Role Title: HR Business Partner, Labor Relations
Function and Department: CEO Office, Human Resources
Location:Bayway, Linden
Salary: $72,000 - $202,600
Role Summary
The HR Business Partner, Labor Relations is a strategic and operational HR partner to the Bayway and LBTC site leadership teams, providing trusted advice and leadership across the full people agenda, with expertise in labor and employee relations.
The role partners with leaders to translate business strategy and operational priorities into effective people strategies, workforce plans and organisational solutions that enable Infineum to deliver its business objectives safely, efficiently and sustainably.
With specialist expertise in a unionised manufacturing environment, the role leads the site’s labor relations agenda, building constructive relationships with the IBT (Teamsters) representatives and colleagues, advising leaders on collective bargaining and contract interpretation, and proactively managing employee relations risks. The role provides expert guidance on grievances, disciplinary matters, investigations, arbitration, employment law, compensation, and organisational change.
The role is expected to be a visible and trusted presence at Bayway, close to the operation and workforce, combining strong business understanding with sound HR judgement and labor relations expertise.
Key Outputs
1. Strategic HR Business Partnership
• Act as a trusted HR advisor and strategic partner to Bayway and LBTC site leadership and functional leaders on matters related to union strategy, collective bargaining, employee relations, performance issues, workforce dynamics.
• Develop compensation proposals for new hires and salary adjustments as appropriate in retention cases. Understand the business strategy, operational priorities, financial performance, workforce requirements and risks, and translate these into appropriate people priorities and actions.
• Collaborate with US HR Manager on and support the site people agenda aligned with Infineum’s People Strategy and business objectives.
• Provide insight and recommendations on workforce trends, engagement, retention, performance and organisational effectiveness.
2. Labor Relations Strategy
• Lead the development and execution of a proactive labor relations strategy aligned with business priorities and the changing operating environment.
• Build and maintain constructive, professional and appropriately challenging relationships with IBT representatives and employee representatives.
• Interpret and apply three Collective Bargaining Agreements, ensuring appropriate application for each bargaining unit.
• Coordinate collective bargaining preparation meetings, negotiations and implementation of final contract terms, working closely with the US HR Manager and Legal as appropriate.
• Work with the bargaining team to develop negotiation strategies, proposals and supporting analysis based on business requirements, workforce considerations and external labor market developments.
• Proactively identify emerging labor relations issues and develop strategies to mitigate risk of escalation into grievances, unfair labor practice claims, or industrial action.
• Represent HR in labor-management and relevant site leadership meetings.
• Maintain a clear understanding of workforce sentiment, union priorities and emerging labor relations risks.
3. Employee Relations and Case Management
• Provide expert advice and coaching to leaders on complex employee relations matters, including compensation, performance, conduct, disciplinary action, grievances, workplace behavioral conflicts and complaints.
• Lead or oversee complex investigations, ensuring they are fair, timely, well documented and consistent with company policy and applicable law.
• Lead the resolution of grievances and other collective or individual complaints or disputes, escalating to Legal and appropriate HR contacts when necessary.
• Assist Infineum legal counsel with the coordination of arbitration matters, including gathering documentation and evidence.
• Monitor recurring ER issues and use case data and insight to address underlying organisational or leadership issues rather than simply resolving individual cases.
4. Workforce Planning and Organisational Effectiveness
• Partner with leaders on workforce planning to ensure the Bayway and LBTC functional organisations have the capabilities, capacity and skills required for current and future business needs.
• Advise on organisation design, restructuring, role changes, workforce productivity and organisational effectiveness.
• Support business transformation, productivity and cost initiatives from a people perspective.
• Ensure workforce decisions are appropriately planned, communicated and implemented in partnership with relevant HR and Legal specialists.
• Identify future workforce risks and develop proactive mitigation strategies.
5. Leadership, Performance and Capability
• Coach leaders to strengthen their capability and confidence in managing people, performance and employee relations matters. Identify leadership capability gaps and work with relevant HR teams to develop appropriate interventions.
• Build manager capability in labor relations, employment practices, conflict resolution, performance management and effective employee communication. Support talent identification, succession planning, retention and development of critical capability within the Bayway and LBTC functional organizations.
6. Compliance, Risk and Governance
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state and local employment legislation, company policies and the three Collective Bargaining Agreements.
• Monitor labor and employee relations risks and ensure appropriate mitigation plans are in place.
• Partner with Legal and relevant HR contacts on complex employment law, labor relations and regulatory matters.
• Maintain appropriate governance and reporting of grievances, investigations, disciplinary matters, arbitration, labor relations activity and other material employee risks.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgement when handling sensitive employee and labor relations information.
• Act as the HR point of contact for the Bayway Emergency Response Organization (ERO). Act as backup HR contact for the LBTC ERO.
• Support and maintain compliance with applicable OIMS requirements and site people-related controls.
A successful candidate is likely to have:
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Business Administration, Industrial Relations, Engineering, or a related discipline; master’s degree preferred.
• Experience partnering with senior operational leaders on workforce, organisational and people priorities.
• Experience supporting significant organizational change and transformation.
• Experience working collaboratively with Legal and HR functions on complex people matters.
• Labor and employee relations experience in a unionized environment including collective bargaining, grievance management, and conducting investigations.
• Demonstrated experience building effective relationships with trade unions and employee representatives.
• Fundamental knowledge of US employment and labor law and its practical application in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong coaching, influencing, negotiation and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to challenge senior leaders constructively and influence without direct authority.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate difficult messages with clarity, empathy and authority.
• High level of judgement, discretion and integrity when handling sensitive employee and labor relations matters.