Description
As part of Eastern Washington University’s ongoing commitment to excellence, we are seeking an experienced and dynamic Director of Labor Relations to lead and manage our comprehensive labor relations program.
Position Overview:
The Director of Labor Relations will play a pivotal role in shaping the university’s labor relations strategy and fostering a positive work environment for all employee groups. Reporting directly to the Associate Vice President for Human Resources, this leadership position will be responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of labor relations, including contract negotiations, discipline, grievances, arbitration, and providing expert guidance and training to both employees and supervisors. This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on EWU’s workforce while contributing to the university’s mission of student success and community engagement.
Key Responsibilities:
- Labor Negotiations: Lead and participate in collective bargaining negotiations, ensuring fair and equitable agreements for all parties.
- Grievance and Arbitration Management: Oversee and manage grievance processes and arbitration hearings, working to resolve conflicts in a manner that aligns with university policies and collective bargaining agreement.
- Discipline and Conflict Resolution: Provide guidance and support in managing employee discipline, conflict resolution, and investigations, ensuring compliance with labor laws and collective bargaining agreements.
- Employee and Supervisor Training: Design and deliver training for faculty, staff, and supervisors on labor relations topics, including contract interpretation, conflict resolution, and legal compliance.
- Strategic Guidance: Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on labor relations matters, trends, and policies.
- Collaboration: Work closely with university leadership, union representatives, and legal counsel to maintain positive working relationships and proactively address labor-related concerns.
The salary for this position is $91,284 (minimum) up to $127,795. Where the hired candidate will begin within this range is dependent on education, experience, and skills. In addition to salary, the university offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, life and disability insurance and retirement. In addition, EWU offers generous vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays per year and fringe benefits, such as tuition waiver for employees and eligible family members, discounted EWU sports tickets, full access to our campus workout facilities at a minimum fee and free transportation through STA buses. For additional information regarding insurance benefits please see our Benefits page: https://inside.ewu.edu/hr/benefits/insurance/ .
Requirements
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources, labor relations, business or public administration, or related field.
- Five years of human resources or labor relations experience in public organizations, preferably higher education with progressively responsible experience to include:
- Labor contract administration
- Interpretation, and managing grievances
- Arbitration and discipline processes
- Candidate must demonstrate interest, ability and/or experience promoting cultural competency, universal accessibility and/or diversity.
Preferred Qualifications - Master’s degree in human resources, labor relations, business or public administration, or related field preferred.
- Higher education experience in Human Resources or Labor Relations preferred.
