Intermediate Generalist, Human Resources

University of Ottawa; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 86,000 - 107,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Ottawa’s Student Affairs division is seeking an experienced HR professional to provide advisory services to managers across our Faculty/Service. You will address recruitment, classification, performance management, labour relations, training and development, benefits, and occupational health and safety, aligning HR policies with our strategic direction.

You will analyze short-, medium-, and long-term HR needs, act as the primary liaison between HR Services and the faculty, and

Qualifications

• Knowledge of HR policies, practices and legislation.
• At least three years of HR experience across staffing, classification, labour relations, organizational development and career development.
• Bilingual in French and English with proficiency in both official languages.
• Experience applying collective agreements and working with unions may be required.
• Experience using HR software and IT systems; able to analyze problems and propose solutions.

Responsibilities

• HR Process Integration: integrate HR processes into planning and management frameworks while keeping policies current.
• Advisory Services: provide consultation to directors and managers on complex HR matters.
• Recruitment and Selection: coordinate job postings and selections per HR policies and agreements.
• Labour Relations: advise on disciplinary matters, investigations, and grievance processes.
• Orientation and Onboarding: promote understanding of HR policies during staff onboarding.
• Training and Development: support managers in identifying training needs and monitoring programs.
• Classification and Job Evaluation: advise on org structure, job design, and evaluations.
• Succession Planning: develop plans with central HR to address turnover and staffing needs.
• Performance Management: guide performance evaluation and related programs.

Skills

HR knowledge

Advisory skills

Recruitment

Labour relations

Training & development

Policy knowledge

Bilingualism

Education

Postsecondary education or equivalent

Tools

Windows

Office Suite

Spreadsheets

Databases

HRIS

Job description

Follow us on LinkedIn Posting Reason: New Position Job Type: Employee Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments): 24 Job Family: Human Resources Operations # of Open Positions: 1 Faculty/Service - Department: Student Affairs, Human Resources Campus: Main Campus Union Affiliation: N/A Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD): 2026/09/03 Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD): 2026/09/14 Hours per week: 35 Salary Grade: Non-Union Grade NC7 - 35 hrs Salary Range: $85,910.00 - $107,388.00

About Student Affairs

Student Affairs is at the very heart of the student experience at the University of Ottawa. We recruit the very best future students, support them throughout their university years and leave them well-prepared for fulfilling careers and future studies. Our team of more than 600 dedicated staff provides the services that keep students happy, well and thriving as they pursue their ambitions. We help them apply and enrol for courses, we oversee 11 residences and an award-winning Dining Hall, we organize fun events, we provide extensive recreation program opportunities and varsity sports activities, we run an innovative career development and experiential learning program and much more! There’s nothing more rewarding than helping future generations reach their full potential at a world-class university. With our wide variety of career opportunities and professional development pathways, we’re sure that you’ll enjoy the experience as much as our students do.

Position Purpose

Provide organizational or strategic HR managers within a specific faculty or service with advisory services on various HR functions, including recruitment and selection, classification, performance management, labour relations, training and development, benefits, and occupational health and safety. Contribute to integrating HR policies and processes into the faculty’s or service’s strategic direction and initiatives. Analyze problems and issues, recommend appropriate solutions, and implement them. As a trusted advisor, collaborate with the management team to address HR requirements by analyzing short-, medium-, and long-term needs, applying best practices, making recommendations, developing plans to resolve issues, and monitoring results. Act as the primary liaison between the University of Ottawa’s Human Resources Service and the faculty or service.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• HR Process Integration: Integrate HR management processes and systems into the faculty’s or service’s planning and management framework. Maintain current and in-depth knowledge of HR policies, procedures, and practices—both legislated requirements and those adopted by the University of Ottawa—and understand their impact on the faculty’s or service’s operations. Participate in developing local HR management practices and processes and ensure they contribute to achieving the faculty’s or service’s objectives.
• Advisory Services: Provide consultation and support to directors, managers, and supervisors on complex matters involving all aspects of HR management. Identify HR management problems, issues, and implications associated with operational plans and recommend solutions that meet the faculty’s or service’s needs.
• Recruitment and Selection: Coordinate all aspects of the job-posting and selection process in compliance with relevant HR policies and procedures and applicable collective agreements.
• Labour Relations: Advise and support HR managers on all potentially contentious matters, including discipline, performance, and attendance. Conduct investigations when required and recommend appropriate action, including disciplinary or administrative measures and extensions of probationary periods. Support the management team by participating, when required, in the first stage of the grievance-resolution process. In collaboration with the management team and the central Labour Relations office, address and resolve issues involving accommodations, functional limitations management, harassment, and other health and safety matters. Participate in collective bargaining committees when required.
• Orientation and Onboarding: Promote understanding and acceptance of the University’s HR policies, programs, processes, and practices by explaining them during orientation sessions for new employees. Explain to staff the need for and purpose of specific policies and procedures and how they contribute to achieving the faculty’s or service’s objectives.
• Training and Development: Support managers in assessing employees’ training and professional development needs and closely monitor training activities. Collaborate with managers to develop remedial training plans, evaluate the suitability of selected training methods, and recommend adjustments to training schedules, priorities, and delivery methods. Prepare reports on training activities conducted within the faculty.
• Classification and Job Evaluation: Advise managers on organizational structure and job design. Advise and support managers throughout the job‑description development and job‑evaluation processes.
• HR and Succession Planning: In collaboration with central Human Resources, advise managers on HR planning by producing and analyzing demographic data, developing plans that identify anticipated turnover, and establishing succession plans that are integrated into the faculty’s or service’s overall plans. Analyze demographic and HR planning data to identify the root causes of specific problems, such as excessive turnover, and recommend possible measures to address the underlying challenges and issues.
• Performance Management: Advise and support management and staff regarding the performance‑evaluation process. Recommend measures to improve individual employee performance, foster engagement, and encourage personal growth. Serve as the primary resource person for questions regarding the performance management program and software.

What you will bring:

• Knowledge of human resources—including recruitment and staffing, classification, job evaluation, compensation, and performance evaluation—normally acquired through postsecondary education or equivalent experience.
• At least three years of experience in human resources. At least three years of experience across several human resources disciplines, including staffing, classification, labour relations, organizational development, and career development, with recent, hands‑on experience managing complex labour relations cases. This experience must include addressing matters related to performance, attendance, discipline, administrative measures, accommodations, functional limitations management and, where applicable, grievances.
• The incumbent must be able to advise managers on complex or potentially contentious situations, conduct the necessary interventions and investigations, make recommendations, and collaborate with central Labour Relations to resolve cases in compliance with collective agreements, institutional policies, and the applicable legislative framework.
• Bilingualism: French and English, spoken and written. To be considered for this position, candidates must achieve at least the Low Advanced proficiency level in oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. This level is determined through a proficiency test administered by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.
• Knowledge of and experience applying HR practices and legislation. Knowledge of HR management challenges, trends, and practices.
• Knowledge of and experience applying and interpreting collective agreements.
• Experience using various software applications and computer systems, including Windows, word‑processing software, spreadsheets, databases, email, and the Internet.
• Experience analyzing and resolving problems.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, as part of a team, and under pressure while meeting firm deadlines.
• Initiative, leadership, sound judgment, and autonomy.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work with discretion and tact.

Key Competencies at uOttawa

• Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
• Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self‑starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
• Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
• Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier‑free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact [e-mail] to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front‑line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid‑19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid‑19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.

The University of Ottawa aspires to employing a staff that fully represents the diversity of Canada's population. As a result, it is committed to employment equity principles and aims to provide an inclusive and barrier‑free workplace. The University of Ottawa offers a generous pay and benefits package that includes a competitive salary, a defined benefit pension plan, group insurance coverage and an employee and family assistance program. Explore Our Benefits.