Senior Colleague Relations Consultant

Overview

Location Detail: 100 Pearl Street Hartford (10484)

Shift Detail: Monday-Friday

Join Hartford Health Care at a Transformative Moment. Hartford Health Care is launching a new Centralized Colleague Relations Department—a strategic, system-wide function designed to elevate how we support our 40,000+ colleagues across the organization. This is a unique opportunity to help build a best-in-class model from the ground up, driving consistency, fairness, and proactive solutions that strengthen the colleague experience. As a key member of this newly created team, you will apply data-driven insights, standardized practices, and deep HR expertise to deliver meaningful, sustainable impact.

You will play a critical role in shaping how colleagues are supported, heard, and empowered across Hartford Health Care for years to come. Help us define the future of Colleague Relations—join us and make your mark.

The Colleague Relations Senior Consultant Leads the resolution of highly complex and high-risk colleague relations matters, including legal claims, executive-level conflicts, and broad organizational issues with systemic impact. Applies advanced HR expertise and sound judgment to navigate sensitive situations while mitigating risk. Serves as a trusted strategic advisor to senior leadership, providing guidance on colleague relations strategy, organizational effectiveness, and workplace culture enhancement.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Lead investigations into high-risk and highly complex policy violations, including those with potential legal implications. Apply advanced investigative techniques, collaborate with legal and compliance teams, and ensure timely resolution aligned with organizational values and regulatory requirements.
• Interpret and apply HR policies in nuanced and sensitive situations, serving as a subject matter expert for leaders, HR partners, and Colleague Relations team.
• Provide strategic guidance on policy application, especially in cases received through alternative intake methods outside the standard case management tool, and support leaders throughout the case lifecycle to ensure consistency and fairness.
• Advise senior leaders on performance management strategies, including the development and implementation of performance improvement plans that promote accountability.
• Coach senior leaders on conflict resolution and colleague relations best practices, equipping them with tools to navigate sensitive interpersonal dynamics and foster a respectful, inclusive workplace culture.
• Appropriately escalate high-risk incidents and concerns, leading crisis response, and risk mitigation efforts in collaboration with legal, compliance, and senior leadership to protect organizational integrity and minimize exposure.
• Represent the organization in legal proceedings, mediations, and external investigations, serving as a credible and knowledgeable spokesperson on colleague relations matters.
• Provide expert counsel to executives on sensitive and complex colleague relations issues, ensuring decisions are informed by legal considerations, organizational values, and strategic priorities.
• Partner with field HR team to determine need for strategic planning, identify engagement and retention opportunities and execute HHC recommended solutions.

• Education: Bachelor’s in Business, Human Resources or related field

• Experience: A minimum of 8+ years of employee relations experience or comparable experience in the HR capacity required.
• Experience working with senior leadership in a matrix environment preferred.
• Experience in clinical practice, hospital, or health system preferred.

• Skills & Abilities:
• Excellent verbal and written communications and strong interpersonal communications
• Superior customer service orientation and ability to respond in a constructive and timely manner.
• Must be self-directed and motivated. Work with minimal supervision and exercises common sense and strong independent judgment to problem-solve. Has the ability to identify core issues and resolve them via effectively utilizing available resources.
• Consistently works with integrity to develop…