Employee and Labor Relations Manager

Role Overview

The Labor & Employee Relations Manager is responsible for leading day-to-day labor and employee relations across the organization, with a strong emphasis on labor relations strategy execution, collective bargaining, and proactive risk management. This role plays a central role in establishing and strengthening the organization's labor relations capability, including serving as a core member of the collective bargaining team for the organization's first union contract.

Operating as the primary labor relations lead within Employee Relations, this role partners closely with HR leadership, HR Business Partners, Legal, and business leaders across ACS to anticipate and address labor and employee relations risks, ensure consistent and compliant application of labor agreements and employment policies, and build constructive, sustainable labor management relationships.

Strategic Accountabilities

Labor Relations Leadership & Collective Bargaining

• Serve as a lead labor relations practitioner, supporting and helping to shape the organization's labor relations approach.
• Act as a core member of the collective bargaining team, including active participation in negotiations for the organization's first union contract.
• Prepare and analyze bargaining proposals, counterproposals, costing, and supporting materials.
• Partner with HR, Legal, and ACS leadership to develop bargaining strategies, proposals, and responses aligned to organizational priorities.
• Interpret, apply, and help operationalize ACS's first collective bargaining agreement (CBA), ensuring consistent, compliant administration.
• Lead grievance management end to end, including investigation, documentation, resolution strategy, and recommendations.
• Support arbitration preparation and case development, including fact-gathering and coordination with Legal.
• Proactively advise leaders on union interactions, contract compliance, issue escalation, and labor relations best practices.

Proactive Labor & Employee Relations and Risk Mitigation

• Serve as a trusted advisor to managers on labor and employee relations matters, including performance management, conflict resolution, reasonable accommodations, and sensitive employee issues for unionized and non-unionized employees.
• Identify trends, themes, and emerging risks across labor and employee relations cases; recommend preventative actions and leader interventions.
• Coach leaders on effective communication, feedback, and issue resolution to reduce escalation and recurrence.
• Support a consistent, fair, and respectful labor and employee relations environment through early intervention and practical guidance.

Policy, Compliance & Labor Law Expertise

• Apply deep working knowledge of labor and employment laws, including the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) framework, and applicable District of Columbia laws, in day-to-day labor relations practice
• Support interpretation and consistent application of employment policies across employee populations.
• Lead prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations into employee concerns, including misconduct, policy violations, and workplace conflicts.
• Ensure labor and employee relations practices align with legal requirements, contractual obligations, and organizational values.
• Escalate complex, high risk, or enterprise level matters appropriately.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Serve as the organization's go to labor relations practitioner within Employee Relations.
• Partner closely with HR Business Partners, Legal, and leaders to deliver coordinated, practical solutions.
• Contribute to building internal labor relations capability, tools, and playbooks as the organization matures its approach.
• Model sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism in highly sensitive

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 5+ years of progressive labor and employee relations experience with significant labor relations responsibility.
• Direct experience working in a unionized environment, including grievance handling, contract interpretation, and labor management relations.
• Hands on experience supporting collective bargaining negotiations.

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting first contract negotiations or labor relations in a newly unionized environment.
• Experience conducting complex workplace investigations.
• Experience in a complex, matrixed, or mission-driven organization.
• HR or labor relations certification

Skills & Capabilities

• Strong labor relations acumen with the ability to balance firmness, collaboration, and credibility.
• Excellent judgment in navigating sensitive, high-risk employee and labor situations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including negotiation support and documentation.
• Ability to influence leaders and build trust with employees and union representatives.
• Highly organized with strong case management and follow-through skills.

This role is based in our Washington, D.C. office. A reasonable rate of compensation for this position is between $140,000-$160,000 per year. ACS employees work a hybrid schedule, consisting of working onsite two days per work week, as decided by functional area. The balance of the week is open to working remotely, though employees are always welcome onsite each day if they choose.

ACS currently provides the following benefits for this position: paid vacation leave, paid sick leave, paid holidays, health insurance, flexible spending account or health care savings account, dental insurance, life insurance, vision insurance, retirement benefits, short- and long-term disability, and 4-week work from anywhere; each benefit is subject to the terms of the applicable program. Additional benefits may apply based on skills, experience, and location.

Any actual offer of employment, reflecting the total compensation package and benefits, will be made in the sole discretion of ACS. ACS reserves the right to amend or modify its employment benefits and compensation structure at any time.