MANAGER, LABOUR RELATIONS, TFT

Niagara Health; Welland; On-site; CAD 96,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Niagara Health in Welland seeks a Manager, Labour Relations to lead a skilled team and advance workforce relations across six bargaining units. The role reports to the Director, People Services and focuses on strategic labour relations across Niagara Health's sites.

The position emphasizes building constructive union relationships, guiding grievance, mediation and arbitration processes, and providing practical advice on complex labour issues in a dynamic health-care environment.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in Human Resources Management, Labour Relations or a related discipline; CHRP designation is an asset
• Progressive labour relations experience in a unionized environment; experience with multiple unions or collective agreements is an asset
• Leadership experience and sound judgment in navigating complex labour relations matters
• Strong knowledge of labour relations, collective agreement interpretation, employment legislation and workplace practices
• Experience with collective bargaining, grievance management, mediation and arbitration
• Ability to coach and advise leaders through complex employee and labour relations matters
• Strong negotiation, mediation, conflict resolution and relationship-building skills
• Ability to analyze labour relations trends, assess risk and develop practical, strategic solutions
• Systems thinking and the ability to consider precedent, interdependencies and broader organizational impacts
• Experience leading, coaching and developing others, with a commitment to continuous improvement and service excellence

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the Labour Relations team, fostering collaboration, accountability, professional growth and a high standard of service
• Build and sustain constructive relationships with union partners based on mutual respect, transparency and an understanding of our respective roles
• Lead and support grievance, mediation, arbitration and collective bargaining processes, bringing strong negotiation skills, sound judgment and a solutions-focused approach
• Develop and implement labour relations strategies aligned with Niagara Health's priorities, collective agreements, legislation and evolving workforce needs
• Provide clear, consistent and practical advice on complex labour relations matters, balancing employee and union interests, operational realities, organizational risk and Niagara Health's responsibilities as an employer
• Strengthen labour relations practices by using data, trends and emerging practices to identify opportunities, manage risk and continuously improve our processes and programs
• Take a systems perspective, considering the broader implications of labour relations decisions across sites, programs, collective agreements and the organization
• Partner across Human Resources and Niagara Health to solve complex workplace issues, contribute to organizational priorities and support a respectful, inclusive and positive workplace

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Relationship-building

Strategic thinking

Communication

Education

Post-secondary education in HR/Labour Relations (CHRP asset)

Job description

VACANCY DETAILS

VACANCY NUMBER: 44540AC
JOB TITLE: MANAGER, LABOUR RELATIONS
STATUS: TEMPORARY FULL TIME (TFT) APPROXIMATELY 24-30 MONTHS
DEPARTMENT: CORPORATE
LOCATION: NIAGARA HEALTH
HOURS OF WORK: 75 HOURS PER BI-WEEKLY PAY PERIOD
POSTING DATE: 1 October 2026
CLOSING DATE: 7 October 2026
UNION: NON UNION
WAGE RANGE: $70.002 PER HOUR

Join Our Extraordinary Team at Niagara Health!

Niagara Health is a regional hospital system with multiple sites and a growing network of community-based and virtual services.

We are looking for an experienced, pragmatic and highly collaborative labour relations leader to join us as our Manager, Labour Relations. This is an opportunity to lead a skilled team, work alongside dedicated professionals and make a meaningful contribution to a culture where staff feel supported, valued and empowered.

With approximately 90% of Niagara Health's workforce unionized across six bargaining units, labour relations is integral to how we work. Our environment is complex, dynamic and highly relationship driven. Success in this role requires a leader who can navigate different perspectives, build credibility with union partners and leaders, and remain calm, fair and grounded when issues are challenging.

This role is about more than policies, collective agreements and compliance. It is about building strong relationships, helping leaders navigate complex workplace issues and finding thoughtful, consistent and sustainable solutions. You will understand when to seek common ground and compromise, when to maintain an organizational position, and how to do both while preserving respectful and constructive relationships.

Reporting to the Director, People Services, the Manager, Labour Relations is a key member of the Human Resources leadership team. You will bring sound judgment, systems thinking and strong labour relations expertise to the planning, delivery and continuous improvement of Niagara Health's labour relations services.

