Employee Relations & Compliance Manager

We are currently seeking an Employee Relations & Compliance Manager to become part of our global Employee Relations team.  This role will be responsible for responding to escalated concerns of potential policy violations; leading workplace investigations end-to-end; delivering recommendations around employee corrective action and influencing leaders accordingly; consulting with and advising People Consultants, managers, and senior leaders on other sensitive employment situations, including complex performance management escalations; supporting alternative dispute resolution; guiding organizational restructurings and position eliminations; and managing severance agreements resulting from involuntary terminations.  This role may also support various other People team initiatives and compliance projects in the interest of accelerating Okta’s growth, driving high-performance culture, and simplifying how the People team operates.  

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Conduct prompt and thorough investigations into potential policy violations, including allegations of harassment, discrimination, bullying, retaliation, and other misconduct.  Conduct investigatory interviews, gather other relevant evidence, write investigation reports, collaborate with cross-functional partners as needed, and debrief stakeholders. 
• Calibrate and present recommendations for formal disciplinary action and/or other employee corrective action based on investigation findings.  Work with leaders to influence their alignment consistent with Okta’s values and the Code of Conduct. Ensure consistent application of policies and procedures.
• Thoroughly document investigative efforts internally using a case management system.
• Foster effective relationships with key partners and stakeholders, including but not limited to: People Business Partners, People Consultants, Employment Legal, Ethics & Compliance Legal, Learning and Development, and People Operations.
• Coach People Consultants, managers, and senior leaders on how to appropriately manage and resolve moderately complex ER issues and performance management issues.
• Support Okta’s leaders and PBPs with performance management and position elimination matters, in partnership with Employment Legal, providing recommendations and guidance in line with Okta’s established guidelines.
• Partner with team members throughout the People organization to communicate and educate on policies, procedures, and compliance.
• Collaborate with Employee Relations leadership to scale and refine the employee relations  function, including development of reactive and proactive initiatives, production of data analytics, and providing global employee relations support, ensuring an equitable and transparent employee experience across the company.
• Participate in the development and deployment of ER-related training and other team projects as needed.

Knowledge & Requirements:

• Strong interpersonal skills and professional judgment, as demonstrated by strong written and oral communication, and high emotional intelligence.
• Formal writing ability.  Can succinctly capture findings, analysis, and recommendations via written reports and summaries. Able to document investigative findings in a clear and logical manner through organized notes of witness interviews and/or summaries of other key evidence.
• Ability to use independent judgment, reasoning, problem-solving skills, and creativity in helping internal business customers resolve complex personnel matters.  
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Develop trust and rapport and influence cross-functional partners and business leaders.
• Remain respectful and empathetic when confronted with difficult and uncomfortable situations surrounding an investigation and/or performance management.
• Able to handle confidential information in a mature and professional manner.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity within a fast moving and changing environment.
• Project management experience or experience as a key project contributor.
• Effective at managing time and resources while prioritizing and balancing multiple commitments with some input from the manager.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 8+ years of relevant employee relations experience, focused on ER investigations, employment legal, performance management, and/or HRBP experiences.
• Solid understanding of federal, state, and local labor and employment laws.
• Comfortable working with any level of employee or manager; able to read a situation and navigate complexity and ambiguity.
• Demonstrated sound judgment and experience assessing and mitigating risk.
• Ability to Influence: Shapes strategy, decisions, and org behavior through trust and insight.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree, law degree, or other specialized training in employment investigations and/or employment law.
• Robust experience leading complex workplace investigations and/or leading cross-functional, multi-jurisdictional initiatives within a People or HR organization.
• Formal project management experience.

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