HR Manager- Data Center Operations (Onsite, Elk Grove Village or Hoffman Estates, IL locations)

Join the team that powers the world’s cloud. Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) team is the powerhouse behind our global cloud services.  Our infrastructure spans a vast portfolio of more than 100 datacenters and over one million servers, supporting services for more than one billion customers and 20 million businesses across 90+ countries. With environmental sustainability and operational optimization at the core of our datacenter design, we continue to evolve to meet dynamic business demands—solidifying Microsoft’s position as a world-class cloud provider. We are seeking an  experienced HR professional with labor relations expertise  to partner directly with one of our fastest-growing datacenter campuses in the northern Chicago suburbs (Elk Grove Village/Hoffman Estates area). This role supports a 24/7, 365-day operation with a workforce of 250+ employees and growing. As the dedicated HR Manager for the Chicago metro, you will work onsite to provide strategic HR support to datacenter leadership, managers, and employees—fostering collaboration, driving compliance, and ensuring a positive employee experience in an evolving, technical environment. This is an exciting opportunity to exercise a broad range of HR skills to support a unique and diverse workforce (datacenter technicians and managers) while scaling through the broader Microsoft HR ecosystem. We are looking for someone who is proactive and results driven.  The right fit is someone who is a collaborator (both with the business and within the HR function), a trusted advisor, and a proactive problem solver with labor relations experience and a proven ability to partner effectively within represented workforce environments   as well as someone who can work autonomously in a rapidly evolving environment.

Labor Relations Support labor relations activities, including collective bargaining efforts, collaboration with employee representative bodies   Partner with HR teams and business leadership on labor relations matters, including engagement with unions and works councils, support of collective bargaining processes, and participation and management of grievance resolutions. Contribute to balanced outcomes that align with legal requirements, organizational policy, and employee experience.  Engagement  Through in-person relationship-building and observation (“walking the floor”), develop clear perspective on local employee and manager experiences, areas of risk, and culture of the local area to provide necessary context and guidance to datacenter (DC) leadership and broader HR team    Create and execute people strategies and programs that create a positive work environment, improve employee engagement, etc.  Be a trusted, neutral resource to employees and managers in helping them seek out support on HR questions and concerns leveraging Microsoft’s HR operating model  Provide support to employees and managers on time-sensitive, urgent questions on the spot in accordance with Microsoft policy and process  Be present onsite during some evenings and weekends to connect with employees and managers on evening/night shifts.  Partner across the HR model to foster seamless, quality delivery of HR services (e.g., onboarding, offboarding, statutory reporting, tracking and reporting).     HR Community Leadership  Have a regular seat at datacenter leadership and team meetings to partner and provide HR perspective on site strategy, goals, and challenges.  Partner with the Chicago metro director and HR Business Partner team to develop the broader team’s skills and capabilities, by providing training, coaching, feedback, etc.  Compile, share and leverage insights (anecdotal, case insights, other listening systems) with leadership and partners to propose and develop needed solutions and risk assessment plans.     Assists managers and leaders through organizational change