Director, Employee Relations – AWS Infrastructure Services

THE POSITION
SUMMARY
Amazon is seeking a Director, Employee Relations to lead our employee relations and engagement efforts for the AWS Infrastructure Services organization. AWS Infrastructure Services (AIS) delivers the global foundation for Amazon Web Services, ensuring reliable, secure, and sustainable cloud operations. From data center design to network innovation, AIS powers the infrastructure that enables businesses, governments, and developers to build, innovate, and scale with confidence.

More specifically, AIS provides a highly reliable, scalable, and low-cost cloud platform that powers thousands of businesses in hundreds of countries. The organization works to deliver solutions to source, build, and maintain socially responsible data centers and their supply chains, which enable the core sustainable infrastructure of AWS. AWS Infrastructure consists of three main segments: supply chain (buys components and manufactures servers), data centers (facilities that host and operate servers), and network (telecom infrastructure connecting data centers to the external world). This role focuses on the global data center organization.

The vision of Amazon’s Global Corporate Employee Relations (GCER) team is to be a primary driving force behind Amazon's efforts to become Earth's Best Employer, creating a thriving, empowering, and inclusive work environment where every Amazonian is valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. GCER serves as trusted strategic partners to Amazon leaders, leveraging our deep expertise in employee relations, data-driven insights, and innovative solutions to anticipate challenges, drive transformative change, and seamlessly align workforce strategies with business objectives.


Key job responsibilities
This position requires a leader who has significant global employee and labor relations experience, deep subject matter knowledge, and strong communication and interpersonal skills. The ER leader will manage a team that works on a broad spectrum of employee relations issues and projects, global labor standards, promoting and protecting our brand and strengthening employee engagement. The leader’s influence extends beyond AIS data center operations and HR to also shape the communications, community engagement and other strategies owned by the Communications, Public Policy and Public Relations subject matter experts. The position supports hundreds of AIS data centers, across 50+ countries, and its thousands of employees.

To support our objectives, this position’s responsibilities fall into proactive and reactive categories. The leader will drive strategic proactive programs that improve global employee relations, partnering with Human Resources, local ER leaders, Public Policy, Legal, and Public Relation stakeholders. Additionally, this leader will work reactively on critical employee relations issues that are crisis-oriented and typically can only be successfully completed with limited time. Balancing time between proactive projects and crisis-response is a critical component for success in the position.

RESPONSIBILITIES
• Partner with AIS senior leaders and HR teams to create and sustain positive employee relations programs and best practices globally
• Manage a team that helps to create an environment where employees feel respected, supported, and motivated to contribute
• Design and conduct trainings to upskill AIS leaders on positive employee relations
• Help to continue driving a culture of trust where we proactively address workplace conflicts and enhance employee support systems
• Design, collect, and analyze multiple levels of employee feedback
• Conduct and oversee employee relations and vulnerability assessment programs
• Partner to engage in continuous improvement in communication channels and practices
• Drive regional and new market entry labor standards

Basic Qualifications

• 10+ years experience in team leadership or equivalent legal project/operating experience
• Experience leading and advising employee facing professionals
• Experience managing team performance
• Broad knowledge of global labor and employment laws

Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of professional experience, and will have a successful track record of leading and managing the employee relations function within a both sizeable and well-regarded global organization. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university is required, while a J.D. is considered highly preferred. Leadership Skills and Experience:

• Proven experience with large international entities that have strong focus on associate engagement
• Experience with labor strategies with an understanding and focus on what matters to associates and work councils
• Experience in both legal and corporate environments
• Comfortable using data-based decisions and technology
• Able to understand current and proposed legislation and policy and recognize the potential impact to the employment environment
• Excellent customer orientation, ability to “walk the shop floor”. Can connect with a large global and diverse employee population with varied levels of seniority and experience.
• Ability to think big and look around corners to anticipate the next potential risks to the business and design the strategies that will successfully mitigate against these risks
• Has demonstrated experience and proficiency in effective communication of goals and strategies across multiple leadership levels of an organization
• Demonstrated ability to hire and develop strong team members and leaders
• Ability to handle changing priorities and use good judgment when working in stressful situations
• Decisive, confident, with experience influencing others
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Has an operator’s mindset and is aligned to solving real business problems
• Moves with speed and decisiveness, demonstrating Bias for Action by delivering results in fast-changing, ambiguous situations
• Able to influence across a large, globally dispersed organization
• Highly motivated, resilient, thoughtful, proactive and intellectually curious

LEADERSHIP CAPABILITIES
Professional traits that are not unique to this position, but necessary for Amazon leaders:
• Exhibits excellent judgment
• Hires great people. Develops great people.
• Has relentlessly high standards
• Thinks strategically, but stays on top of tactical execution
• Expects and requires innovation of her/his team
• Dive Deep into data and quickly assess trends and spot risks
• Thinks big and has convictions
• Results oriented
• Has the innate ability to inspire passion in others
• Cross-cultural agility


Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, WA, Seattle - 200,700.00 - 271,600.00 USD annually