Your Leadership and Impact:

• Lead, coach and develop the Labour Relations team, fostering collaboration, accountability, professional growth and a high standard of service
• Build and sustain constructive relationships with union partners based on mutual respect, transparency and an understanding of our respective roles
• Lead and support grievance, mediation, arbitration and collective bargaining processes, bringing strong negotiation skills, sound judgment and a solutions-focused approach
• Develop and implement labour relations strategies aligned with Niagara Health's priorities, collective agreements, legislation and evolving workforce needs
• Provide clear, consistent and practical advice on complex labour relations matters, balancing employee and union interests, operational realities, organizational risk and Niagara Health's responsibilities as an employer
• Strengthen labour relations practices by using data, trends and emerging practices to identify opportunities, manage risk and continuously improve our processes and programs
• Take a systems perspective, considering the broader implications of labour relations decisions across sites, programs, collective agreements and the organization
• Partner across Human Resources and Niagara Health to solve complex workplace issues, contribute to organizational priorities and support a respectful, inclusive and positive workplace

Who You Are:

You are a calm, credible and experienced labour relations leader who respects the important role of unions and is committed to building constructive labour-management relationships.

You are comfortable working in a complex and fast-moving environment where challenging issues are part of the work. You bring perspective and steadiness when others are under pressure, stay focused on and help others find a practical path forward.

• Listen first and build relationships based on trust, mutual respect and open communication
• Build credibility with union partners while confidently representing the organization's interests
• Bringing together different perspectives to build understanding, identify shared interests and find workable common ground
• Negotiate and mediate effectively, recognizing when compromise can create a better and more sustainable outcome and when an organizational position needs to be maintained
• Look beyond an individual issue to consider precedent, risk, interdependencies and broader organizational impacts
• Lead with confidence, empathy and integrity, providing clear guidance while enabling leaders and the labour relations team to make sound decisions
• Remain calm and professional when navigating sensitive, confidential or challenging situations
• Bring fairness and consistency to decision-making while recognizing that complex situations also require thoughtful judgment
• Bring curiosity and a continuous improvement mindset and genuinely care about creating strong, constructive labour relations

Qualifications:

We recognize that great candidates bring different combinations of education and experience. If your background equips you to succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply.

• Post-secondary education in Human Resources Management, Labour Relations or a related discipline; CHRP designation is an asset
• Progressive labour relations experience in a unionized environment; experience working with multiple unions or collective agreements is an asset
• Leadership experience and demonstrated sound judgment in navigating complex labour relations matters
• Strong knowledge of labour relations, collective agreement interpretation, employment legislation and workplace practices
• Experience with collective bargaining, grievance management, mediation and arbitration
• Ability to coach and advise leaders through complex employee and labour relations matters
• Strong negotiation, mediation, conflict resolution and relationship-building skills
• Ability to analyze labour relations trends, assess risk and develop practical, strategic solutions
• Systems thinking and the ability to consider precedent, interdependencies and broader organizational impacts
• Experience leading, coaching and developing others, with a commitment to continuous improvement and service excellence

This role is based in Welland and involves travel across multiple sites.

This position is an existing vacancy at Niagara Health. No artificial intelligence is used in the screening, assessment, or selection of applicants. If you believe you have encountered or applied for a fraudulent job posting claiming to represent Niagara Health.

At Niagara Health, we value diversity, equity and inclusion, and welcome applications from all people. We are especially interested in hearing from you if you are excited about being part of a respectful and hard-working team in the beautiful Niagara Region, have a passion for service and excellence in healthcare, have a background or related expertise in the healthcare environment, supporting patient care and providing extraordinary customer-service.

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Niagara Health will provide accommodations through the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. If selected to participate in the recruitment and selection process, please inform Human Resources of the nature of any accommodation(s) that you may require in respect of any materials or processes used to ensure your equal participation.

At Niagara Health, we are committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. As a part of this work, we collect information on Ontario Human Rights Code grounds and non-Code grounds in order to: hire and retain diverse talent, prevent and/or address systemic barriers to access and opportunity, improve service delivery and programs and advance diversity and inclusion overall. All identification questions are optional and include a "prefer not to answer" option.