Position Overview

Primary Purpose of Position

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is an 1890 land-grant doctoral research university dedicated to learning, discovery, and community engagement. With over 15,000 students and nearly 2,500 permanent and temporary employees, the university provides a wide range of educational opportunities from bachelor’s to doctoral degrees in both traditional and online environments. With an emphasis on preeminence in STEAM and a commitment to excellence in all its educational, research, and outreach programs, North Carolina A&T fosters a climate of economic competitiveness that prepares students for the global society.

The Division of Human Resources at NC A&T is committed to serving as a strategic partner by providing comprehensive Service, Excellence, Engagement and Knowledge to the University community. We desire to support a culture of uncompromising expectation that will enable the University to attract, retain, and develop faculty and staff of the future. This will empower us to understand clearer and more effectively deal with the significant social, economic, and global challenges necessary to achieve the bold vision of the University.

Employee Relations fosters a work environment that reflects the University’s mission, vision, and core values. Located within the Division of Human Resources, the Office of Employee Relations supports all university employees by addressing performance and staffing issues, resolving workplace conflicts, and promoting a productive and positive work culture. We facilitate open and effective communication between employees and management at all levels, offering confidential consultations and workplace interventions.

Our office is dedicated to ensuring the fair and consistent application of University policies and regulatory requirements while fostering trust, respect, and collaboration within the campus community. We strive to deliver equitable, reliable, and timely solutions that uphold compliance and support a thriving work environment.

Primary Function of Organizational Unit

Reporting to the Director of Employee Relations and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Officer (Director), the Assistant Director of Employee Relations/Senior Employee Relations Consultant serves as a senior-level human resources professional and subject matter expert responsible for leading complex employee relations and equal employment opportunity matters across the University. This position provides advanced consultation to leadership, oversees high-risk and sensitive investigations, supervises investigative staff including external contractors, and supports the Director in ensuring consistent, compliant, and effective employee relations practices.

The Assistant Director of Employee Relations/Senior Employee Relations Consultant serves as the principal deputy to the Director of Employee Relations & Equal Employment Opportunity (Director) and is authorized to act on behalf of the Director during periods of absence or when delegated, ensuring continuity of operations and leadership within the unit.

The Assistant Director of Employee Relations/Senior Employee Relations Consultant will manage complex and dynamic issues, resolve complicated and unusual problems, and demonstrate a high level of independent decision-making to include conducting complex, high-level investigations. This position provides advanced level consultation, guidance and advice to employees and all levels of management on a wide-range of employee relations topics affecting faculty and staff (EHRA-NF/EPS and SHRA) including disciplinary actions and involuntary separations, performance management, mediation and conflict/resolution, employee conduct issues, consultation on complex workplace issues and work environment concerns, investigations into employee misconduct, harassment, discrimination and disability accommodation.

The Assistant Director of Employee Relations/Senior Employee Relations Consultant shall also have certain strategic accountabilities assigned including but not limited to: assessment of work culture requirements, analysis of EEO/AA data and trends, training development, data and metric collection to set strategic goals, and lead and/or serve on special project teams and committees as needed.

The Assistant Director of Employee Relations/Senior Employee Relations Consultant must be able to operate with a great degree of professional independence, exercising sound judgement in Employee Relations (ER)/Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)/Affirmative Action (AA) programs and effectively communicating with a variety of customers both internal and external to the campus, including cabinet and senior level staff, professional staff and all employees.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, Labor Relations, or a related field from an accredited institution.
• Five (5) to seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in employee relations, human resources, workplace investigations, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience leading or independently conducting complex workplace investigations.
• Advanced working knowledge of federal and state employment laws applicable to public-sector or higher education environments.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment in sensitive, high-risk employee relations matters.
• Strong written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.

Preferred Years Experience, Skills, Training, Education

• Master’s degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Labor Relations, Business Administration, or Juris Doctor (JD).
• Experience in higher education, public-sector, or similarly regulated environments. In-depth knowledge of Office of Human Resources, UNC System, University policies and federal and state laws and regulations to provide advice, counsel and support to management staff in the application of HR processes, policies and procedures and implement strategies that support the goals of the University.
• Professional HR certification such as PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP.
• Formal training or certification in workplace investigations, mediation, or conflict resolution.
• Experience supervising or mentoring professional staff.
• Demonstrated experience delivering training or presentations on employee relations, investigations, or HR-related topics.