Manager, Industry Relations (Permanent, Full-time)

SkilledTradesBC

Richmond

Hybrid

CAD 110,000 - 148,000

Full time

14 hours ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Pension contributions

Lifestyle Spending Account

Extensive health and dental plans

Job summary

SkilledTradesBC is seeking a Manager, Industry Relations to lead the organization’s industry relations strategy, build trusted relationships across the trades training system, and advise senior leaders. This role combines relationship-building with internal coordination to translate sector insight into practical guidance that informs timely decision-making.

The Manager represents STBC in industry engagements, partners with the Director, External Relations, and collaborates with youth, Indigenous

Qualifications

Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to brief leaders and facilitate discussions.
Experience advising senior decision-makers.

Responsibilities

Leads the Industry Relations strategy and serves as a primary liaison with industry partners.
Monitors industry inquiries and coordinates responses with internal teams.
Builds sector relationships and gathers sector intelligence.
Oversees engagement with youth, Indigenous communities and partnerships.
Manages Industry Relations budget including travel.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Strategic counsel

Relationship management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

High School diploma or equivalent

Tools

CRM

Microsoft Office

Job description

Join SkilledTradesBC and be part of a highly engaged organization that is named one of BC’s Top Employers and certified Great Place to Work!

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Manager, Industry Relations leads SkilledTradesBC’s industry relations strategy by building trusted relationships across the trades training system, gathering timely sector intelligence, and helpting the organization respond to industry needs in a coordinated and strategic way. This role requires a confident, collaborative leader who can work effectively across departments, advise senior leaders, represent SkilledTradesBC with industry partners, and bring structure to complex issues where interests, priorities and accountabilities may not always be aligned.

The Manager is responsible for understanding the complex network of the trades training system and, working with the Director, External Relations, provides guidance that helps senior leaders and internal teams understand the needs, opportunities and challenges of industry and key community partners.

This role is part relationship-builder, part internal connector, and part strategist. The role meets industry partners, help internal teams understand what they are hearing from employers or sponsors, brief leaders on an emerging issue, identify the right people to involve in a response, or turn sector insight into practical advice that helps SkilledTradesBC make better decisions.

The Manager represents SkilledTradesBC, or identifies appropriate designates, for industry engagements, events and working groups. Through this work, they promote SkilledTradesBC initiatives, identify emerging issues and opportunities, and bring external insight back into the organization so it can be considered and acted on in a timely way.

The Manager, Industry Relations reports to and works closely with the Director, External Relations, to ensure that STBC develops and delivers on its multi-year industry relations strategy, maintaining positive relationships with industry, employers, sponsors and other key partners. The role also works in close coordination with internal roles responsible for youth, Indigenous communities and other strategic partnerships to support a connected and organization-wide approach to external relationships.

At its core, this role helps SkilledTradesBC hear what is happening across the trades training system, understand what it means and respond in ways that build trust and support better outcomes. The key results are stronger relationships with industry and trades system partners, more useful intelligence for decision-makers, better coordination across departments, and clearer pathways for sponsors, employers and partners to connect with the right people inside SkilledTradesBC.

RESPONSIBILITIES/ACCOUNTABILITIES

Team and Departmental Leadership

Leads the STBC Industry Relations strategy and serves a a key point of contact for industry, triaging issues and complex questions, coordinating responses across the organization, developing sector relationships and identifying barriers within the apprenticeship system
Tracks inquiries from employers and sponsors and connect them with the right SkilledTradesBC expertise. Coordinate with internal teams to recommend appropriate responses and communication channels
Builds sector relationships that promote SkilledTradesBC and generate useful industry intelligence
Works with industry to identify and address barriers within the training and apprenticeship system
Manages the Industry Relations budget, including travel and department needs

