Employee Relations & Policy Specialist (Legal)

About Macmillan We deeply believe in the power of books to connect people, amplify diverse voices, create meaningful change, and make a lasting impact in the world. Macmillan Publishers is a leading publishing company and home to some of the world's most cherished authors and creators. We are firmly committed to our employees, authors, and core values — and strive to build a culture that is inclusive of diverse voices and perspectives throughout all levels of the company. Our U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, The St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. Macmillan Publishers is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to reflecting a broad representation of differences — race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical ability, age, family status, economic background and status, geographical background and status, and perspective — in our workplace.

Macmillan

We are a leading publishing company and home to some of the world's most cherished authors and creators.

Book Publishing

M

us.macmillan.com

1,001-5,000 employees

Book and Periodical Publishing

New York, NY

Privately Held

249k LinkedIn followers

• Policy Governance & Drafting: Maintain, update, and draft employee handbooks,
• multi-state employment policies, and standard operating procedures to ensure
• compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws.
• Internal Workplace Investigations: Conduct fair, objective internal
• investigations into policy violations and workplace concerns under the
• guidance of Employment Counsel. Draft comprehensive investigation summaries,
• findings, and remediation recommendations.
• Performance Management & Employee Guidance: Provide guidance on performance
• management, corrective action, coaching, performance improvement plans
• (PIPs), accommodations, and leave programs.
• Trend Analysis, Documentation & Leader Capability: Analyze employee relations
• trends, maintain compliant case documentation, and support leader capability
• through training, coaching, and mentoring on employee relations best
• practices.
• Separation and Employment Agreements: Draft, tailor, and track standardized
• and custom employment agreements and severance and release agreements in
• compliance with applicable law (e.g., OWBPA, state-specific rules).
• Legal Process & Dispute Support: Serve as the primary point of contact for
• agency inquiries, employment record requests, and subpoenas. Coordinate
• document collection, litigation holds, and evidence compilation for outside
• defense counsel.
• Independent Contractor Classification: Review engagements to assess proper
• worker classification (W-2 vs. 1099) under federal, state, and local legal
• tests; maintain classification documentation and records.
• Regulatory Research & Risk Mitigation: Monitor statutory changes, state/local
• leave laws, and workplace regulations to proactively identify required policy
• updates and support pre-litigation risk mitigation.
• Paralegal Certificate from an ABA-approved program.
• 2-3 years of progressive experience in Employee Relations, Workplace
• Investigations, or Employment Law (in-house legal/HR environment or
• employer-side law firm preferred).
• Strong working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws (FLSA,
• FMLA, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, state wage-and-hour laws).
• Proven ability to conduct neutral, sensitive workplace interviews and
• synthesize complex facts into concise written reports.
• Exceptional strategic judgment, emotional intelligence, discretion, and the
• ability to influence outcomes across all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrated capability in advising on complex performance management,
• leaves, accommodations, and employee relations issues.
• Exceptional legal/policy writing, editing, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with legal research databases (Westlaw/LexisNexis) and document
• management systems.

• This position is classified as remote but is tied to our New York, NY office
• located at 120 Broadway. Employment is subject to New York State tax withholding
• under applicable regulations.
• Macmillan Publishers is the U.S. trade company that is part of the Holtzbrinck
• Publishing Group, a large family-owned group of media companies headquartered in
• Stuttgart, Germany. Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's publishing companies include
• prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning
• books for children and adults in all categories and formats.
• U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron
• Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing
• Group, The St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the UK,
• Australia, India, and South Africa, companies in the Holtzbrinck Publishing
• Group publish under the Pan Macmillan name. The German publishing company,
• Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer,
• Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur.