Description

The Manager of Workplace Investigations leads Stanford Health Care's workplace investigations function and is responsible for the quality, consistency, timeliness, and integrity of investigations across the organization. This role leads a team of HR professionals who conduct investigations, while also personally handling sensitive and complex cases. The Manager establishes standardized investigation methodologies,
documentation practices, and case-tracking systems, while serving as the primary operational leader for investigations involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, workplace misconduct, policy violations, and other employee relations matters. This position works closely with Hospital Compliance, the Office of General Counsel, and outside counsel to ensure investigations are properly structured to preserve attorney-client privilege and align with organizational strategies.

What you will do

• Leads a team of professionals who conduct workplace investigations, providing supervision, coaching, development, and performance management while also personally conducting investigations for sensitive, high-risk, or executive-level matters.
• Establishes and enforces standardized investigation methodologies, documentation protocols, timelines, and case-tracking systems to ensure consistency, quality, and integrity across all workplace investigations.
• Serves as the escalation point for sensitive matters and coaches team members on difficult cases, ensuring neutrality, completeness, and legal sufficiency of investigation plans, interview strategies, evidence summaries, findings, and reports.
• Partners with Legal and outside counsel as needed to coordinate investigative efforts, particularly for cases involving potential litigation risk, ensuring all investigations follow proper protocols for preserving privilege and confidentiality.
• Maintains a rigorous tracking system for investigations, analyzing data to identify trends, recurring themes, substantiation patterns, and organizational hotspots, providing actionable recommendations to mitigate emerging patterns of risk.
• Develops and delivers training for leaders and departments on investigative best practices, complaint handling, reporting obligations, documentation standards, anti-retaliation measures, and workplace conduct expectations.
• Provides guidance to leaders, other HR practice areas, Security, and other stakeholders regarding case status, interim measures, findings, corrective action, and post-investigation follow-up.
• Manages the selection, engagement, and coordination of outside investigators when external support is needed due to complexity, neutrality concerns, specialized subject matter, or capacity constraints.

Requirements

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, Business, or Criminal Justice.
• Advanced degree or professional certifications (e.g., SHRM-CP/SHRM-SCP, PHR/SPHR) preferred.

Experience Qualifications

• 10 years of progressively responsible experience in employee relations, labor relations, or related function, conducting workplace investigations required.
• Minimum of 5 years of people management responsibility required.
• Experience conducting and overseeing investigations related to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other sensitive workplace issues required.
• Experience in a California healthcare environment and unionized setting is preferred.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of California employment law, investigation best practices, and complaint response processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with ability to review complex cases and prepare comprehensive reports.
• Strong leadership presence and sound professional judgment with ability to lead through ambiguity.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to translate investigation trends and case outcomes into practical training and prevention strategies.
• Strong stakeholder management skills for effectively partnering with legal counsel, compliance, and leadership.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle highly sensitive information with appropriate discretion.