Senior Employee Relations Specialist

Senior Employee Relations Specialist

MBK Real Estate (MBK) is an industry leader in real estate operations and development, spanning subsidiaries such as MBK Rental Living, MBK Industrial Properties and MBK Senior Living. The company is known for award‑winning new home and apartment communities, advanced distribution facilities, and high‑standard senior living services.

Founded in 1996, MBK is a privately held firm that advances American enterprise through extensive development and building activities.

MBK Real Estate is hiring a Senior Employee Relations Specialist to join our team at the Home Office in Irvine, CA. This role is hybrid: 3 days in the office and 2 days remote.

The Senior Employee Relations Specialist is a neutral partner responsible for managing and resolving complex employee relations (ER) matters within the corporate office and providing critical support for field operations, especially in cases of conflict of interest or in the absence of the Regional People & Culture Manager. The specialist advises leaders and employees on performance management (corrective actions, PIPs), conflict resolution, and conducts internal investigations, including hotline‑related cases.

The role is integral to the People & Culture (P&C) team, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and company policies while upholding MBK’s core values.

• Serve as the main point of contact for all corporate office ER matters and partner with Regional People & Culture Managers on select field ER matters, providing guidance and support to employees, P&C, and the management team.
• Develop and implement ER strategies, policies, and procedures that align with the company's values and goals, and continually assess processes to make improvements.
• Conduct and manage comprehensive workplace investigations on a multitude of ER issues, ensuring a thorough, impartial, and timely process. Responsibilities include developing strategic interview plans, fact‑finding, analyzing evidence, determining whether allegations are substantiated, interviewing witnesses and involved parties, producing clear, concise, and legally defensive documentation and reports, and facilitating an optimal resolution for the parties involved through recommended corrective and/or disciplinary actions.
• Provide expert, human‑centered strategic guidance to leaders on sensitive and high‑risk ER issues, including performance improvement plans (PIPs), corrective actions, involuntary exits, and conflict mediation, thoughtfully tailoring solutions situationally to best safeguard company interests and ensure legal defensibility while upholding MBK’s values and culture.
• Drive fair and equitable application of policies in ER matters and guide leaders to enforce policies and practices consistently, ethically reinforcing MBK's values and maintaining legal compliance.
• Serve as a trusted sounding board and escalation point for workplace concerns, manager‑employee dynamics, and early signals of potentially systemic people issues.
• Analyze ER data to identify trends and make recommendations for improvements.
• Deliver ER‑related training and capability‑building initiatives on compliance, performance management, and organizational values.
• Collaborate closely with P&C Leadership, Legal Counsel and managers on complex cases, performance plans, and transition strategies to mitigate organizational risk.
• Stay up‑to‑date on employment laws and regulations to ensure compliance and proactively identify potential risks.
• Handle sensitive and confidential information in a professional and discreet manner.
• Perform other job duties or special projects as assigned or requested.

• High school diploma or equivalent (GED) required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Business Administration, or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and work experience, preferred.
• PHR, SHRM‑CP, or other related specialized professional certification preferred.

• 4+ years of prior work experience functioning in a similar role managing…