Corporate HR often pretends to be strictly about culture and engagement. This role is about legal defense. Republic Services is deploying an Employee Relations Manager in Phoenix to act as the institutional shield against EEOC claims and toxic litigation. You are the internal detective and compliance enforcer for a Fortune 500 human resources and administration apparatus. When a frontline operational supervisor mismanages a termination or a Title VII violation occurs on the corporate floor, you are the one parachuting in to conduct the hostile investigation, draft the legally bulletproof documentation, and protect the balance sheet.
The Litigation Shield & Operational Friction
You are managing the friction between a massive, blue-collar sanitation workforce and a highly corporate headquarters. This creates a volatile mix of ADA, FMLA, and FLSA liabilities. Your objective is not to make everyone happy; it is to systematically reduce enterprise risk. You will partner directly with Employment Counsel, meaning every email you write, every witness interview you conduct, and every disciplinary action you recommend will be scrutinized under the assumption that it will eventually be read aloud in a deposition.
Hostile Investigations & Risk Execution
- Interrogation & Investigation: Execute impartial, high-stakes investigations into sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and retaliation. You must extract facts from hostile witnesses, uncooperative managers, and highly emotional employees.
- The Termination Protocol: Coach operational supervisors who do not understand labor laws on how to properly document progressive discipline. You are the architect of the legally defensible involuntary termination.
- ADA/FMLA Bureaucracy: Act as the final authority on reasonable accommodations, shutting down abuse of medical leave while keeping the company strictly compliant with federal mandates.
- Litigation Analytics: Track grievance data in dedicated case management software to identify toxic managers and systemic cultural rot before they trigger class-action lawsuits.
Investigative Scar Tissue & Legal Acumen
- The Trench Experience: 5+ years of pure Employee Relations or Labor Relations. Generalist HR experience will not survive here; you must have a documented history of running formal workplace investigations from intake to final summary report.
- Legal Paranoia: Deep, practical fluency in federal and Arizona employment law. You must know exactly where the legal tripwires are and how to navigate them without stalling business operations.
- Enterprise Tooling: Advanced proficiency in Workday and dedicated ER case management platforms (e.g., HR Acuity).
- The Investigative Credential: AWI-CH, SHRM-SCP, or SPHR certifications are heavily preferred, signaling to outside counsel that your investigative methodologies meet strict, court-recognized standards.
The Phoenix Baseline & Corporate Leverage
You are earning your compensation through the emotional toll of constant, localized workplace conflict.
- Base Compensation: $100,000 – $125,000 USD / Year. A solid baseline for the Phoenix market, requiring precise negotiation based on your actual investigative track record.
- The ESPP Upside: Access to the Employee Stock Purchase Plan allows you to build capital directly off the financial stability and risk mitigation you provide to the enterprise.
- Resume Equity: Running high-risk ER for a national, heavy-industry Fortune 500 company makes you virtually bulletproof. Surviving this environment is a direct springboard to a VP of HR or Director of Labor Relations role.
- Corporate Safety Net: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision, matched 401(k), and essential legal assistance plans.
Headquarters Logistics & Deployment
- The Interrogation Mandate
- Location: Phoenix, AZ. Status: 100% On-Site. You cannot conduct a hostile witness interview, read critical body language during a harassment claim, or build trust with skeptical operational leaders over a Zoom screen. This role demands daily physical presence at the corporate headquarters.
- Relocation Posture
- Negotiable. Republic Services is willing to authorize relocation assistance to extract a highly seasoned investigator and drop them directly into the Arizona market.
