Instacart

Employee Relations Lead

Instacart

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: California • Colorado • United States

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Salary

💰 $172,000 - $217,500 per year

Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • Develop and implement Instacart’s holistic Employee Relations strategy in partnership with HRBPs and Legal.
  • Build clear frameworks and standards for managing performance concerns, conduct issues, investigations, and terminations.
  • Establish consistent decision-making principles that balance fairness, business impact, and appropriate risk awareness.
  • Identify trends and systemic risks in employee matters and proactively recommend policy, training, and process improvements.
  • Lead and advise on complex involuntary terminations across the organization.
  • Partner with Legal and People COEs on structuring exit packages within established guidelines and approval frameworks.
  • In consultation with Legal, manage post-separation communications with departing employees, including structured severance discussions conducted within defined parameters.
  • Identify matters requiring Legal escalation and ensure timely coordination.
  • Ensure consistency, documentation quality, and compliance across exit practices.
  • Oversee and conduct workplace investigations involving performance concerns, conduct issues, and policy violations.
  • Partner with Legal to structure investigations involving heightened risk or potential legal exposure.
  • Ensure investigations are thorough, objective, and well-documented.
  • Support HRBPs and business leaders in determining appropriate outcomes based on investigation findings.
  • Establish clear governance and standards for how investigations are initiated, conducted, and resolved across the organization.
  • Act as a trusted thought partner to HRBPs and business leaders on complex employee matters.
  • Coach HRBPs on documentation, consistency, and structured decision-making.
  • Elevate the ER capability of the HRBP team through training, playbooks, and case reviews.
  • Build scalable ER processes, documentation templates, and intake systems.
  • Define clear governance around investigations and disciplinary actions.
  • Develop dashboards and reporting mechanisms to identify trends and reduce organizational risk.
  • Ensure global and multi-state compliance as the organization evolves.

Requirements

  • 8+ years of experience in Employee Relations, Employment Law, Human Resources, or a related function.
  • Strong knowledge of U.S. employment law and contemporary workplace practices.
  • Significant experience managing complex terminations and structured employee exit discussions.
  • Experience partnering closely with Legal teams on employment matters.
  • Former employment attorney preferred or Senior HRBP with substantial ER depth and strong legal fluency.
  • Exceptional judgment and ability to navigate ambiguity and gray areas.
  • Strong risk awareness and decision-making skills.
  • Ability to influence senior leaders while maintaining objectivity.
  • High emotional intelligence and discretion.
  • Clear, concise communicator — especially in high-stakes situations.
  • Systems thinker who can move from individual cases to scalable strategy.
Benefits
  • highly market-competitive compensation and benefits
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
Employee RelationsEmployment LawWorkplace InvestigationsPerformance ManagementRisk ManagementPolicy DevelopmentDocumentation StandardsData AnalysisCompliance ManagementExit Strategy Development
Soft Skills
JudgmentDecision-MakingInfluencingEmotional IntelligenceCommunicationCoachingStrategic ThinkingObjectivityDiscretionCollaboration