We're seeking someone to join our team as a Director - HR Employee Services leader who will be responsible for complex HR advisory, Reasonable Accommodation, Reduction in Force, case management, and employee services activities across the HCMES Service Delivery portfolio.
In the Human Capital Management division, we provide advice and insight to attract, retain, reward and develop a talented global workforce, giving employees the support and tools, they need to succeed. This is a Director level position within the HCM Employee Services team which provides commercially oriented HR guidance, employee support, operational execution, risk management, governance, and service delivery across global HR processes.
Since 1935, Morgan Stanley is known as a global leader in financial services, always evolving and innovating to better serve our clients and our communities in more than 40 countries around the world.
What you'll do in the role:
- Lead complex Reasonable Accommodation case management from intake through resolution, including review of supporting documentation, policy interpretation, operational feasibility assessment, stakeholder consultation, and risk-balanced recommendations.
- Act as the senior subject matter expert for sensitive accommodation, leave, ergonomic, employee relations, and workforce matters requiring independent judgment, confidentiality, and escalation discipline.
- Provide end-to-end support and governance for Reduction in Force activities, including coordination with HR Business Partners, Legal, Employee Relations, business leaders, and delivery teams to support confidential workforce actions.
- Interpret Firm policies, regulatory expectations, historical case precedents, and operational guidelines to drive consistent, fair, and defensible outcomes across complex employee situations.
- Influence and advise senior stakeholders, HR Business Partners, managers, employees, Legal, and regional HR partners on sensitive workforce matters, balancing employee experience, business requirements, operational constraints, and compliance risk.
- Own complex escalations and decision support for high-risk cases where precedents are unclear, multiple stakeholders are involved, or outcomes may create legal, compliance, reputational, or employee relations impact.
- Lead operational governance for assigned HCMES processes, including case tracking, documentation quality, audit readiness, service standards, controls, and timely closure of matters in Firm systems.
- Analyze case trends, process gaps, recurring risk themes, and stakeholder feedback to recommend improvements that reduce risk, strengthen controls, and improve the employee and manager experience.
- Drive process simplification, standardization, automation, and continuous improvement across HR Employee Services, ensuring SOPs, templates, playbooks, and knowledge materials remain current and fit for purpose.
- Partner with global and regional HR teams to deliver people initiatives, planned and ad hoc HR projects, cyclical activities, and service delivery priorities with strong execution discipline.
- Provide leadership, coaching, training, and knowledge guidance to junior team members and peers, including capability building, work allocation support, quality review, and input into resourcing or performance-related discussions where applicable.
- Develop executive-ready summaries, metrics, risk insights, and recommendations for senior HR leadership, including clear articulation of issues, options, dependencies, and proposed actions.
- Maintain high standards of confidentiality, judgment, responsiveness, and stakeholder trust while operating in a high-volume, fast-paced, global environment.
- Stay current on relevant employment laws, HR policies, accommodation frameworks, governance expectations, and service delivery requirements to ensure compliant and consistent outcome.
What you'll bring to the role: - Strong HR advisory capability with proven ability to handle complex, sensitive, and confidential employee matters.
- Experienced understanding of HR Employee Services, Reasonable Accommodation, Employee Relations, RIF support, case management, and HR operations within a global environment.
- Strong knowledge of U.S. employment regulations and accommodation frameworks, including FMLA, ADA, and related policy or compliance expectations.
- Ability to exercise independent judgment, assess risk, analyze complex facts, and recommend balanced outcomes where precedents may not be clearly defined.
- Strong stakeholder management and influence skills, with ability to engage employees, managers, HRBPs, Legal, ER, Compliance, and senior leaders professionally and effectively.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, escalations, and workstreams while maintaining accuracy, documentation quality, and timely follow-through.
- Strong process governance mindset, including SOP ownership, audit readiness, controls discipline, and continuous improvement orientation.
- Proficiency in Workday, AskHR, HRCM, ServiceNow, or similar HR/case management platforms, along with strong Microsoft Office capability across Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
- High level of ownership, accountability, integrity, discretion, and professionalism when handling employee data and confidential workforce matters.
- Ability to work effectively across global teams, navigate ambiguity, adapt communication style, and operate in a dynamic service delivery environment.
- Experience supporting complex employee matters in a regulated environment, preferably Banking and Financial Services.
- Experience partnering with Legal, Employee Relations, Compliance, HR Business Partners, business leaders, and regional HR teams on sensitive or high-risk matters.
- At least 10 years' relevant experience would generally be expected to find the skills required for this role with strong exposure to HR Operations, Employee Services, Employee Relations, Reasonable Accommodation, RIF support, or complex case management.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY: At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients - helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that's differentiated - and we've done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren't just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you'll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There's also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.
To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices into your browser.
Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.
Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.
For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo .
