Job Summary
The Senior Manager, Labor & Employee Relations (LR/ER) is responsible for leading employee and labor relations activities across a multi-site government contracting environment, with full ownership of arbitration and dispute resolution, as well as oversight of ADA, FMLA, and workplace accommodations.
This role serves as the organization’s lead practitioner for workplace investigations, grievance management, and arbitration proceedings. The Senior Manager will represent the company in arbitration, develop case strategy, prepare witnesses, and ensure consistent and compliant ER/LR and leave/accommodation practices. The role also leads a team of LR/ER Business Partners and partners closely with Legal, HR, and Operations to mitigate risk and support business outcomes.
This is a hands-on leadership role requiring deep practical expertise and the ability to operate independently in a complex, regulated environment.
Primary Job Functions
- Employee Relations Execution
- Lead and manage complex employee relations matters, including performance, misconduct, and workplace complaints
- Conduct and oversee investigations; ensure outcomes are timely, well-documented, and defensible
- Provide risk-based guidance to leaders and HR partners
- Ensure consistent application of policies and disciplinary practices
- Identify trends and recommend actions to reduce organizational risk
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Labor Relations & Grievance Management
- Lead grievance management across all steps, ensuring timely and effective resolution
- Interpret and apply collective bargaining agreements (CBAs)
- Advise leaders on labor relations matters and union interactions
- Maintain effective working relationships with union representatives
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Arbitration Ownership (Core Accountability)
- Serve as the company’s lead representative (first chair) in arbitration proceedings
- Own end-to-end arbitration strategy, including case assessment, positioning, and risk evaluation
- Prepare and coach witnesses, including supervisors and senior leaders
- Develop case materials, exhibits, and arguments in partnership with Legal (as needed)
- Determine settlement vs. arbitration approach based on risk, cost, and precedent
- Ensure consistency in arbitration approach across cases
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ADA, FMLA & Accommodations
- Oversee and advise on ADA interactive process, reasonable accommodations, and related compliance
- Provide guidance on FMLA and other leave of absence programs, including complex and escalated cases
- Partner with HR, Legal, and business leaders to ensure consistent and compliant decision-making
- Manage high-risk or sensitive accommodation and leave cases
- Identify trends and risks related to leave and accommodations and recommend improvements
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Team Leadership
- Lead and support a team of Labor & Employee Relations Business Partners
- Provide coaching and oversight on ER, LR, and accommodation matters
- Drive consistency in case handling, documentation, and decision-making
- Support development of team capability
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Compliance & Government Contracting Environment
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws
- Support adherence to government contract labor requirements (e.g., Service Contract Act, Davis-Bacon Act)
- Partner with HR and Legal to mitigate risk and support audit readiness
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Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Track and analyze metrics related to grievances, arbitrations, investigations, and leave/accommodation cases
- Identify trends and recommend process improvements
- Support implementation of tools and processes to enhance efficiency and consistency
Education, Experience and Certification
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Labor Relations, Business Administration, or related field
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8 + years' Experience in employee and labor relations including union environments
- 2 + years' Experience with Service Contract (SCA), Davis-Bacon Act and supporting multi-site or multi-state operations
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Professional certifications such as SHRM-CP, PHR, or SPHR
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Direct, hands-on arbitration experience as a lead representative (first chair)
- Experience managing grievances and interpreting collective bargaining agreements
- Strong experience conducting workplace investigations
- Experience handling ADA, FMLA, and workplace accommodations
- Prior experience leading or mentoring HR or LR/ER professionals
Disclaimer
CBRE Government and Defense is thrilled at the opportunity for you to apply to one of our roles. The base salary range for this position is $130,000- $160,000. This position may also be eligible for a wide range of competitive benefits that can include but not limited to: medical, well-being, financial planning and short-term incentives benefits.
This description is not intended to be an “all inclusive” list of the accountabilities of the job described. Rather, it describes the general nature of the job. In addition, some aspects of this job may change over time, according to business needs, and these changes may not be recorded immediately. The requirements stated represent the minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities to qualify and satisfactorily perform this job.
THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS CREATING A CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT BETWEEN CBRE GOVERNMENT & DEFENSE SERVICES AND ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES OR OTHERWISE ALTERING AN EMPLOYEE’S AT WILL EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP WITH CBRE GOVERNMENT & DEFENSE SERVICES.