledge of employment law and labor relations Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills High level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism Experience leading large-scale organizational change initiatives and projects, including significant workforce transitions Collaboration makes us stronger. That's why our offices are designed with open layouts,

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