Senior Colleague Relations Specialist

Is the opportunity to join a culture where “We Do the Right Thing,” and “We Courageously Shape Our Future Together” important to you? If so, Guardian is seeking a motivated individual to join our team as a Senior Colleague Relations Specialist.

This is an individual contributor who serves as a trusted advisor to People Leaders, Talent & Culture partners, and business stakeholders on complex colleague relations matters. This role leads high-impact casework, conducts sensitive and objective investigations, provides guidance on performance and conduct matters, interprets policy and employment-related requirements, and helps mitigate organizational risk while supporting a fair and respectful colleague experience. Operating with significant autonomy, this position also identifies trends, recommends proactive solutions, and helps strengthen colleague relations practices, manager capability, and organizational effectiveness.

You will

• Serve as a trusted advisor to People Leaders, Talent & Culture partners, and business stakeholders on complex colleague relations matters, balancing colleague experience, business needs, and risk mitigation.

• Lead end-to-end, objective, and well-documented investigations involving allegations of misconduct, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, policy violations, and other sensitive workplace concerns.

• Provide consultative guidance and coaching to managers on performance management, corrective action, workplace behavior, terminations, and other colleague-related decisions to promote fairness, consistency, and compliance.

• Interpret and apply company policy, employment-related requirements, and internal practices to complex situations, recommending practical and defensible solutions.

• Partner closely with Legal, Compliance, Talent & Culture, and business leadership to assess risk, align on approach, and resolve colleague relations issues effectively and timely.

• Identify patterns and trends across colleague relations cases, leader inquiries, and workplace concerns; use insights to recommend proactive actions, manager education, and process or policy enhancements.

• Support the development, review, and continuous improvement of colleague relations policies, processes, practices, and guidance to drive consistency and a contemporary colleague experience.

• Develop and deliver training, tools, and practical guidance for managers and Talent & Culture partners on topics such as workplace conduct, policy application, documentation, and performance management.

• Act as a mentor and resource to peers and partners by sharing subject matter expertise, elevating case management practices, and helping build organizational capability in colleague relations.

• Leverage HR technology and AI-enabled tools responsibly to support case intake, documentation, trend analysis, and process efficiency, while maintaining human judgment, data privacy, confidentiality, and appropriate governance.

• Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential records, investigation materials, and case documentation, and prepare clear summaries and recommendations suitable for leadership and legal review.

You have

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• 5+ years of progressive experience in colleague relations, employee relations, HR, employment practices, or a related field, including experience managing complex and sensitive matters independently.

• Specialized depth of expertise in colleague relations, including investigations, performance management, policy interpretation, corrective action, and workplace risk mitigation.

• Strong working knowledge of employment laws, regulations, and HR best practices, including EEO, anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, retaliation, and related workplace requirements.

• Demonstrated ability to conduct thorough, objective, and well-reasoned investigations, assess credibility, synthesize facts, and prepare clear written findings and recommendations.

• Strong judgment and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate ambiguity, analyze risk, and recommend practical solutions in complex situations.

• Excellent interpersonal, consulting, and communication skills, with the ability to influence, coach, and adapt style effectively when working with colleagues and leaders at all levels.

• Ability to build trust and credibility while managing highly sensitive information with discretion, sound judgment, and a high degree of confidentiality.

• Experience identifying themes and trends in colleague relations data and translating insights into recommendations for policy, process, training, or leader capability improvements.

• Proficiency with HR systems and Microsoft Office tools; comfort using AI-enabled tools and digital technologies to improve workflow efficiency, reporting, and knowledge management in a responsible and compliant manner.

Location /Travel

• Hybrid role –in office 3 days a week, Hudson Yards, NYC, Bethlehem, PA, or Holmdel NJ. 2 days WFH.

Salary Range:

$103,450.00 - $169,960.00

The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well-Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well-being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits. Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact MyHR@glic.com. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only. For all other inquires related to your application and careers at Guardian, refer to the Guardian Careers site.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment visas. In order to be a successful applicant. you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues.

Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to MyHR@glic.com, making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via MyHR@glic.com.

Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here.

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.