Manager Employee & Union Relations

Atira Women's Resource Society; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Atira Women’s Resource Society is looking for a Manager of Employee and Union Relations to lead labour and employee relations, leave and accommodation portfolios, and provide guidance to leaders across the organization in Vancouver. The role requires strategic thinking to align practices with anti-oppressive principles and DEI commitments.

The successful candidate will support union negotiations, oversee grievance processes, and use data-driven insights to improve workplace culture while

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR or a related field.
• 5–7 years of HR experience in a nonprofit, unionized environment.
• CPHR certification is an asset.
• Experience with HRIS and SharePoint or similar systems.
• All positions are subject to a criminal record check (paid by Atira).

Responsibilities

• Lead labour relations, employee relations and leave & accommodation portfolios with consultation and guidance to people leaders.
• Support negotiations, oversee grievance discussions and labour management processes for fair resolutions.
• Provide strategic guidance, develop resources and training for managers on performance and labour matters.
• Monitor workforce trends and lead special projects to evolve People & Culture practices.
• Create policies, guidelines and processes ensuring alignment with collective agreements and regulations.

Skills

HR experience

Unionized environment

HRIS & SharePoint

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR or related field

CPHR certification (asset)

Tools

HRIS

SharePoint

Job description

Requisition Number: MANAG002371 Type: Internal – Full-Time (Indeterminate) Hours of Work: 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Compensation: $80,000-$90,000 per annum, depending on experience. Plus, a generous leave, benefits and pension package Program & Location: Vancouver Gastown-Hybrid Deadline: By noon Friday August 21, 2026

About Us

Atira Women’s Resource Society (Atira) is a non-profit organization known for inclusionary hiring practices, values-driven work, and innovative approaches to supporting communities it serves. Rooted in feminist, anti-violence principles, Atira provides housing, programs, and supports for people of all genders, with a continued focus on addressing gendered violence, misogyny, and systemic oppression. Atira believes a job is more than a paycheque – it’s an opportunity to contribute to meaningful systemic and social change.

About The Job

Reporting to Executive Director of People & Culture or their designate, The Manager, Employee and Union Relations leads the labour relations, employee relations and leave & accommodation portfolios, providing consultation, advice, and support to people leaders and engaging with union and other partners. This position develops and implements strategies to enhance labor relations, drive organizational success, align with organization missions to decolonize and indigenize practice and uphold labour standards and best practice and embed diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-oppressive principles.

As a key liaison for union relations, this role supports negotiations, oversees grievance discussions, and labour management processes to ensure fair and effective resolutions. It provides strategic guidance to leadership, developing resources and training that empower managers to navigate performance and labour matters with confidence. By leveraging data-driven insights, monitoring workforce trends, and leading special projects, this role continuously evolves P&C practices to create a workplace culture where all employees feel valued, respected, and supported.

This role partners with people leaders to promote and foster a consultative and problem-solving labour relations approach by ensuring consistent application and guidance on collective agreements, legislation, relevant regulations and acts, best practice, policies, and procedures, and creating new policies, guidelines and processes where required.

About You

You are aligned with Atira’s mission, vision, values, and philosophy and bring a strong commitment to anti-oppression and intersectional practice. You understand the impacts of colonialism, especially in Canada, including the legacy of the residential school system, and you approach your work with cultural humility and respect.

You are comfortable working in a harm reduction environment and supporting people who may be experiencing substance use and/or mental wellness challenges. You support those who choose abstinence while recognizing abstinence is just one option among many. You are inclusive and affirming of people of all genders, including transgender, Two-Spirit, intersex, transfeminine and non-binary individuals, and understand the realities of gendered violence, misogyny, systemic barriers and how these harms disproportionately impact women. You are sex worker positive – you understand sex work, including survival sex work, as part of a broader social, economic, and gendered context and bring an approach grounded in respect, autonomy, and dignity.

You treat others with fairness and respect, challenge practices that conflict with shared values, and contribute to a supportive, accountable team environment. You inspire others through your commitment to anti-violence and promoting equity, prioritize the needs of the communities we serve, and challenge the status quo to improve quality and sustainability. You take smart risks and make thoughtful, timely decisions.

Lived experience and connection to the community served are assets. Atira encourages applications from individuals whose lived experience reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5-7 years of experience in human resources in anon-profit, unionized environment.
• Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) certification is an asset.
• Experience working with HR Information Systems and SharePoint or similar shared resource directory
• All positions are subject to a criminal record check (Paid by Atira), including vulnerable sector check

Application Process

Provide a cover letter with a current resume describing how you meet or exceed the above-noted qualifications. Resumes with a Cover Letter unique to Atira are guaranteed a review. Candidates who lack the experience and qualifications set out in the posting may not be considered, although an exceptional cover letter and transferable skills may overcome lack of experience for some positions. Please go to atira.bc.ca/careers for a current list of postings.