Head of HR Compliance

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 resolute motivated individual to join our team as a HR Compliance Leader.

This role will oversee the development, implementation, and management of the company's HR compliance programs and policies to ensure the organization adheres to all relevant federal, state, and local employment laws, regulations, and best practices. As the leader of the HR compliance function, this role will collaborate closely with key stakeholders across the organization to foster a culture of compliance, minimize risks, and promote ethical behavior.

You are:

An individual who is driven by a passion for quality. An initiative-taker who is fueled by collaboration and thrives in partnering across the company with key stakeholders, business partners, and leadership at all levels.

You will:

Have responsibility in key areas:

Compliance Program Development & Management

• Design and implement comprehensive HR compliance programs, policies, and procedures.

• Monitor developments in labor laws, industry standards, and regulations to ensure the company remains compliant.

• Serve as the subject matter expert on fair employment practices compliance (EEO, FMLA, FLSA, ADA, OSHA, etc.) and HR and Payroll (HR) regulatory matters.

• Lead initiatives to educate employees, managers, and executives on HR compliance obligations.

• Conduct regular audits of HR processes and records to ensure compliance with legal requirements and organizational policies.

Risk Management

• Lead the design and implementation of HR compliance and risk management strategies, identifying potential risks and implementing proactive mitigation measures.

• Develop, implement, and maintain HR compliance strategy ensuring appropriate enterprise-wide governance and best practices including programs and policies to ensure adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards.

• Collaborate closely with Colleague Relations to design HR compliance risk management approach.

• Conduct regular risk assessments, identify areas vulnerability, recommend process improvement, and risk abatement, communicating these to HR Leadership and relevant stakeholders as appropriate.

• Ensure the company maintains appropriate documentation for HR processes, policies, and practices.

• Manage internal audits of HR practices and procedures and respond to external regulatory inquiries, audits, and investigations relating to HR compliance.

• Lead investigations into potential HR compliance violations, providing recommendations on resolution and corrective actions.

Policy and Procedure Oversight

• Regularly review and update HR policies and procedures, mandatory trainings, and employee handbooks to ensure they align with current fair employment practices requirements.

• Partner with Employment Law to maintain and update HR policies, procedures, mandatory trainings, and documentation in line with changes in applicable law and Company direction.

• Provide recommendations on keeping applicable policies compliant, maintained, and aligned to business needs.

• Promote effective dissemination and training on HR and colleague relations policies.

• Direct and manage all compliance-related reporting, including but not limited to AAP, EEO-1, I-9, and VETS 4212 reporting, in collaboration with HR functional areas and external vendors.

• Prepare and submit required compliance reports and filings, such as EEO-1, and other regulatory reports, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Function as liaison to government agencies and/or third-party service providers for this purpose.

• Oversee the proper classification of employees and compliance with wage and hour laws.

• Maintain accurate and complete records related to HR compliance activities.

• Monitor Guardian’s contingent worker arrangements to ensure compliance with policy. Responsible for revising policies, practices, and procedures as appropriate.

• Generate reports on compliance metrics and trends for HR leadership and other stakeholders.

Data Governance

• Ensure employee data is collected, stored, and processed in accordance with relevant privacy laws and internal policies.

• Develop and implement data governance frameworks, conducting regular audits to ensure compliance, and training HR staff on data protection best practices.

• Collaboration with HR Data, Legal, IT, and Enterprise data security teams to mitigate risks and manage data breaches effectively.

Training and Communication

• Develop and deliver training programs and support on HR compliance topics to ensure awareness and understanding of responsibilities.

• Provide regular updates and ongoing education to leadership on HR compliance trends, issues, and areas of concern.

• Create clear, accessible resources for employees to understand their rights and responsibilities under fair employment practices standards.

• Ensure all employees receive the required compliance training and the training records are accurately maintained.

Leadership and Collaboration

• Serve as the main point of contact for internal and external audits and regulatory inspections related to HR compliance.

• Partner with internal departments such as Legal, Internal Audit, and Risk Management to ensure coordinated compliance efforts.

• Act as a key advisor to HR leadership on compliance-related issues.

You have

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Human Resources, Business Administration, Compliance, Risk, or a related field.

• 8-10+ years of demonstrated experience in HR compliance, with a focus on fair employment practices compliance and administration.

• Deep knowledge of federal, state, and local fair employment practices related laws, regulations, and industry best practices.

• Proven experience managing HR compliance programs and investigations.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with diverse stakeholders.

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills, with attention to detail and an ability to navigate complex issues.

• Experience in the insurance or financial services industry a plus.

• Experience with HRIS systems and compliance reporting tools needed.

You will:

• Conduct and deliver audits of business processes to monitor adherence to all Guardian policies and procedures.

• Execute program redesigns to stay aligned with business VOC and automation.

• Lead discussions with business leaders and obtain sign off on proposal and recommendations.

• Conduct cross-functional process reviews to identify efficiencies and business opportunities.

• Maintain expertise in business workflows and procedures, function as a SME in the respective area.

• Provide quality feedback and findings to all levels of business leadership and include recommendations for continuous improvement.

• Collaborate and facilitate with business partners to develop and analyze business intelligence needs and drive process improvements.

• Act as the quality data source and technical experts for projects and initiatives.

• Support critical business compliance and risk initiatives (e.g.: Internal Auditing, Internal Risk and Control) through execution of mandated protocols.

• Apply comprehensive audit tools that identify and catalog end to end findings to share with business partners.

• Document, catalog, and maintain all audit protocols.

• Create presentations to share all process audit results with various audiences across varying lines of business and business partners.

• Perform sophisticated analysis of data including the root cause of errors, trending over time, and connection/correlation to customer problems.

Reporting Relationships:

As the Head of HR Compliance, you will report to the Head of HR Service Delivery

Location:   

Hybrid role - 3 days in the office, 2 days WFH - Preferred locations- Guardian home offices located in Bethlehem, PA, New York NY, Stamford CT, Holmdel, NJ or Boston, MA

Travel to Guardian offices as determined by the People Leader.

Salary Range:

$107,920.00 - $177,295.00

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 [email protected].

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