HR/ER Principal
We are searching for an experienced HR/ER Principal at our Headquarters facility.
Hyundai MOBIS Parts America
We think creatively and keep challenging ourselves to help create a new future and eventually make humankind’s dreams a reality. Ready for the challenge?
Who We Are
Tomorrow's most advanced automotive technology is being envisioned today at MOBIS Parts America (MPA). A subsidiary of Hyundai MOBIS, we are a top leading automotive parts supplier. MPA provides after-sales service parts support for Hyundai Motors, Kia Motors, and Genesis. In addition to the distribution of genuine service parts, the MPA Accessories division develops accessories for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis - which are installed on new vehicles in the United States and Canada.
Description
Job Purpose
The HR/ER Principal serves as the primary legal and compliance resource within Human Resources, providing practical, business-focused legal guidance across the full HR function. This role supports Employee Relations, Benefits, Safety, Security, Workers' Compensation, HR compliance, labor relations, and other employment-related matters. The position reviews investigation reports and sensitive employment actions; reviews and updates internal forms, templates, policies, and documents for compliance with applicable federal and state law; monitors legal developments and employment-law trends; partners closely with external counsel on complex and high-risk legal matters; prepares legal, compliance, and audit reports; and supports urgent workplace matters as needed.
This is an individual-contributor role requiring an attorney or legal professional with strong employment and labor law experience, sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to translate legal requirements into practical HR and business solutions.
Key Accountabilities
• Enterprise HR Legal Support - 30%: Advise HR and business leaders on employment and labor law matters across Employee Relations, Benefits, Safety, Security, Workers' Compensation, leave and accommodations, wage and hour, and related HR operations. Review and update HR forms, policies, notices, agreements, and other documents for federal and state law compliance. Monitor legal developments, conduct legal research, recommend practical changes, and draft or negotiate employment-related agreements.
• Claims, Litigation, Agency Matters and Reporting - 25%: Partner with external counsel on claims, agency charges, demand letters, subpoenas, pre-litigation matters, mediations, arbitrations, and litigation. Coordinate litigation holds, evidence preservation, discovery, document production, witness preparation, settlement implementation, and post-matter follow-up. Prepare case summaries, risk assessments, litigation and executive reports, audit reports, and status updates. Monitor outside-counsel performance, budgets, invoices, and forecasts.
• Investigation and Employment Action Review - 20%: Review complex or high-risk investigations, evidence, findings, disciplinary actions, and termination recommendations for factual support, consistency, policy alignment, and legal risk. Advise on matters involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblowing, wage and hour, leaves, accommodations, safety, privacy, and senior-level employees.
• Labor Relations and Union Prevention - 15%: Support positive employee relations and lawful union-prevention efforts by identifying workplace concerns and recommending responsive actions. Train managers on employee rights, protected concerted activity, union awareness, early warning signs, and compliant communication. Coordinate lawful responses to organizing activity and other labor matters with external labor counsel when appropriate.
• Policy, Forms, Training, Compliance and Audit - 10%: Develop and update HR policies, procedures, forms, templates, training, and compliance communications. Conduct compliance and risk assessments, support audits, respond to findings, prepare compliance and audit reports, and implement corrective and preventive actions with HR stakeholders.
Key Performance Indicators
• Provide timely, accurate, practical legal guidance that enables informed HR and business decisions.
• Complete reviews of investigations, disciplinary actions, and termination recommendations within established timelines, with clear identification of factual, policy, and legal-risk gaps.
• Ensure investigation reports distinguish allegations, evidence, credibility considerations, findings, and recommendations and are supported by available facts.
• Identify and escalate potential litigation, retaliation, safety, compliance, and labor-relations risks promptly.
• Keep HR forms, policies, notices, agreements, and templates current with relevant federal and state legal developments.
• Provide timely, clear, and practical legal updates, including the potential impact on HR operations and recommended actions.
• Deliver manager and HR training on employment-law fundamentals, investigations, documentation, employee rights, labor relations, and compliant union-related communications.
• Identify and address employee-relations trends and workplace concerns that may contribute to organizing activity, while ensuring recommendations and management responses comply with the National Labor Relations Act and protect employees' rights.
• Maintain complete, confidential, organized, and audit-ready matter files and trackers that clearly identify legal holds, discovery obligations, counsel requests, settlement commitments, deadlines, ownership, and next steps.
• Meet agency, litigation, discovery, reporting, audit, and internal business deadlines.
• Prepare accurate case summaries, risk assessments, litigation reports, executive updates, compliance reports, and audit reports that clearly state status, exposure, deadlines, recommendations, and next steps.
• Coordinate timely and complete evidence preservation, document collection, review, production, witness preparation, mediation, arbitration, settlement implementation, and post-matter follow-up in partnership with external counsel.
• Track outside-counsel performance, legal spend, matter budgets, invoices, forecasts, and material variances, and recommend cost-effective use of legal resources.
• Use claims, investigation, audit, and litigation trends to identify root causes and recommend preventive controls, policy changes, and targeted training.
• Complete agreement reviews and negotiations accurately and within required business timelines.
