Senior Employee Relations Specialist

Circle (NYSE: CRCL) is one of the world's leading internet financial platform companies, building the foundation of a more open, global economy through digital assets, payment applications, and programmable blockchain infrastructure. Circle's platform includes the world's largest regulated stablecoin network anchored by USDC, Circle Payments Network for global money movement, and Arc, an enterprise-grade blockchain designed to become the Economic OS for the internet. Enterprises, financial institutions, and developers use Circle to power trusted, internet-scale financial innovation. Learn more at circle.com .
What you'll be part of:
Circle is committed to visibility and stability in everything we do. As we grow as an organization, we're expanding into some of the world's strongest jurisdictions. Speed and efficiency are motivators for our success and our employees live by our company values : High Integrity, Future Forward, Multistakeholder, Mindful, and Driven by Excellence. We have built a flexible work environment where new ideas are encouraged and everyone is a stakeholder.
What you'll be responsible for:
We are looking for a sharp, discreet, and forward-thinking Employee Relations Lead to join our People & Talent organization. In this critical role, you'll help maintain a high-integrity, high-performance culture by leading complex employee relations work with rigor, fairness, and sound judgment.
You will manage the full lifecycle of employee relations matters - from intake to investigation to resolution - while serving as a trusted advisor to HR Business Partners, Legal, Compliance, Ethics, and business leaders. Your work will directly influence how consistently, transparently, and effectively we navigate performance issues, conflict, conduct concerns, and organizational challenges.
This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives on complexity, exercises exceptional judgment, and consistently models maturity, discretion, and clarity. You'll help shape a scalable ER function rooted in data, compliance, and a strong sense of humanity - strengthening trust across the company.
What you'll work on:
Employee Relations Case Leadership

• Own the end-to-end management of employee relations cases, including intake, triage, investigation, documentation, recommendations, and closure.
• Conduct thorough, unbiased investigations into allegations such as misconduct, policy violations, workplace conflict, retaliation, and performance escalations.
• Deliver clear findings and partner with HRBPs, Legal, Compliance, and Ethics to ensure outcomes are fair, consistent, and grounded in company values.
• Ensure high-quality case documentation with precise, audit-ready detail.

Manager Coaching & Employee Support

• Advise managers on handling performance concerns, conflict resolution, coaching strategies, and policy interpretation.
• Support employees and leaders navigating sensitive situations by offering clarity, empathy, and actionable guidance.
• Partner with HRBPs to elevate leader capability and to address root causes driving ER activity.

Policy, Governance & Process Improvement

• Interpret company policies and help ensure organizational adherence, recommending updates as gaps or trends emerge.
• Strengthen ER playbooks, templates, and operational processes to improve consistency, efficiency, and risk management.
• Collaborate with Compliance and Legal to maintain alignment with employment regulations across multiple jurisdictions.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, and HRBPs to refine employee-facing policies and playbooks.
• Support the development of ER frameworks, templates, investigation tools, and documentation standards.

Data, Trends & Risk Prevention

• Track and analyze ER cases to identify patterns, hotspots, and breakdowns in culture or leadership effectiveness.
• Produce reporting and insights for People leadership, highlighting emerging risk and recommending evidence-based interventions.
• Use data to influence proactive solutions - training, policy adjustments, and capability-building for managers.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Alignment

• Work closely with HRBPs, Legal, Compliance, Ethics, Security, and Talent teams to ensure cohesive handling of employee matters.
• Support cross-functional projects involving investigations, organizational changes, policy refreshes, and culture initiatives.
• Maintain strong communication loops across HR functions to ensure clarity, risk mitigation, and seamless employee experience.

Culture, Integrity & Employee Experience

• Champion a culture of fairness, accountability, and psychological safety through both reactive and preventive measures.
• Model behaviors that reinforce trust, confidentiality, and equity in all ER interactions.
• Help leaders recognize and address culture-impacting behaviors early and effectively.

What you'll bring to Circle:

• 4+ years of experience in Employee Relations, HR Business Partnering, investigations, or a related HR discipline.
• Proven capability managing ER cases independently, including complex or high-risk investigations.
• Strong knowledge of employment law, ER best practices, and how to operate in ambiguous, nuanced situations.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with a commitment to clarity, accuracy, and discretion.
• High emotional intelligence and the ability to coach leaders with conviction, empathy, and practicality.
• Experience partnering with Legal, Compliance, and Ethics functions on sensitive topics.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze trends, synthesize insights, and influence preventive solutions.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, global, and evolving environments.
• Strong judgment, resilience, and ability to stay level-headed during difficult conversations.
• Proficiency in G-Suite, Slack, and HRIS tools preferred.
• Bachelor's degree required; HR certification or investigation training preferred.

Circle is on a mission to create an inclusive financial future, with transparency at our core. We consider a wide variety of elements when crafting our compensation ranges and total compensation packages.
Starting pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to: relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, and other business and organizational needs. Please note that compensation ranges may differ for candidates in other locations.
Base Pay Range: $112,500 - $147,500
We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, or any other protected status required by the laws in the locations where we hire. Additionally, Circle participates in the E-Verify Program in certain locations, as required by law.
Should you require accommodations or assistance in our interview process because of a disability, please reach out to [email protected] for support. We respect your privacy and will connect with you separately from our interview process to accommodate your needs.
#LI-Remote