Employee Relations Consultant, Sr.

Overview

As a patient-focused organization, University of Utah Health exists to enhance the health and well-being of people through patient care, research and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. University of Utah Health seeks staff that are committed to the values of compassion, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, integrity, quality and trust that are integral to our mission. EO/AA

The Senior Employee Relations (ER) Consultant serves as a high-level strategic advisor and subject matter expert on complex, high-risk, and sensitive employee relations matters across the healthcare system. This role supports both leaders and team members in promoting a positive, compliant, and engaged work environment while ensuring alignment with institutional policy, employment law, and healthcare regulations. Operating with significant autonomy, the Senior ER Consultant leads enterprise-wide ER initiatives, conducts complex investigations, and collaborates cross-functionally with Legal, Compliance, and HR partners to proactively manage risk and enhance workplace culture. The Senior ER Consultant is expected to operate at a higher level of responsibility and influence. This includes mentoring peers, being the first point of escalation for the ER Consultant, offering timely constructive feedback on consultation practices, written communications, and policy interpretation, and serving as a key resource for complex or escalated matters. It is assumed that the candidates for this position have demonstrated mastery of the foundational responsibilities outlined in the ER Consultant job description. The duties of the Senior ER Consultant are in addition to those core functions and reflect a broader scope of leadership, accountability, and strategic impact. This position is not responsible for providing patient care.

Corporate Overview: University of Utah Health is an integrated academic healthcare system with five hospitals including a level 1 trauma center, eleven community health centers, over 1,600 providers, and a health plan serving over 200,000 members. University of Utah Health is nationally ranked and recognized for our academic research, quality standards and overall patient experience. In addition to our clinical delivery system, we have a School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, and College of Health providing education and training for over 1,250 providers annually. We have over 2 million patient visits annually and research grants exceeding $350 million. University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics represents our clinical operations for the larger health system.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

Complex Case Consultation & Strategic Support

• Serve as lead advisor on high-profile or escalated employee relations issues, including complex performance, behavioral, and compliance-related matters.
• Provide expert consultation to clinical and administrative leaders, interpreting policy, law, and precedent-setting decisions in support of organizational goals.
• Coach leaders in navigating challenging team member conversations, decisions, or documentation.
• Partner closely with Legal, Compliance, and HR peers to evaluate and mitigate organizational risk.

Investigations & Risk Mitigation

• Lead, conduct, or advise on high-risk, sensitive investigations involving allegations of workplace misconduct, theft, violence, retaliation, or other violations of policy and/or law.
• Review and approve investigation strategies and documentation, ensuring consistency, neutrality, and defensibility.
• Provide oversight and mentorship to ER team members conducting investigations.

Policy, Programs, & ER Strategy

• Contribute to the design, implementation, and refinement of ER programs, policies, and procedures.
• Identify and analyze organizational ER trends and make evidence-based recommendations to inform policy updates or training priorities.
• Collaborate with HR and operational leadership to improve early intervention efforts, performance management practices, and ER documentation standards.

Training, Coaching & Mentorship

• Serve as a mentor and subject matter expert for other ER or HR team members.
• Develop and deliver targeted training for leaders and HR staff on complex ER topics, including employment law changes, workplace investigations, and corrective action practices.
• Use ER data and workforce analytics to identify risks, patterns, and opportunities for systemic improvement.
• Present ER-related insights and recommendations to leadership, legal, or governance groups.
• Support ongoing refinement of case tracking, reporting, and continuous improvement of ER processes.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Deep knowledge of federal and state employment laws, with ability to apply them in nuanced, real-world healthcare scenarios.
• Exceptional interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to synthesize data for decision-making.
• Adept at managing competing priorities and deadlines in high-pressure environments.
• High emotional intelligence and ability to work with discretion, diplomacy, and integrity.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field or equivalency.
• Minimum of 6 years of professional-level experience in Employee Relations, including experience in healthcare, higher education, or a similarly complex and regulated environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex investigations and advising leaders at multiple levels.
• Proven ability to navigate highly sensitive or high-risk issues with professionalism and sound judgment.

Qualifications (Preferred)

Preferred

• PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP certification.
• Experience in an academic medical center, unionized environment, or public sector HR.
• Experience contributing to ER policy development, training programs, or enterprise-wide ER strategy.
• Proficiency in HRIS and case management tools (e.g., PeopleSoft, ServiceNow, etc.).
• Masters Degree in Business Administration, Human Resources Management, Health Administration, and/or Social/Behavioral Health related.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Employee must be able to meet the following requirements with or without an accommodation.

• This is a sedentary position that may exert up to 10 pounds and may lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. This position involves sitting most of the time and is not exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

Physical Requirements

Far Vision, Listening, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision, Sitting, Speaking, Standing, Walking