Employee Relations Specialist

About Rivian Rivian is on a mission to keep the world adventurous forever. This goes for the emissions-free Electric Adventure Vehicles we build, and the curious, courageous souls we seek to attract. As a company, we constantly challenge what’s possible, never simply accepting what has always been done. We reframe old problems, seek new solutions and operate comfortably in areas that are unknown. Our backgrounds are diverse, but our team shares a love of the outdoors and a desire to protect it for future generations. Role Summary We are seeking an Employee Relations Specialist to strengthen frontline leadership capability, drive consistent employee relations practices, and help build a fair, respectful, high-performing workplace across our manufacturing operations. This role sits at the intersection of People, employee relations, labor relations, policy execution, and day-to-day operational support. You will serve as a strategic partner to Group Leaders and Managers, helping them navigate employee concerns, provide coaching, engage in open-door interactions, resolve conflicts, and apply policies consistently and with sound judgment. You will also help identify trends, surface risks early, and support practical improvements that strengthen the employee experience and reduce workplace disruption. This role is based onsite in Normal, IL. You will work closely with frontline leadership, People Business Partners, Labor Relations, Legal, EHS, and plant leaders, helping connect employee relations strategy to execution and supporting a scalable, disciplined operating model on the plant floor. Why This Role Matters Strengthen frontline leadership: Equip Group Leaders and Managers with practical coaching, guidance, and employee relations support so they can lead with consistency, fairness, and confidence. Resolve issues early: Support open-door interactions, conflict resolution, and day-to-day risk mitigation before concerns escalate into more disruptive employee relations matters. Protect consistency on the floor: Help ensure policies, corrective actions, and people practices are applied in a way that is equitable, compliant, and aligned across teams and shifts. Improve culture through action: Translate employee sentiment, recurring issues, and leader needs into practical recommendations that strengthen engagement, trust, and team performance. Responsibilities Frontline Leadership Coaching & Support Serve as a day-to-day employee relations resource to Group Leaders and Managers on coaching, conduct concerns, open door interactions, and routine employee issues. Provide practical guidance on appropriate remedial actions, documentation, and next steps to support consistency, fairness, and sound decision-making. Coach leaders through difficult conversations and early-stage issue resolution, helping them address concerns clearly, respectfully, and in a timely way. Support leaders in balancing employee advocacy, operational needs, and policy expectations in a fast-moving manufacturing environment. Conflict Resolution & Issue Management Support leaders in discussions to resolve workplace concerns quickly and constructively. Support leaders in mediating interpersonal and team-level conflicts in a way that preserves trust, reduces disruption, and supports production continuity. Assess employee concerns and help determine when issues can be resolved through coaching, mediation, or standard employee relations processes. Escalate more complex, sensitive, or high-risk matters appropriately in partnership with People and Labor Relations. Policy Application, Compliance & Risk Mitigation Support leaders in interpreting and applying company policies, handbooks, and workplace expectations consistently across the plant floor. Provide guidance that helps maintain a compliant, respectful, non-union operating environment while reducing employee relations risk. Monitor recurring themes, conduct trends, and policy questions to identify areas where clearer guidance, stronger leader support, or process improvements are needed. Partner with People and business leaders to help strengthen consistency in employee relations practices across shifts, departments, and leader populations. Engagement, Training & Culture Building Execute employee relations standard work that supports a positive, high-performing, and engaged workplace culture. Facilitate or support training for leaders on conflict management, policy application, workplace expectations, and employee relations best practices. Partner with leaders to support engagement initiatives, reinforce respectful workplace behaviors, and improve team health. Bring forward employee sentiment and on-the-ground insights to help leaders and People partners respond proactively. Continuous Improvement & Operational Effectiveness Track employee relations patterns and leader support needs to help improve how issues are addressed, documented, and resolved. Recommend practical improvements, employee relations processes, leader resources, and communication approaches based on recurring themes. Help build repeatable practices that improve consistency, responsiveness, and confidence in employee relations support. Contribute to a disciplined, solutions-oriented employee relations operating model that supports both people and plant performance. Qualifications Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. 3–5 years of experience in Human Resources, employee relations, or manufacturing support roles, ideally in a fast-paced manufacturing or automotive environment. Demonstrated experience supporting leaders on employee issues, policy interpretation, performance coaching, and conflict resolution. Strong interpersonal judgment and emotional intelligence, with the ability to navigate sensitive situations with professionalism, empathy, and discretion. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to coach leaders clearly and document issues effectively. Working knowledge of employment-related requirements and workplace compliance considerations, including areas such as FLSA, OSHA, and EEO. Ability to identify risks early, apply sound judgment, and recommend practical, balanced solutions in a dynamic plant environment. Proven ability to build trust with frontline leaders, employees, and cross-functional partners while maintaining consistency and credibility. Ability to work effectively across shifts, adapt to changing business needs, and support urgent employee relations matters as they arise. This position requires full availability for on-call duty, including support for night shifts and weekend hours as needed. Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting hourly workforces and frontline leadership in an automotive, industrial, or other high-volume production environment. Experience facilitating mediation, open door conversations, or other early-stage employee relations interventions. Exposure to structured problem-solving, continuous improvement, or standard work practices in a plant setting. Experience partnering with Employee Relations, HR Business Partners, EHS, Legal, or operations leaders on workplace issues. Familiarity with maintaining a compliant non-union employee relations environment. Pay Disclosure The salary range for this role is USD 89,900 - 112,400 for applicants in Illinois, Michigan, and Atlanta. This is the lowest-to-highest salary we, in good faith, believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors, including but not limited to specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, shift, and organizational needs. The successful candidate may be eligible for an annual performance bonus and equity awards. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits for full-time and part-time employees, their spouse or domestic partner, and children up to age 26, including but not limited to paid vacation, paid sick leave, and a competitive portfolio of insurance benefits, including life, medical, dental, vision, short-term disability insurance, and long-term disability insurance to eligible employees. You may also have the opportunity to participate in Rivian’s 401(k) Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program if you meet certain eligibility requirements. Full-time employee coverage is effective on their first day of employment. Part-time employee coverage is effective on the first of the month following 90 days of employment. More information about benefits is available at rivianbenefits.com. You can apply for this role through careers.rivian.com (or through internal-careers-rivian.icims.com if you are a current employee). This job is not expected to be closed any sooner than July 31, 2026. Equal Opportunity Rivian is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law. Rivian is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at candidateaccommodations@rivian.com. Candidate Data Privacy Rivian may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law. Rivian may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian affiliates; and (iii) Rivian’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services. Rivian may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions. Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services. Frontline Leadership Coaching & Support Serve as a day-to-day employee relations resource to Group Leaders and Managers on coaching, conduct concerns, open door interactions, and routine employee issues. Provide practical guidance on appropriate remedial actions, documentation, and next steps to support consistency, fairness, and sound decision-making. Coach leaders through difficult conversations and early-stage issue resolution, helping them address concerns clearly, respectfully, and in a timely way. Support leaders in balancing employee advocacy, operational needs, and policy expectations in a fast-moving manufacturing environment. Conflict Resolution & Issue Management Support leaders in discussions to resolve workplace concerns quickly and constructively. Support leaders in mediating interpersonal and team-level conflicts in a way that preserves trust, reduces disruption, and supports production continuity. Assess employee concerns and help determine when issues can be resolved through coaching, mediation, or standard employee relations processes. Escalate more complex, sensitive, or high-risk matters appropriately in partnership with People and Labor Relations. Policy Application, Compliance & Risk Mitigation Support leaders in interpreting and applying company policies, handbooks, and workplace expectations consistently across the plant floor. Provide guidance that helps maintain a compliant, respectful, non-union operating environment while reducing employee relations risk. Monitor recurring themes, conduct trends, and policy questions to identify areas where clearer guidance, stronger leader support, or process improvements are needed. Partner with People and business leaders to help strengthen consistency in employee relations practices across shifts, departments, and leader populations. Engagement, Training & Culture Building Execute employee relations standard work that supports a positive, high-performing, and engaged workplace culture. Facilitate or support training for leaders on conflict management, policy application, workplace expectations, and employee relations best practices. Partner with leaders to support engagement initiatives, reinforce respectful workplace behaviors, and improve team health. Bring forward employee sentiment and on-the-ground insights to help leaders and People partners respond proactively. Continuous Improvement & Operational Effectiveness Track employee relations patterns and leader support needs to help improve how issues are addressed, documented, and resolved. Recommend practical improvements, employee relations processes, leader resources, and communication approaches based on recurring themes. Help build repeatable practices that improve consistency, responsiveness, and confidence in employee relations support. Contribute to a disciplined, solutions-oriented employee relations operating model that supports both people and plant performance. Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. 3–5 years of experience in Human Resources, employee relations, or manufacturing support roles, ideally in a fast-paced manufacturing or automotive environment. Demonstrated experience supporting leaders on employee issues, policy interpretation, performance coaching, and conflict resolution. Strong interpersonal judgment and emotional intelligence, with the ability to navigate sensitive situations with professionalism, empathy, and discretion. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to coach leaders clearly and document issues effectively. Working knowledge of employment-related requirements and workplace compliance considerations, including areas such as FLSA, OSHA, and EEO. Ability to identify risks early, apply sound judgment, and recommend practical, balanced solutions in a dynamic plant environment. Proven ability to build trust with frontline leaders, employees, and cross-functional partners while maintaining consistency and credibility. Ability to work effectively across shifts, adapt to changing business needs, and support urgent employee relations matters as they arise. This position requires full availability for on-call duty, including support for night shifts and weekend hours as needed. Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting hourly workforces and frontline leadership in an automotive, industrial, or other high-volume production environment. Experience facilitating mediation, open door conversations, or other early-stage employee relations interventions. Exposure to structured problem-solving, continuous improvement, or standard work practices in a plant setting. Experience partnering with Employee Relations, HR Business Partners, EHS, Legal, or operations leaders on workplace issues. Familiarity with maintaining a compliant non-union employee relations environment.