[Hiring] Director, Governance and Advisory Lead @Estée Lauder Companies

Role Description

This opportunity is posted with a location of New York, NY, however we are open to all geographies. This is an exciting opportunity within our Employee Relations COE where you will have the chance to build and influence evolved ER processes, use technology in a new way of working and consult as a ER subject matter expert within our People Function!

The Director, Governance and Advisory Lead is a functional leader within the Employee Relations Center of Excellence (ER/LR CoE), responsible for driving and evolving enterprise ER/LR standards, governance frameworks, and advisory guidance that enable consistent and scalable employee relations and labor relations practices across the organization. This role will lean in when policy interpretation is needed, enforce enterprise guardrails, and stakeholder enablement, ensuring the organization has clear standards, escalation protocols, and decision frameworks that are equitable, practical, and legally sound. This leader partners closely with HR Business Partners, the People Experience Team, and Legal & Compliance, and collaborates with key partners such as Total Rewards and Employee Engagement as applicable to policy-related strategy and governance.

Strategic Leadership

• Drive and evolve enterprise ER/LR standards and governance frameworks that enable consistent decision-making, clear accountability, and scalable adoption across geographies and business units.
• Enforce enterprise-wide guardrails and escalation protocols that clarify when and how matters move between local execution and CoE-level advisory support.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to people leaders and HRBPs on complex or ambiguous people-related policy interpretation and ER/LR guidance.

Policy & Program Development

• Align the strategic approach to global people-related policy in partnership with Legal, Total Rewards, and Employee Engagement, ensuring cohesion between intent, practice, and governance.
• Drive the development of practical decision tools, guidance, and standards that support consistent and equitable application of ER/LR practices.
• Organize and embed global people-related policies into governance and management systems so that standards are accessible, understood, and operationalized.

Case Management & Risk Oversight

• Partner with Legal and Compliance to align governance guardrails, policy intent, and enterprise risk positioning, particularly in complex or precedent-setting scenarios.
• Provide expert advisory and guidance on escalated matters that require policy interpretation, governance alignment, or enterprise consistency, working in close coordination with ER/LR CoE leadership and investigation partners as needed.

Insights & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze trends and recurring themes from ER/LR cases and advisory activity to identify systemic issues, improve standards, and inform enterprise priorities.
• Continuously refine governance frameworks, playbooks, and guidance based on feedback, outcomes, and evolving business and legal needs.

Team & Stakeholder Leadership

• Build strong partnerships across People Partners, the People Experience Team, Legal, Ethics & Compliance, Total Rewards, Talent, ID&E, and business leaders to drive alignment, adoption, and consistent execution of enterprise standards.
• Model high standards of judgment, clarity, and fairness, strengthening ER/LR capability across the People function through guidance, coaching, and strong governance discipline.

Qualifications

• 10–12+ years of progressive HR experience, with significant depth in employee relations governance, policy interpretation, and advisory work in a matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated ability to define and embed enterprise standards, governance frameworks, and scalable guidance that drive consistency and adoption across diverse contexts.
• Experience partnering with Legal and cross-functional stakeholders to align policy intent, risk positioning, and practical execution.
• Strong analytical and systems thinking capability, with the ability to identify themes, anticipate downstream impacts, and translate insights into improved standards and tools.
• Exceptional judgment and discretion; ability to navigate ambiguity with confidence and integrity.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree a plus.