Director, Labor Strategy & Litigation - 138741

The Director, Labor Strategy & Litigation is a key organizational leader responsible for designing and executing comprehensive labor strategies that align with UC San Diego Health's mission, operational priorities, and risk tolerance. This role leads a team of subject matter experts who provide high-level labor guidance across the enterprise, resolve complex issues with potential legal exposure, and cultivate constructive labor-management relationships within a highly unionized, fast-paced academic healthcare environment.

As a senior member of the Health Human Resources leadership team, the Director serves as a strategic advisor to executives and departmental leaders, advancing organizational interests both locally and systemwide. The role requires sophisticated judgment in assessing labor-related risks and guiding decisions that carry significant operational, legal, and precedent-setting implications.

The Director is responsible for the strategic implementation of multiple systemwide and local collective bargaining agreements, proactively identifying opportunities to mitigate disputes and determine when to pursue or resolve administrative labor litigation. In partnership with internal stakeholders and external and internal counsel, this leader develops pre-litigation assessments, case strategies, and settlement recommendations that balance organizational objectives, legal risk exposure, precedential impacts, and negotiation posture. Performs other related HHR leadership duties as assigned.

Key Responsibilities

Labor Litigation Strategy:
* Leads the development and implementation of comprehensive labor litigation strategies aligned with organizational goals and risk tolerance.
* Directs pre-litigation assessment, case strategy, and settlement evaluation in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external counsel.
* Oversees defense of unfair labor practice charges, grievances proceeding to arbitration, administrative hearings, and court litigation.
* Determines when to pursue settlement versus litigation, balancing legal risk, operational impact, precedent-setting implications, and financial exposure.
* Ensures consistent legal positions across bargaining units and maintains alignment with collective bargaining agreements and statutory requirements.
* Advises executive leadership regarding litigation risk, exposure, and strategic implications for broader labor relations objectives.
* Monitors trends in labor and employment law and proactively adjusts strategy, policies, and negotiation posture to mitigate future legal risk. * Guides the administrative dispute process.* Represents the organization in proceedings, grievances, and final and binding arbitrations.

Management and Leadership:
* Establishes department priorities and goals, delegates work assignments, and manages fiscal and HR resources to ensure the achievement of goals and objectives.
* Provides management oversight for assigned labor relations staff by establishing priorities and delegating work assignments effectively, ensuring proper adherence to collective bargaining policies and procedures.
* Makes recommendations and implements decisions on issues (operational and budget processes, staff FTE, finance, human resources and space planning) that have department-wide impact.

Advice/Counsel/CBA Administration:
* Responsible for administering all collective bargaining agreements for the organization and has final responsibility for interpreting the agreements.
* Responsible for administering and interpreting collective bargaining agreements for the organization; conferring with senior managers and Office of the President as necessary.
* Develops and guides effective bargaining strategies that will lead to desired outcomes. Conducts local negotiations in various bargaining units and ensures contracts comply with statutory requirements and meet the needs of the organization and union management.
* Works in a highly collaborative manner with people of diverse cultures and at all levels to effectively advise location managers and human resource professionals on highly complex labor relations and employment law implications relating to individual and location issues or courses of action and to build consensus with other organizations regarding labor relations objectives, writing contract language, developing bargaining strategies, addressing concerns of employees, and maintaining effective relationships with the unions.
* Manages the individuals who serve as chief spokespersons in face-to-face negotiations and is charged with achieving agreements within parameters defined by organization management.

• Bachelor's degree in related area and eight or more years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of experience, education and training.
• Experience within healthcare, higher education, and unionized environments and the issues unique to these settings.
• Experience in Labor Relations, Employee Relations, and/or labor/employment litigation roles.
• Labor litigation strategy and arbitration experience
• Experience in alternative dispute resolution, labor contract negotiations, and/or formal settlement negotiations.
• Proven ability to appropriately manage competing work assignments in a fast-paced environment and set appropriate priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to handle extremely difficult or volatile situations/individuals. Requires skills associated with working in a highly collaborative manner.
• Advanced knowledge of the principles of advocacy, and applicable state and federal laws and court decisions.

• Master's degree in Labor Relations/Industrial Relations and/or JD.
• Experience with HEERA/PERB/EEOC/CA Dept of Civil Rights.
• Experience with UC staff personnel policies/procedures and systemwide union contracts.
• Academic healthcare human resources experience.
• Experience navigating case management systems or other related HR systems to analyze and utilize metrics.
• Current University of California employee.

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and pre-employment physical.
• Must be able to work various hours and locations based on business needs.

If employed by the University of California, you will be required to comply with our Policy on Vaccination Programs, which may be amended or revised from time to time. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements.

If applicable, life-support certifications (BLS, NRP, ACLS, etc.) must include hands-on practice and in-person skills assessment; online-only certification is not acceptable.

UC San Diego Health is the only academic health system in the San Diego region, providing leading-edge care in patient care, biomedical research, education, and community service. Our facilities include two university hospitals, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Shiley Eye Institute, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center, the only Burn Center in the county, and and dozens of outpatient clinics. We invite you to join our team!

Applications/Resumes are accepted for current job openings only. For full consideration on any job, applications must be received prior to the initial closing date. If a job has an extended deadline, applications/resumes will be considered during the extension period; however, a job may be filled before the extended date is reached.

To foster the best possible working and learning environment, UC San Diego strives to cultivate a rich and diverse environment, inclusive and supportive of all students, faculty, staff and visitors. For more information, please visit UC San Diego Principles of Community.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

For the University of California's Anti-Discrimination Policy, please visit: https://policy.ucop.edu/doc/1001004/Anti-Discrimination

UC San Diego is a smoke and tobacco free environment. Please visit smokefree.ucsd.edu for more information.

UC San Diego Health maintains a marijuana and drug free environment. Employees may be subject to drug screening.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts an offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of substantiated misconduct with a previous employer.

a. "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies governing employee conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, or discrimination, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
• Abusive Conduct in the Workplace