Employee Relations & Labor Compliance Senior Manager (Maternity leave cover)

Nazarbayev University · Astana

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Company Description

About the Role

Nazarbayev University is seeking an experienced professional to join its HR Operations & Employee Relations Department as an Employee Relations & Labor Compliance Senior Manager. The role is responsible for promoting the consistent application of Kazakhstan’s labor legislation and the University’s internal policies and procedures, providing expert guidance on complex employment matters, and ensuring the proper handling of disciplinary cases, employee grievances, and labor disputes.

Working closely with managers, HR Business Partners, Legal, and other relevant university functions, the Senior Manager will provide practical recommendations on sensitive employee relations issues, assess employment-related risks, and contribute to the continuous improvement of HR policies, procedures, and practices. The role also supports the review of reports concerning unethical conduct and harassment where employment relations or potential disciplinary consequences are involved, while respecting established responsibilities and confidentiality requirements.

Job Description

• Employee Relations & Labor Compliance: Provide guidance to managers, HR Business Partners, and HR Operations colleagues on the application of Kazakhstan’s labor legislation and the University’s internal policies. Analyze complex or non-standard employment cases, recommend appropriate courses of action, and promote consistent interpretation and application of employment requirements across the University.
• Policy, Procedures & Methodological Support: Contribute to the development, review, and standardization of employment-related procedures, templates, guidelines, and recommendations. Provide specialist support to HR administration teams on complex labor relations matters, identify inconsistencies in established practices, and escalate significant compliance risks to the Director of HR Operations & Employee Relations.
• Disciplinary Procedures & Labor Disputes: Support disciplinary proceedings and complex employee cases within the scope of HR responsibilities, ensuring that procedural requirements, applicable deadlines, and documentation standards are met. Prepare draft notices, assessments, case documentation, and other materials required to support disciplinary processes and labor disputes. Contribute to the preparation of HR’s factual position and coordinate with Legal on matters requiring legal expertise or formal representation of the University.
• Sensitive Employee Cases, Ethics & Harassment: Participate, in collaboration with the teams responsible for corporate culture and employee engagement, employee well-being, Legal, HR Business Partners, and other authorized functions, in reviewing reports concerning unethical conduct and harassment where employment relations or potential disciplinary consequences are involved. Assess the potential relevance of labor and disciplinary procedures and prepare recommendations within the role’s remit, ensuring appropriate role separation, impartiality, and confidentiality.
• Advisory Support to Managers & HR Business Partners: Advise managers and HR Business Partners on complex employment matters, including employment contract terms, working and rest time arrangements, additional duties, transfers, termination of employment, and organizational changes involving significant employment risks. Review cases submitted for expert assessment, request additional information where necessary, and recommend practical solutions without assuming decision-making authority assigned to managers or other authorized officials.
• Employment Risk Analysis & Prevention: Maintain and analyze information on complex employment cases, disciplinary proceedings, employee grievances, and labor disputes within the scope of the role. Identify recurring issues and underlying causes, prepare analytical materials on significant employment risks for the Director of HR Operations & Employee Relations, and recommend improvements to policies, procedures, templates, and internal communications to prevent recurring problems.
• Training & Knowledge Sharing: Contribute to training and awareness initiatives for HR Business Partners, HR Operations colleagues, and managers on labor legislation, employment practices, disciplinary procedures, and compliance requirements. Promote a consistent understanding of internal policies and effective approaches to resolving employee relations issues.
• Cross-functional Collaboration & Process Improvement: Collaborate with HR administration, HR data, international mobility, and other HR functions to ensure consistent handling of employment matters. Participate in projects to standardize and digitize employee relations processes, develop functional requirements for relevant digital solutions, and support user testing and implementation.
• Professional Standards & Confidentiality: Maintain objectivity, impartiality, and complete documentation when handling complex or sensitive cases. Protect confidential information and personal data, identify and escalate significant employment and legal risks in a timely manner, and ensure that matters requiring legal expertise or formal representation are referred to the appropriate function.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in Law, Human Resources Management, Management, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience. Additional qualifications or training in labor law, employee relations, mediation, or HR are an advantage.
• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience in employee relations, HR administration, labor law, human resources management, or a related field.
• Practical experience applying labor legislation and handling disciplinary procedures, complex employee cases, labor disputes, or employee grievances.
• Strong knowledge of Kazakhstan’s labor legislation, employment documentation and contract changes, disciplinary procedures, termination of employment, employee relations practices, and relevant confidentiality and personal data protection requirements.
• Experience analyzing complex employment situations, preparing written assessments and recommendations, reviewing case documentation, and advising managers or HR Business Partners on employment-related risks.
• Ability to handle sensitive and potentially contentious situations with sound judgment, impartiality, discretion, and a solutions-oriented approach.
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to explain complex employment requirements clearly and work effectively with HR, Legal, managers, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrated attention to detail, professional integrity, and the ability to manage confidential information and competing priorities.
• Fluency in Kazakh, Russian, and English, with the ability to review employment documentation, prepare written assessments, provide consultations, and communicate professionally in all three languages.

Experience in a large, international, educational, or research organization will be considered an advantage.

Additional Information

Recruitment and selection process
Recruitment and selection at Nazarbayev University include the following process: preliminary selection based on experience and qualifications, assessments (e.g. technical skills/capabilities, aptitude, personality, work samples, in-basket exercises, and informal interviews), and motivation.

Formal interviews form the final stage of the selection process.
They are typically based on organizational values and behaviors and conducted in English.
You are encouraged to share your views and values  to identify how they fit into  Nazarbayev University core values

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