Senior Director, Employee and Labour Relations

Summit Search Group; Kingston; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent university in Kingston is seeking a Senior Director of Employee and Labour Relations. The role involves strategic oversight of HR priorities, management of collective bargaining processes, and mentoring of HR team members. This position requires substantial experience in labour relations and commitment to equity and diversity in the workplace.

Benefits

Relocation assistance available

Support for applicants with disabilities during recruitment

Qualifications

• Minimum of ten years of senior labour relations experience.
• Experience in managing a team promoting workplace inclusion.
• Demonstrated chief spokesperson experience in collective bargaining.

Responsibilities

• Oversees administration of non-academic staff collective agreements.
• Acts as Chief Negotiator for staff collective agreements.
• Provides expert advice to university administrators and managers on labour relations.

Skills

Negotiation

Communication

Problem-Solving

Leadership

Collaboration

Education

University degree in Business, Law, Industrial Relations, or Human Resources

Job description

Senior Director, Employee and Labour Relations

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Summit Search Group is pleased to partner with Queen’s University in their search for a Senior Director, Employee/Labour Relations.

About Our Client:

Queen’s has a long history of scholarship, discovery, and innovation that has shaped collective knowledge and helped address some of the world’s most pressing concerns. Home to more than 25,000 students, the university offers a comprehensive research-intensive environment with prominent strengths in physics, cancer research, geoengineering, data analytics, surveillance studies, art conservation, and mental health research. Students, staff, and faculty bring together diverse perspectives and a wealth of experiences that enrich the campus, empowering the university community toward shared success.

Queen’s invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized/visible minorities, Indigenous/Aboriginal people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

About Kingston, ON:

Situated on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and the Anishinabek, Kingston is approximately a two-hour drive from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, where the St. Lawrence River meets Lake Ontario and the Rideau Canal. Kingston is a stunning, historic city that consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Canada.

Kingston’s 120,000 community-minded citizens enjoy an outstanding quality-of-life enhanced by superb intellectual, recreational and creative opportunities, and supported by excellent health care facilities and municipal services, programs and facilities.

Relocation:Relocation assistance available.

Position Scope:

Reporting to the Associate Vice-Principal, Human Resources (AVPHR), the Senior Director, Employee/Labour Relations (Senior Director) is a key member of the Human Resources (HR) senior leadership team.

The Senior Director works collaboratively with all the members of the HR senior leadership team to develop, support and advance HR departmental strategic priorities and ensures the HR department, and the Employee/Labour Relations unit within the department, meet client service needs.

The Senior Director is the chief negotiator for staff collective agreements and is responsible for strategic labour relations decision making. The incumbent is responsible for overseeing the administration of non-academic staff collective agreements and for managing the administration of policies, procedures and best practices in connection with employee relations and employment-related matters pertaining to all non-academic staff. The Senior Director manages a team that provides employee and labour relations support, advice and training to other HR professionals within the HR department or embedded in university faculties and departments. The team also works directly with senior managers across the university on complex employee and labour relations matters.

Committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and indigeneity, the Senior Director is responsible for undertaking duties and responsibilities in a manner that builds respectful relationships with unions, associations and staff, and with all client groups, including faculty and staff mangers and administrators. The Senior Director requires collaborative decision-making skills, initiative, creative problem-solving skills, excellent communication skills, as well as negotiation and dispute resolution skills to support clients and the HR Client Service Team.

Responsibilities:

• Working with the AVP, HR and other members of the HR senior leadership team, support the strategic direction of HR at Queen’s.
• Work closely with the other members of the HR senior leadership in support of the client service model to deliver high quality efficient services to clients including managers and employees.
• Collaborates with and supports colleagues in the HR senior leadership team as they lead key initiatives and priorities.
• Act as a key liaison between Queen’s University and the unions currently representing staff bargaining units. In that capacity, maintain effective working relationships with union leaders, contribute to the university’s overall labour relations strategy and ensure that these relationships are aligned with that strategy.
• Manage, mentor and support a team of employee/labour relations (ELR) professionals. Determine the extent of support required for members of the ELR Team to ensure projects and workflow are effectively managed, with an optimal use of resources. Coach and support ELR team members to reach professional and departmental goals.
• Provide expert advice to university administrators, managers and HR staff on short and long- term labour and management relations issues. Provide information and recommend solutions. Build consensus to achieve a resolution in a manner consistent with the relevant collective agreement or policy.
• Manage the process to deal with filed grievances.
• Serve as Chief Negotiator in collective bargaining. Speak to issues raised at the bargaining table, conduct research to enable the university to address issues, and prepare for collective bargaining as a key contributor to the setting of the bargaining mandate and strategy for the university.
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with colleagues in the Faculty Relations office who are responsible for the Faculty Collective Agreements.
• Lead Joint Labour Management Committees and lead or participate in various joint committees with staff unions, senior administrators and management.
• Play a leadership role to ensure the application of policies are effectively managed.
• Oversee investigations and reviews related to complaints/reports received.
• Lead and manage special projects for the AVPHR that arise that may have cross-functional unit impacts.
• Conduct special projects including developing collective agreement interpretations or policies/procedures/protocols, preparing documents, reports, presentations, compliance requirements, positions papers etc.
• Develop and deliver educational programming to senior administrators, managers, and other university personnel with respect to labour relations, the administration of the collective agreements and compliance with workplace policies and applicable laws.
• Act as university lead in proceedings (human rights matters, grievance arbitrations, etc.) pertaining to staff matters within the identified client group or union group and liaise/direct external counsel as required.
• Plan, prioritize and manage the work of employees within the department, providing strategic and tactical advice, guidance and coaching. Identify the need for staff resources, participates on staffing committees, and makes effective recommendations regarding employee selection.
• Manage performance of ELR staff by establishing performance standards, review and evaluate performance and conduct formal performance reviews on an ongoing basis.
• Assess staff training and development needs and ensure ELR staff receive training required to improve and sustain successful performance.

Required Qualifications:

• University degree in Business, Law, Industrial Relations, Human Resources or related field.
• A member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario, considered an asset.
• Minimum of ten years of senior labour relations experience, with a proven track record of success in a multi-bargaining unit setting.
• A minimum of 8 – 10 years of experience managing a team of individuals carrying out a diverse range of activities and promoting inclusion in the workplace.
• Demonstrated experience as a chief spokesperson in collective bargaining and in developing bargaining strategies.
• Experience in labour relations in the broader public sector, and employee relations particularly within a university environment, would be an asset.
• Satisfactory criminal record check is required.
• Consideration may be given to an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.

The University will provide support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. If you require accommodations during the interview process, please contact Allison Dwyer at [e-mail].