Employee Relations Manager

Job Title: Employee Relations Manager

Based in Houston, Texas, we are a small family-owned winery. We craft exceptional, sustainably farmed wines from our estate vineyards in California, Argentina, Washington, and Texas-each bottle handcrafted with care, passion, and a deep appreciation for food pairing. We combine a passion for exceptional wine with a warm, elevated hospitality experience. Our team values creativity, collaboration, and genuine customer connections, creating an environment where employees can grow delivering memorable experiences to every guest.

The Employee Relations Manager is responsible for overseeing the winery’s administrative and human resources functions, with a primary focus on workforce management, employee support, regulatory compliance, and support for employee-related processes across all departments while fostering a collaborative, productive, and positive workplace culture.

This position leads full-cycle recruitment and hiring efforts, partnering with department leaders to identify staffing needs and develop structed onboarding processes that effectively integrate and train new employees while aligning them with the winery’s culture and performance standards. Additional responsibilities include employee relations, policy development, performance management, and ensuring compliance with labor and safety regulations.

The ideal candidate is a proactive and adaptable leader with strong employee management expertise who enjoys improving and streamlining existing processes while developing new ones. This role is well suited for someone who thrives on building structure, supporting employee engagement, and professional development, and helping teams operate more efficiently.

Recruitment and hiring

·        In collaboration with department managers, create job descriptions for newly established positions and ensure that existing job descriptions accurately and clearly reflect the expectations of each position.

·        Create and distribute job posting across external platforms.

·        Attend job fairs and career events to promote the company and engage with potential talent.

·        Review and evaluate incoming resumes to identify qualified candidates.

·        Conduct initial phone screenings to assess candidate qualifications.

·        Coordinate and schedule interviews between candidates and department managers.

·        Primarily conducting interviews for potential candidates.

·        Contact and follow up with references and facilitate completion of background checks for potential candidates.

·        Oversee and coordinate onboarding for new recruits and ensure required documentation is completed, and assist new hires in accessing and completing onboarding documentation such as:

o  Form I-9

o  IRS Form W-4

o  Direct deposit

o  Emergency contact form

o  Scheduling application set up form

o  Handbook agreement form

o  Confidentiality agreement

o  Non-compete agreement

o  Form W-9 (for contractors)

·        Complete onboarding for new hires which will include:

o  Communicating via email the expectations for the first day

§ Identification/documentation needed for new hire paperwork

§ Dress code

§ Instructions on how to get into the winery and parking

§ Information on available workplace amenities

o  Communication of the employees’ schedule for the current and following weeks

o  Being present on their first day to coordinate their arrival

o  Showing new hire the employee lockers, breakroom, bathrooms, etc.

o  Introducing new hires to current employees

o  Reviewing the company handbook to ensure they understand policies

·        Manage training and performance development for new employees, including details on any certifications required for the position.

Ongoing Employee Management

·        Creating and supervising schedule for staff.

·        Tracking employee PTO/Sick days and balancing the staffing needs of the Winery

·        Maintaining and track employee records according to company policies and legal requirements:

o  Employment eligibility and work authorization compliance

o  TABC and Texas Food Handler Certificate as well as renewals

·        Attendance documentation.

·        Employee performance management documentation, including discipline record.

·        Oversee and tracking of employee performance evaluations and development plans.

·        Facilitate and support department managers in the completion of performance evaluations and development and tracking of employee development goals.

·        Advocate and collaborate with leadership for adequate compensation adjustments based on employee performance and market data.

·        Meet regularly with department managers to discuss workflow, needs, and successes.

·        Coach and mentor department managers on employee performance and conflict resolution.

·        Counsel/coach employees on ways to improve their job performance.

·        With department managers, facilitate conversations to address employee performance and behavioral issues through clear, respectful, and solutions-focused communication.

·        Facilitate meetings between department managers and employees to implement performance improvement plans or probationary measures in response to behavioral issues. This includes tracking of follow up meetings and completion of probationary periods.

·        Help keep the connection strong between employees and leadership by addressing concerns, resolving conflicts, and making sure everyone feels heard to maintain a positive work environment.

·        Lead initiatives to improve employee performance, engagement, satisfaction, and retention.

·        Plan and coordinate employee events, including celebrations, employee appreciation, and team-building activities, to promote engagement and morale.

·        Advocate for employee needs and concerns by facilitating effective communication with leadership - Act as a trusted point of contact between staff and leadership, promoting transparency and mutual understanding.

·        Monitor and enforce compliance with workplace rules, policies, and procedures by addressing violations and guiding corrective actions.

·        Willingness to work in all departments to learn the requirements of the various positions at Nice Winery.

·        Willingness to help out in all departments as needed.

·        Ability to effectively address and resolve customer service concerns.

·        Other duties as assigned.

This position requires:

·        Previous relevant experience.

·        Demonstrated customer service and hospitality management skills.

·        Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays as required in hospitality operations.

·        Experience in personnel management, recruiting, or human resources administration.

·        Strong knowledge of employment laws, labor regulations, workplace compliance and personnel best practices.

·        Experience in overseeing recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, and performance management.

·        Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive employee information with professionalism and discretion.

·        Experience developing and implementing workplace policies and procedures.

·        Excellent communication (written and oral), leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

·        Proficiency in Microsoft office (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).

This position is full-time and can be scheduled up to 40 hours per week in which you will be compensated at $20-25/hr and eligible for:

·        Ten days of leave, vacation, and personal time. Please note: it is generally a rule at Nice Winery not to take PTO or unpaid leave during the first five to eight days of any month due to our club shipment cycle. It is also important to understand that wine sells most during the holidays so Nice Wines employees cannot take all holidays off at the same time.

·        Three days of sick time to be used for emergencies and should not be used for leave, vacation, or personal time off.

·        Employer-provided dental, vision, and life insurance.

·        Access to medical healthcare.

·        Eligibility to participate in our SIMPLE IRA plan.

·        Nice Winery Club Membership: you will be enrolled in our Discovery Wine Club or our White Wine Club, with an annual value of at least $588. (You are welcome to upgrade your membership to Premium Club or Reds Club and pay the difference.)

·        Employee discount on wine for personal use of 30% off retail price.

·        Free attendance to any Nice Wines educational classes.

·        Tuesday to Saturday 10am-6:30pm.

·        Sundays and Mondays off.

·        Occasional evenings as needed.

·        Some holidays dependent on staff coverage.

·        Required to work on harvest days (once or twice a year).