Employee Experience and Relations Manager - (Celebration Key - Bahamas)
Company Overview
At Carnival Cruise Line, our mission is to create safe, fun, and memorable vacations at a great value. As a valued member of our team, you'll actively contribute to developing exceptional travel experiences and unforgettable moments, every single day. Your Carnival journey begins here!
Our Culture Essentials
Joining the Carnival team means embracing our six Culture Essentials, which are the cornerstone values shaping our identity, principles, and actions. These beliefs and behaviors not only define who we are but also unite us as a team, guiding us in decision-making, fostering relationships, tackling challenges, and reaching milestones. These culture essentials propel us toward a shared vision of success, ensuring a collective effort in shaping our future.
- Speak Up
- Respect & Protect
- Empower
- Improve
- Listen & Learn
- Communicate
Responsibilities
Job Description
The Manager, Employee Experience & Relations serves as a trusted advisor to leadership and employees, supporting a positive workplace culture through effective employee relations, labour relations, and engagement strategies. This role provides guidance on policy interpretation and application, performance management, disciplinary processes, and conflict resolution, while leading initiatives that enhance employee engagement, measure sentiment, and support organizational effectiveness.
Employee Relations & Investigations (Process Ownership)
- Serve as the primary point of contact for employee relations matters, including grievances, complaints, disciplinary actions, and performance management.
- Conduct workplace investigations in partnership with Destination and Corporate HR in a fair, timely, and objective manner and provide recommendations aligned with company policy and applicable labour laws.
- Ensure employee relations cases are documented accurately, timely, and in compliance with internal requirements.
- Partner with HR leadership to assess findings, recommend appropriate outcomes, and support decision-making.
- Provide counsel to leaders and employees on appropriate workplace conduct, conflict resolution, and corrective action.
- Monitor trends, themes, and risk areas across employee relations cases and elevate insights to Destination HR and Corporate HR.
Engagement & Feedback (Scoped Ownership)
- Support the administration of employee engagement surveys, pulse checks, and feedback mechanisms in partnership with Destination HR and Corporate HR.
- Facilitate listening sessions, focus groups, and informal check-ins to proactively surface concerns and opportunities for improvement.
- Partner with HR teams to interpret results and identify targeted, practical action areas.
- Track progress and follow-up actions to ensure engagement feedback leads to visible improvements.
- Support local communication of engagement outcomes and next steps.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to promote inclusion, communication, and employee well-being.
Partnership with Destination HR & Corporate HR
- Serve as a key connector between on-the-ground employee experience and HR stakeholders.
Partner closely with Destination HR to ensure alignment on employee relations practices, investigations, and engagement priorities. - Collaborate with Corporate HR on policy interpretation, complex cases, trend analysis, and continuous improvement.
- Provide regular insights, reporting, and recommendations to support enterprise-wide consistency.
Governance, Consistency & Continuous Improvement
- Ensure consistent application of employee relations and employee experience practices across departments and teams.
- Identify opportunities to improve policies, tools, and processes based on employee feedback and case trends.
- Provide guidance to leaders on best practices related to performance improvement plans, workforce planning and talent management.
- Support audits, reporting, and governance requirements related to employee relations and engagement.
- Contribute to the development and refinement of employee experience and relations frameworks.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Scope: In this position, the Manager, Employee Experience & Relations oversees the full employee relations and employee experience portfolio across multiple departments and sites, acting as the primary advisor for leaders and employees. The scope of the role includes investigations, grievances, disciplinary processes, labor and employment policy interpretation, engagement strategy execution, trend analysis, partnership with Destination HR and Corporate HR, and ensuring consistent application of HR practices across the organization. The individual serves as the connector between operational environments and enterprise HR functions, translating on‑the‑ground issues into actionable insights that support broader organizational effectiveness.
Problem-solving: In this position, the manager must navigate complex workplace matters, including conflict resolution, performance issues, grievances, and policy disputes. Problem‑solving requires the ability to objectively investigate cases, interpret labor and employment legislation, determine appropriate outcomes, and recommend fair and legally sound actions. The individual must identify patterns in casework, proactively surface risk areas, and offer practical, scalable solutions that improve workplace climate. This includes analyzing engagement results, diagnosing root causes of employee sentiment concerns, and shaping appropriate follow‑up actions.
Impact: In this position, the manager directly influences the employee experience, workplace culture, and overall organizational health. Their work drives fairness, consistency, and trust across teams by ensuring strong employee relations practices, timely case resolution, and effective communication. Through engagement initiatives, feedback interpretation, and collaborative action planning, the manager strengthens employee satisfaction, inclusion, morale, and retention. Their insights and recommendations shape HR decisions at both Destination and Corporate levels, contributing to risk mitigation, organizational stability, and operational readiness in frontline and multi‑site environments.
Leadership: In this position, the manager provides leadership through advisory excellence, relationship‑building, and cross‑functional partnership. They guide leaders in applying HR policies, managing performance, addressing conduct concerns, and cultivating positive team environments. Leadership is demonstrated through facilitation of listening sessions, coaching leaders on best practices, contributing to continuous improvement of processes, and modeling professionalism and confidentiality. The manager also supports a culture of inclusion and respect by promoting equitable treatment, encouraging employee voice, and influencing behavior through principled, consistent, and well‑informed guidance.
Essential Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business Administration, Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), or a related field (or equivalent experience).
- Strong understanding of HR policies, employment and labour legislation, and workplace standards.
- Strong interpersonal, communication, relationship‑building, and advisory skills.
- Demonstrated sound judgment, discretion, professionalism, and ability to maintain strict confidentiality.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret engagement and sentiment data.
- Ability to work effectively in operational, frontline, and multi‑site environments.
- Preferred: Experience supporting non‑union environments with an emphasis on employee engagement and early issue resolution.
- Preferred: Familiarity with engagement surveys, listening strategies, and pulse tools.
- Preferred: HR certification such as PHR/PHRi, SPHR, or SHRM‑CP/SCP.
Essential Experience Required
- 5+ years of experience in employee relations, HR Generalist roles, or employee experience roles with a strong focus on employee and labour relations.
- Demonstrated experience managing workplace investigations, grievances, and disciplinary processes.
- Proven ability to effectively partner with Destination HR and Corporate HR in a matrixed organizational structure.
- Experience advising leaders on conduct, performance management, corrective action, and policy interpretation.
- Experience analyzing trends in employee relations cases and escalating insights to HR leadership.
- Experience interpreting and applying employment and labour legislation in practical workplace contexts.
- Experience using engagement data to identify root causes, recommend improvements, and support action planning.
Employee Benefits
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Hybrid Work Environment
Empowering work-life integration and flexible opportunities for your personal and career success
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Wellness Programs
Comprehensive employer wellness programs featuring mental health support and fitness options, including an on-site gym
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Cruise Benefits
An array of qualified complimentary and heavily discounted cruise options for the ultimate dream getaway
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Parental Programs
Generous parental leave time and adoption assistance programs
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Retirement Plan
Secure your future with our exceptional Traditional and Roth 401(k) options complemented by valuable company contributions
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Employee Stock Purchase
Invest in tomorrow with the opportunity to purchase Carnival shares at a discounted rate from their fair market value
In addition to the above, we offer PTO and company holidays as well as a variety of medical, dental, and voluntary plans
Culture
Get ready to embark on a journey filled with unforgettable moments. Just as our cruises create incredible memories for our guests, we're dedicated to making work an adventure you'll truly enjoy. Get ready to embrace exhilarating challenges that come with equally exhilarating rewards. You'll join our vibrant and inclusive community, where diversity is not just embraced – it's celebrated. Let's create memories together!