Employee Relations Senior Manager
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
September 03, 2026
Remote friendly (Boston, MA)
United States
Human Resources
Position Summary
The Employee Relations Senior Manager serves as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to leaders, HR, Legal, Compliance, and employees to foster a fair, respectful, and compliant workplace. Leads complex employee relations matters, investigations, and policy interpretation; modernizes and scales ER processes and reporting.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead complex employee relations matters: harassment/discrimination, workplace conduct, retaliation, performance/behavior, substance abuse, mental health/wellness, conflict of interest reviews, and other sensitive issues.
- Conduct thorough, objective, timely investigations; gather/evaluate evidence; interview parties/witnesses; determine findings; develop recommendations.
- Produce investigation documentation, reports, and executive summaries with facts, findings, risk considerations, and actions.
- Partner with HR Business Partners, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Internal Audit, Ethics, and business leaders; advise managers on policies, conduct, risk mitigation, performance management, corrective action, and engagement.
- Interpret and apply policies consistently and legally; support policy governance and development.
- Manage cases through case management systems; analyze ER data/trends; develop dashboards and insights on risk and employee experience.
- Identify themes and risks; recommend proactive interventions, manager training, and process improvements; help scale ER practices.
Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor’s in HR/Business/Psych/Org Dev/Employment Law or related.
- 8–12+ years progressive HR/ER; 3–5+ years focused on ER.
- Significant independent experience conducting complex workplace investigations.
- Strong knowledge of ER practices, employment law, workplace compliance, and HR policies/procedures.
- Ability to influence senior leaders in sensitive situations; strong interviewing/investigation/analytical/report-writing skills; sound judgment, discretion, and confidentiality.
Preferred:
- Regulated-industry experience (e.g., pharma/biotech/medical devices/healthcare/financial services).
- Global/cross-border ER experience.
- ServiceNow or similar ER case management experience.
- HR certification (SPHR/SHRM-SCP/AWI-CH or equivalent).
Critical Success Factors
- Deep workplace investigation expertise; proactive fact-finding/root-cause identification.
- Strong storytelling/influence; objectivity in ambiguity; emotional resilience under pressure.
- Ability to balance employee advocacy with risk management; strong cross-functional collaboration.
Hybrid/Compensation
- Hybrid-eligible or on-site eligible.
- Pay range: $121,100–$181,700; eligible for annual bonus and annual equity awards.
Application instructions
- For accommodation requests related to the hiring process or essential functions, contact Talent Acquisition at ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com.
The Employee Relations Senior Manager serves as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to leaders, HR, Legal, Compliance, and employees to foster a fair, respectful, and compliant workplace. Leads complex employee relations matters, investigations, and policy interpretation; modernizes and scales ER processes and reporting.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead complex employee relations matters: harassment/discrimination, workplace conduct, retaliation, performance/behavior, substance abuse, mental health/wellness, conflict of interest reviews, and other sensitive issues.
- Conduct thorough, objective, timely investigations; gather/evaluate evidence; interview parties/witnesses; determine findings; develop recommendations.
- Produce investigation documentation, reports, and executive summaries with facts, findings, risk considerations, and actions.
- Partner with HR Business Partners, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Internal Audit, Ethics, and business leaders; advise managers on policies, conduct, risk mitigation, performance management, corrective action, and engagement.
- Interpret and apply policies consistently and legally; support policy governance and development.
- Manage cases through case management systems; analyze ER data/trends; develop dashboards and insights on risk and employee experience.
- Identify themes and risks; recommend proactive interventions, manager training, and process improvements; help scale ER practices.
Qualifications
Required:
- Bachelor’s in HR/Business/Psych/Org Dev/Employment Law or related.
- 8–12+ years progressive HR/ER; 3–5+ years focused on ER.
- Significant independent experience conducting complex workplace investigations.
- Strong knowledge of ER practices, employment law, workplace compliance, and HR policies/procedures.
- Ability to influence senior leaders in sensitive situations; strong interviewing/investigation/analytical/report-writing skills; sound judgment, discretion, and confidentiality.
Preferred:
- Regulated-industry experience (e.g., pharma/biotech/medical devices/healthcare/financial services).
- Global/cross-border ER experience.
- ServiceNow or similar ER case management experience.
- HR certification (SPHR/SHRM-SCP/AWI-CH or equivalent).
Critical Success Factors
- Deep workplace investigation expertise; proactive fact-finding/root-cause identification.
- Strong storytelling/influence; objectivity in ambiguity; emotional resilience under pressure.
- Ability to balance employee advocacy with risk management; strong cross-functional collaboration.
Hybrid/Compensation
- Hybrid-eligible or on-site eligible.
- Pay range: $121,100–$181,700; eligible for annual bonus and annual equity awards.
Application instructions
- For accommodation requests related to the hiring process or essential functions, contact Talent Acquisition at ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com.