Director, Employee Relations

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About the Job

Job Requisition ID

26WD101728

Employee Relations Director

The central objective of the Thrive (Employee Relations) team at Autodesk is to ensure treatment of employees is fair, respectful, and consistent with Autodesk’s culture and core values.

The Director, Thrive leads the global Employee Relations function, setting strategy, priorities, and operational excellence to ensure fair, consistent, and values-based employee experiences across Autodesk. This role is responsible for building and developing a high-performing team of ER professionals while providing strategic oversight of complex employee relations matters, investigations, risk mitigation, manager enablement, and culture initiatives. Partnering closely with senior leaders, People Business Partners, People Consultants, Legal, Ethics & Compliance, and Security, the Director drives scalable solutions that strengthen organisational effectiveness, enhance employee experience, and support a respectful, inclusive, and high-performing workplace. Prioritisation, sound judgement, and the ability to effectively balance long-term strategic initiatives with emerging business needs, executive escalations, and crisis response are critical to success in this role.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing global team of Employee Relations professionals, fostering a culture of accountability, inclusion, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Establish clear goals, performance expectations, development plans, and succession strategies to build organisational capability and leadership depth.
Create an environment of psychological safety, engagement, and continuous learning that enables the team to perform at its highest potential.
Drive consistency, quality, and excellence across employee relations practices and advisory services globally.

Employee Relations Strategy & Governance

Define and execute the global Employee Relations strategy, aligning priorities with Autodesk's culture, values, business objectives, and employee experience goals.
Establish governance, operating standards, and quality frameworks that strengthen service delivery, compliance, and organisational effectiveness.
Influence the development and evolution of policies, guidelines, and practices that support a respectful, inclusive, and high-performing workplace.
Represent the People function within the Policy Advisory Group, contributing expertise and guidance on policy development and implementation.

Sensitive Investigations, Escalations & Risk Management

Conduct investigations and provide direction on highly sensitive, complex, and high-risk employee relations matters and workplace concerns, ensuring fair, consistent, and values-based outcomes.
Lead the assessment and management of significant employee, organisational, reputational, and legal risks, partnering closely with People Business Partners, People Consultants, Legal, Ethics & Compliance, Security, and senior leaders.
Serve as the senior escalation point for critical employee relations matters, providing strategic guidance, decision support, and risk-based recommendations on complex and ambiguous situations.
Ensure the highest standards of confidentiality, objectivity, procedural integrity, and professionalism in the handling of sensitive investigations and organisational issues.
Partner with executive stakeholders to navigate crisis situations, significant workplace concerns, and matters with potential enterprise-wide impact, balancing employee experience, organisational effectiveness, and risk management.

Business Partnership & Executive Advisory

Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on complex employee, organisational, and workplace matters.
Partner closely with People Business Partners, People Consultants, Legal, Ethics & Compliance, Security, and business leaders to address organisational challenges, strengthen culture, and support business outcomes.
Provide strategic counsel on organisational change, workforce challenges, leader effectiveness, and employee experience initiatives.
Build strong cross-functional partnerships to deliver scalable and sustainable people solutions.

Operational Excellence & Transformation

Own the Employee Relations operating model, ensuring effective case management, resource allocation, reporting, and service delivery.
Drive continuous improvement of ER processes, tools, technology, and governance practices to increase efficiency, consistency, and impact.
Leverage data and insights to identify trends, measure outcomes, inform decision-making, and proactively address organisational risks.
Lead global projects and transformational initiatives that enhance employee experience, strengthen manager capability, and improve organisational health.
Champion the responsible adoption of AI and emerging technologies to enhance Employee Relations operations, improve service delivery, strengthen decision-making, and increase organisational effectiveness.
Leverage AI-enabled tools and analytics to identify trends, streamline processes, generate insights, and support proactive risk management and workforce planning.

Culture, Capability & Prevention

Champion a proactive approach to employee relations through manager enablement, education, coaching, and preventative strategies.
Develop programmes, resources, and training that build leadership capability and support a culture of trust, accountability, and respect.
Promote data-informed and values-based decision-making that strengthens organisational health, leadership effectiveness, and employee experience.
Stay current on employment law, workplace trends, and leading ER practices to continuously evolve Autodesk's employee relations capability.
Build and leverage external professional networks to benchmark practices, exchange insights, and identify emerging trends that enhance employee experience, manager effectiveness, and organisational health.
Stay current on employment law, workplace trends, and leading ER practices, translating external insights into scalable programmes, policies, and preventative strategies.

Minimum Qualifications

Proven success leading global Employee Relations, Human Resources, or People Experience functions and developing high-performing teams in complex, matrixed organisations.
Demonstrated experience building organisational capability through coaching, talent development, succession planning, and performance management.
Deep expertise in employee relations, workplace investigations, employment law, and organisational risk management, with experience managing highly sensitive and high-impact matters.
Proven ability to lead complex investigations, executive escalations, crisis situations, and organisational risk matters while exercising sound judgement and maintaining the highest levels of confidentiality.
Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives and provide strategic counsel on complex people, culture, organisational, and business challenges.
Strong track record of developing and executing Employee Relations strategies, governance frameworks, operating models, and scalable people solutions that drive organisational effectiveness and business outcomes.
Experience leading organisational change, transformation initiatives, and continuous improvement efforts within global environments.
Strong business acumen and the ability to balance employee experience, organisational effectiveness, legal considerations, and risk management in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
Demonstrated ability to evaluate and apply emerging technologies, including AI, to improve service delivery, operational effectiveness, and employee experience while ensuring appropriate governance and risk management.
Demonstrated experience leveraging data, analytics, and insights to identify trends, influence strategy, measure outcomes, and improve organisational performance. ,
Exceptional leadership, coaching, stakeholder management, and communication skills, with the ability to build trust and influence across all levels of the organisation.
Strategic thinker with the ability to translate business priorities into practical people strategies, programmes, and operational solutions that deliver measurable impact.
Proven ability to identify, assess, communicate, and mitigate complex organisational risks while driving informed decision-making in ambiguous situations.
Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and external engagement, with experience leveraging industry networks, benchmarking, and leading practices to inform strategy and improve organisational outcomes.
Strong understanding of emerging workforce trends, Employee Relations practices, and evolving technologies, with the ability to translate external insights into practical business solutions.
Experience representing an organisation in external forums, industry groups, or professional networks and applying insights to enhance organisational capability and effectiveness.

Learn More / Plus d'information

About Autodesk

Welcome to Autodesk! Amazing things are created every day with our software – from the greenest buildings and cleanest cars to the smartest factories and biggest hit movies. We help innovators turn their ideas into reality, transforming not only how things are made, but what can be made.

We take great pride in our culture here at Autodesk – it’s at the core of everything we do. Our culture guides the way we work and treat each other, informs how we connect with customers and partners, and defines how we show up in the world.

When you’re an Autodesker, you can do meaningful work that helps build a better world designed and made for all. Ready to shape the world and your future? Join us!

Salary transparency

Salary is one part of Autodesk’s competitive compensation package. For Canada based roles, we expect a starting base salary between $144,000 and $211,200. Offers are based on the candidate’s experience and geographic location, and may exceed this range. In addition to base salaries, our compensation package may include annual cash bonuses, commissions for sales roles, stock grants, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Location: Canada (Remote)