Organizational and External Leadership

Works closely with the Director to support implementation of the Industry Relations Strategy and acts as a champion for its adoption across departments, in coordination with colleagues responsible for youth, Indigenous communities and other key partnerships
Works collaboratively with Directors, Managers and staff throughout SkilledTradesBC to build a shared understanding of key sectors, industry priorities, emerging risks and stakeholder expectations, and to support coordinated organizational responses where industry issues cross departmental boundaries
Works closely with the Director, Truth and Reconciliation, the Youth Programs team, Apprenticeship Advisors and other frontline staff to understand industry issues, trends and information needs, and to coordinate appropriate responses
Keeps Senior Leadership Team and Management Leadership TEam informed of relevant industry trends, risks, issues and opportunities, including where external feedback may affect organizational priorities, stakeholder confidence or strategic decision making
Represents SkilledTradesBC, or identifies appropriate designates, for regional, provincial and national industry working groups, ensuring two-way input and feedback

Strategic Relationship Management

Fosters and advances SkilledTradesBC’s strategic goals and reputation with trades system partners and industry by stewarding relationships with key partners and identigfying the most appropriate internal connections to build and maintain those relationships
Acts as SkilledTradesBC ambassador to industry by helping partners understand current policies, priorities, issues and mandates, and by bringing industry perspectives back into the organization
Working with the Director, External Relations and Senior Leadership Team, identifies key partners who need to be engaged or influenced and recommends relationship strategies that support SkilledTradesBC’s goals.
Works consultatively with appropriate SkilledTradesBC partners to support efforts to attract, retain and respond to sponsors and employers, ensuring that relationship issues are connected to the right internal expertise and followed through appropriately.
Oversees the Sector Advisory Group and assesses whether additional industry-specific groups are needed, reviewing their effectiveness annually and recommending improvements

Industry Intelligence and Reporting

Act as a central source of intelligence on key industry issues, working with the Director to identify what matters most, prioritize what needs attention, and report timely insights to Senior Leadership and Executive Leadership teams so industry perspectives are reflected in strategic decision making
Develops and manages a briefing system on key sectors and trades so internal teams and leaders have clear, current and practical intelligence about industry priorities, pressures and opportunities

Engagement Strategy

Works with other External Relations Managers to oversee the Annual Engagement tracker, following up with departments on support needs and any required follow-up related to industry sponsorships, engagements or events
Identifies and assesses engagement opportunities for SkilledTradesBC, with a focus on opportunities that advance strategic relationships, improve sector understanding or support organizational priorities.
Provides oversight of industry engagement plans and processes, ensuring that engagement is purposeful, coordinated and connected to clear organizational outcomes.
Provides strategic advice to departments on stakeholder engagement approaches, communications, reporting and relationship management in support of external projects, initiatives and organizational priorities.
Brings forward best practices in industry engagement knowledge to help improve project and business outcomes

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

High School diploma or equivalent is required. Experience in the public sector, government relations, post-secondary education or the skilled trades system is preferred; equivalent education and experience will be considered
5+ years of experience in community, industry, employer, stakeholder or government relations in a complex, stakeholder rich environment including experience managing competing priorities, advising internal decision-makers and building credibility with external partners
Experience managing stakeholder accounts, partner relationships or cross-functional projects is an asset
Ability to work across all levels of the organization, providing sound advice and strategic counsel to Directors and Executives while building alignment across teams with different priorities and accountabilities.
Proven success gathering information from internal departments, translating organizational priorities for external audiences, and bringing external insight back into the organization to support timely, coordinated responses.
Proven ability to build understanding across diverse groups, including small businesses, large industrial employers, unions, training providers and government partners.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the confidence to brief leaders, facilitate discussions and speak effectively with both small and large groups.
Previous exposure to the trades, apprenticeship training system or workforce development would be an asset.
Experience building respectful partnerships with Indigenous communities, training providers and underrepresented groups to support inclusive workforce development goals is an asset
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and related tools used for briefing materials, reporting, collaboration and tracking
Experience using CRM, stakeholder management or tracking systems to document relationships, issues, engagement activities and follow-up
Training experience or knowledge of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) is preferred