Director of Employment Practices and Workplace Compliance

 Director of Employment Practices and Workplace Compliance

Program & Location: New Bedford
Education: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field.
Pay Range: $99,000 - $135,000 (Education & experience dependent) 
Status: Full Time
Shift: 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday-Friday 

About Us: 

High Point & Affiliated Organizations is a health and human service agency whose mission is to treat and prevent substance use disorders and mental illness. High Point has programs located throughout Southeastern Massachusetts offering a full continuum of care for substance use and mental health treatment, including inpatient, outpatient, residential, and community-based services. Programs and services also assist survivors of abuse, violence, and families experiencing homelessness. High Point believes that everyone has inherent goodness, worth, and dignity. Our goal is to help individuals and families achieve personal change and improve their quality of life.  

The Director of Employment Practices and Workplace Compliance is a senior Human Resources professional responsible for ensuring the organization's employment practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws while promoting operational excellence across Human Resources. This position provides strategic oversight of HR compliance, employment practices, policy administration, workplace investigations, and the continuous auditing of Human Resources workflows to ensure consistency, efficiency, accountability, and legal compliance.

This position serves as the organization's subject matter expert on employment law and works collaboratively with leadership to mitigate organizational risk while supporting a fair and compliant workplace.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Employment Law and Workplace Compliance

• Serve as the organization's primary Human Resources resource for employment law compliance and best employment practices.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Monitor changes in employment legislation and recommend policy and procedural updates to maintain compliance.
• Interpret employment laws and organizational policies to provide guidance to managers and leadership.
• Collaborate with legal counsel on complex employment matters, litigation support, and regulatory inquiries as appropriate.
• Develop, revise, and maintain employee handbooks, HR policies, standard operating procedures, and compliance documentation.

Human Resources Workflow Auditing

• Develop and implement an ongoing audit program for Human Resources processes and workflows.
• Evaluate HR operations to ensure consistency, legal compliance, and adherence to organizational policies.
• Audit recruitment, onboarding, personnel file management, employee classifications, leave administration, performance documentation, disciplinary actions, separations, records retention, and other HR functions.
• Identify process gaps, compliance risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Develop corrective action plans and monitor implementation to ensure sustainable process improvements.
• Prepare audit findings, compliance reports, and recommendations for senior leadership.

Employee Relations and Workplace Investigations

• Oversee workplace investigations involving employee complaints, policy violations, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and misconduct.
• Ensure investigations are conducted impartially, confidentially, and in accordance with legal and organizational requirements.
• Provide guidance to managers regarding employee relations issues, disciplinary actions, performance management, and corrective actions.
• Recommend solutions that balance organizational objectives with legal compliance and employee engagement.

Policy Development and Risk Management

• Develop and implement Human Resources policies and procedures that support operational excellence and regulatory compliance.
• Conduct periodic reviews of HR policies and practices to identify organizational risks.
• Recommend policy revisions to improve efficiency, reduce liability, and strengthen internal controls.
• Support organizational compliance initiatives, regulatory audits, and accreditation requirements as applicable.

Training and Organizational Support

• Develop and deliver training for managers and employees on employment law, workplace compliance, investigations, employee relations, and Human Resources policies.
• Promote consistent application of policies and employment practices across all departments.
• Provide guidance and coaching to leadership regarding legally compliant employment decisions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field.
• Juris Doctor (JD) or advanced legal education, or significant professional experience applying employment law within Human Resources.
• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible Human Resources experience, including employee relations and compliance.
• Minimum of three years of supervisory experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in employment law, workplace investigations, policy administration, compliance auditing, and Human Resources operations.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
• Ability to manage confidential and highly sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.

Preferred Qualifications

• SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification.
• Experience designing and auditing Human Resources workflows and operational processes.
• Experience developing standard operating procedures and internal compliance controls.
• Experience implementing process improvement initiatives and organizational best practices.

Core Competencies

• Employment Law and Regulatory Compliance
• Human Resources Operations
• HR Workflow Auditing
• Internal Controls and Process Improvement
• Employee Relations
• Workplace Investigations
• Policy Development
• Risk Management
• Supervisory Leadership
• Performance Management
• Organizational Effectiveness
• Change Management
• Training and Development
• Strategic Problem Solving

The successful candidate combines advanced Human Resources leadership with a strong understanding of employment law to strengthen organizational compliance and operational excellence. This individual proactively audits Human Resources workflows, identifies opportunities for process improvement and ensures legal compliance across HR functions.

#LI-JW1