Job Description Summary:

Senior Manager, Employee Relations and Labor Relations

Summary

The Senior Manager, Employee Relations serves as the lead Employee Relations expert and investigator for Japan and South Korea. This role manages complex and sensitive employee matters, conducts high-risk investigations, advises leaders on employee relations risks and actions, and helps ensure fair, consistent, and legally compliant employment practices across the region.

Working closely with HR Business Partners, Legal, People Services, Policy & Compliance, and business leaders, the Senior Manager provides expert guidance on workplace concerns, disciplinary matters, employee complaints, misconduct allegations, organizational changes, workforce actions, and other complex employment issues. The role also partners with market and regional stakeholders to strengthen employee relations capability, identify emerging workforce risks, and promote a positive employee experience.

This role reports to the Senior Director, International Employee Relations and Global Labor Relations.

Key Responsibilities

Employee Relations Investigations & Case Management

• Lead complex and sensitive employee relations investigations across Japan and South Korea,
• Conduct investigations involving allegations of misconduct, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, conflicts of interest, policy violations, ethics concerns, and other workplace issues.
• Gather and assess evidence, conduct interviews, document findings, and prepare objective investigation reports and recommendations.
• Exercise sound judgment in evaluating facts, mitigating risk, and recommending appropriate actions.
• Ensure investigations are conducted with professionalism, confidentiality, fairness, and consistency.
• Manage appeals, disputes, employee complaints, and other complex employee matters that may have legal, regulatory, reputational, or business implications.

Employee Relations Advisory

• Serve as a trusted advisor to People & Culture leaders, HR Business Partners, Legal, and business leaders on employee relations matters.
• Provide guidance on disciplinary actions, performance issues, workplace conflict, accommodations, employee conduct concerns, and separation decisions.
• Support leaders in navigating complex employee situations while balancing business needs, employee experience, and risk considerations.
• Interpret and apply company policies, employment practices, and local employment requirements consistently and appropriately.
• Identify potential employee relations risks and recommend proactive mitigation actions.

Regional Employee Relations and Employment Law Expertise

• Maintain strong knowledge of employment practices, employee relations trends, and workforce issues across Japan, and South Korea.
• Anticipate changes in legislation that may impact policies or practices in Japan and South Korea; work with the relevant OU or CoE teams and People Services to update relevant documentation
• Monitor emerging workforce concerns and identify patterns, themes, and risks across employee relations cases.
• Provide market-informed perspectives and recommendations to help leaders make effective workforce decisions.
• Balance local market requirements with company principles, standards, and expectations.

Capability Building & Stakeholder Partnership

• Build employee relations capability among HR Business Partners and leaders through coaching, consultation, practical guidance, and case-based learning.
• Promote consistent investigation quality, documentation, decision-making, and employee relations practices across the region.
• Contribute to the development of tools, resources, standards, and best practices that improve employee relations effectiveness.
• Partner closely with Legal, Policy & Compliance, People Services, Security, and other stakeholders to resolve employee matters and manage workforce risk.
• Support regional and global employee relations initiatives, projects, and continuous improvement efforts.

Leadership Profile

• Trusted advisor with strong judgment and credibility in highly sensitive employee matters.
• Skilled investigator who can objectively assess facts and make balanced recommendations.
• Calm and effective under pressure, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and competing stakeholder perspectives.
• Demonstrates exceptional discretion, integrity, and respect for confidentiality.
• Strong collaborator who builds trusted relationships across cultures, geographies, and functions.
• Able to influence outcomes without direct authority and effectively navigate complex organizational dynamics

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Employment or Labor Relations, Law, Social Sciences, Business, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience; advanced degree preferred.
• Typically 5 or more years of progressively responsible experience in Employee Relations, Labor Relations, employment law, investigations, HR, workforce risk, or a related field in a large, complex organization.

Location

Tokyo, Japan

Skills:

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Our Purpose and Growth Culture:

We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.