• Partner effectively with Benefits, Safety, Security, Workers' Compensation, Payroll, HR, Operations, and external counsel on cross-functional legal matters.
• Preserve attorney-client privilege where applicable and consistently maintain confidentiality, sound judgment, and professional independence.
• Perform other duties as assigned, consistent with business needs and applicable law.
Major Challenges and Key Decisions
• This position requires a high level of independent thinking, leadership, and problem-solving, with daily decisions necessary to ensure compliance with federal and state laws, protect the company from unnecessary litigation, effectively lead and develop Field HRBPs, and provide consistent Employee Relations support across multiple locations.
• The position must exercise sound judgment when reviewing investigation findings, disciplinary actions, and termination recommendations; allocating Employee Relations resources; evaluating organizational risk; managing employment claims and litigation-related matters; and determining when issues require escalation to senior leadership or legal counsel.
• Balancing legal risk, employee impact, operational urgency, and business objectives across multiple HR functions and locations.
• Determining when a matter can be addressed through internal HR guidance and when specialized internal or external legal counsel should be engaged.
• Assessing whether investigation findings and employment recommendations are factually supported, consistently applied, and legally defensible.
• Providing rapid, practical guidance during urgent workplace events while working with incomplete or evolving information.
• Navigating labor-relations matters in a manner that respects employees' legally protected rights and supports lawful management practices.
Work Schedule and Travel Requirements
Work Schedule
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Travel Required
Yes
Travel Detail
Minimal overnight travel (up to 20%) by land and/or air
Required Qualifications
Experience Requirements
7+ years of related experience: Required
• Active license and good standing with at least one U.S. state bar required. California bar admission or demonstrated California employment-law experience strongly preferred.
• Generally 7 or more years of relevant legal experience, including substantial employment and labor law experience in a law firm, in-house legal department, or senior HR legal advisory role.
• Experience advising on a broad range of HR legal matters, including employee relations, investigations, leaves and accommodations, benefits, safety, security, Workers' Compensation, wage and hour, discipline, and termination.
• Experience reviewing workplace investigations and providing practical, defensible recommendations to HR and business leaders.
• Experience supporting labor-relations or union matters, including lawful organizing-response guidance, manager training, grievances, collective-bargaining support, or coordination with labor counsel.
• Experience managing or supporting agency charges, claims, subpoenas, discovery, mediation, arbitration, and employment litigation in partnership with external counsel.
• Multi-state employment-law experience preferred. Experience supporting California operations strongly preferred.
• In-house corporate experience and experience in a multi-location operational environment preferred.
• Experience drafting, reviewing, or negotiating employment-related agreements, separation and settlement documents, confidentiality terms, and HR vendor or service agreements preferred.
• Experience with litigation holds, evidence preservation, e-discovery, outside-counsel management, legal-spend tracking, and settlement implementation preferred.
• Experience developing proactive employee-relations and union-readiness strategies, conducting labor-relations assessments, advising on organizing activity, and delivering lawful manager training preferred.
Education Requirements
Bachelor's Degree in Human Resource: Required
Juris Doctor (JD): Required
Licenses / Certifications
PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP: Preferred
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs)
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications
Competencies
Analytical Thinking
Gathers, evaluates, and interprets information to understand issues, identify root causes, and make sound decisions. Applies logical reasoning, critical thinking, and objective analysis to solve problems, assess risks and opportunities, and develop effective solutions that support business and organizational goals.
Communication Skills
Clearly and effectively exchanges information, ideas, and expectations with others through verbal, written, and interpersonal communication. Communicates in a manner that promotes understanding, builds relationships, and supports collaboration across teams and stakeholders. Demonstrates active listening, adapts messages to the audience, and ensures information is conveyed accurately, professionally, and respectfully.
Functional Knowledge
The understanding and application of the specialized knowledge, principles, processes, tools, and best practices required to perform effectively within a specific functional area. Demonstrates expertise in job-related responsibilities and applies technical or professional knowledge to solve problems, improve performance, ensure compliance, and support business objectives. Continuously develops and maintains functional expertise to adapt to evolving business needs, industry trends, and organizational requirements.
Problem Solving
Identifies issues, analyzes situations, and develops effective solutions that address root causes and support business objectives. Applies critical thinking, sound judgment, and a systematic approach to evaluate information, consider alternatives, and implement practical actions. Proactively anticipates challenges, resolves obstacles, and continuously seeks opportunities to improve processes, performance, and results.
Influence
Positively affects the decisions, actions, and perspectives of others through credibility, effective communication, relationship building, and sound judgment. Gains commitment and support by presenting ideas clearly, understanding stakeholder needs, and fostering trust and collaboration. Uses persuasion and interpersonal effectiveness to achieve shared objectives and drive successful outcomes.
Employment Type - Exempt, Annual Salary
Compensation - The expected hiring range for this position is $71,896.32 - 106,406.56, depending on experience and qualifications.
Hyundai Mobis Parts America - Benefits
We offer a competitive benefits package for full-time employees which include:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision
- 401K with employer matching
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Days and Paid Holidays
- Mapped career plans; we believe in developing and promoting our talent!
- Company Discounts & more!
Our company provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.