Manager, Labour Relations

Manager, Labour Relations

Vancouver School Board | School District 39

Vancouver, British Columbia

Leadership Opportunity

KIRAH Executive Search & Leadership Advisory has been retained by the Vancouver School Board to lead the search for its next Manager, Labour Relations .

This is a key leadership appointment within VSB’s Employee Services Division and an opportunity for an accomplished labour relations professional to take meaningful ownership of day-to-day labour relations operations within one of Canada’s largest and most diverse public school systems.

Reporting to the Director, Labour Relations, the Manager will provide operational labour relations leadership, trusted advice, and practical guidance across a complex and highly unionized public education environment.

The successful candidate will bring strong technical labour relations capability together with sound judgement, confidence, responsiveness, and a genuine ability to coach and develop others.

For a highly credible Senior Labour Relations Advisor or an experienced labour relations professional ready to step into broader leadership responsibility, this opportunity may represent a particularly attractive career progression.

About the Vancouver School Board

The Vancouver School Board is one of Canada’s largest and most diverse public school systems.

VSB serves more than 50,000 students across approximately 110 schools and programs and is supported by more than 7,700 employees.

The District serves a highly diverse urban community and is committed to equity, inclusion, accountability, continuous improvement, and creating learning environments where every student can succeed and experience a strong sense of belonging.

Its work recognizes the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing and learning and takes place on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh Úxwimxw (Squamish Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation).

As a large public-sector employer operating within a highly unionized environment, VSB requires labour relations professionals who can provide practical, consistent, credible, and responsive advice while navigating complex employment and organizational matters.

The Leadership Opportunity

Reporting to the Director, Labour Relations, the Manager, Labour Relations will serve as the day-to-day operational leader within VSB’s Labour Relations function.

The Manager will support:

• collective bargaining
• collective agreement administration and interpretation
• grievances
• employee discipline
• performance management
• workplace investigations
• employment legislation
• broader labour relations advisory services

The role also provides leadership to Labour Relations Advisors and Coordinators while working closely with District leaders, unions, employees, and other stakeholders.

This is a hands-on leadership position.

The successful candidate must be capable of independently managing significant labour relations matters, exercising practical judgement, and understanding when an issue should be escalated.

The Manager will also play an important role in strengthening the consistency, responsiveness, capability, and succession readiness of the Labour Relations team.

The Leadership Mandate

Operational Labour Relations Leadership

The Manager will:

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership across the Labour Relations function.
• Independently manage significant labour relations files.
• Provide practical and defensible advice to District leaders.
• Support the Director, Labour Relations on complex and higher-risk matters.
• Help ensure important files progress in a timely and organized manner.
• Maintain strong documentation and professional standards.
• Exercise sound judgement regarding when matters should be escalated.

Collective Agreement Administration

The successful candidate will:

• Support administration and interpretation of VSB’s collective agreements.
• Advise leaders regarding employee and labour relations obligations.
• Support collective bargaining activities.
• Assist with grievances, mediation, arbitration, and related processes.
• Promote consistency in the application of collective agreement provisions.
• Identify recurring issues and opportunities to strengthen labour relations practices.

Investigations, Discipline, and Performance Management

The Manager will provide leadership and advice concerning:

• workplace investigations
• employee discipline
• performance management
• complex employee relations matters
• employment legislation
• risk and documentation
• appropriate escalation of significant issues

The successful candidate will be expected to bring calm judgement, strong analytical capability, and the ability to provide practical advice in sensitive situations.

Coaching, Mentoring, and Team Development

A major part of this mandate is strengthening capability within the Labour Relations team.

The Manager will:

• Coach and mentor Labour Relations Advisors and Coordinators.
• Create meaningful developmental opportunities.
• Help team members build confidence and judgement.
• Support exposure to progressively more complex files.
• Strengthen succession readiness.
• Encourage accountability without becoming the bottleneck for every decision.
• Build a collaborative and professionally rigorous team environment.

Consistency, Service, and Responsiveness

VSB is seeking a Manager who will help ensure labour relations advice is:

• timely
• practical
• credible
• consistent
• responsive
• clearly communicated

The successful candidate will bring a service-oriented mindset while maintaining sound employer judgement.

They must be capable of responding constructively to leaders, unions, and employees without compromising professional standards or organizational accountability.

Accountability and Quality

The Manager will:

• Take ownership of assigned matters.
• Follow through reliably.
• Maintain strong documentation standards.
• Ensure advice is clear and actionable.
• Support timely progression of files.
• Strengthen consistency across the function.
• Help build a culture of accountability and professional excellence.

What Success Will Look Like

In the First 90 Days

The successful candidate will:

• Build a strong working relationship with the Director, Labour Relations.
• Develop productive relationships with Labour Relations Advisors and Coordinators.
• Establish credibility with District leaders and union stakeholders.
• Develop familiarity with VSB’s collective agreements and major labour relations issues.
• Understand current workloads, recurring challenges, and operational priorities.
• Begin independently managing significant files.
• Demonstrate sound judgement regarding escalation, documentation, and risk.

Within the First Year

The Manager will:

• Be recognized as a trusted and dependable labour relations leader.
• Take meaningful ownership of day-to-day Labour Relations operations.
• Strengthen the consistency and responsiveness of advice.
• Help develop the capability and confidence of team members.
• Improve operational discipline and follow-through.
• Build strong working relationships with District leaders and union partners.
• Support the Director in strengthening the broader Labour Relations function.
• Contribute to succession readiness and long-term team capability.

The Leader VSB Is Seeking

VSB is seeking a highly credible labour relations professional who is ready to operate at a broader leadership level while remaining close to the work.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• strong labour relations technical depth
• sound practical judgement
• confidence managing significant files independently
• strong knowledge of collective agreements
• experience with grievances, discipline, investigations, and performance management
• credibility with leaders, unions, and employees
• a coaching and developmental leadership style
• strong organizational discipline
• reliable follow-through
• excellent documentation standards
• clear and practical communication
• confidence without ego
• resilience
• professionalism
• accountability
• a growth mindset

The ideal candidate will know how to exercise authority while remaining approachable and grounded.

They will support others in developing capability rather than holding every complex matter at the management level.

Requirements

Experience & Qualifications

The successful candidate is expected to bring:

• Progressive labour relations or employee relations experience within a complex unionized environment.
  
• Strong experience interpreting and administering collective agreements.
  
• Experience with grievances, employee discipline, performance management, workplace investigations, and employment legislation.
  
• Practical experience providing labour relations advice to leaders and internal clients.
  
• Demonstrated sound judgement in sensitive employee and labour relations matters.
  
• Strong relationship-building capability with unions and organizational stakeholders.
  
• Experience coaching, mentoring, or supporting the development of other labour relations professionals.
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  
• Strong organizational and documentation capability.
  
• Experience within K-12 education, broader public sector, healthcare, municipal government, post-secondary education, or another complex multi-union environment will be highly relevant.
  

Candidates currently operating at a senior advisory level who can demonstrate clear leadership readiness are encouraged to consider the opportunity.

Location and Working Environment

The Manager, Labour Relations is based at the   VSB Education Centre, 1580 West Broadway, Vancouver, British Columbia.

Candidates should expect this to be an in-person role requiring regular accessibility and connection with the Labour Relations team, District leaders, and organizational stakeholders.

The position is particularly well suited to a professional who values close engagement with the work, the team, and the organization.

Compensation and Benefits

The anticipated salary range for the Manager, Labour Relations is:

$123,240 to $144,988 annually

The position also includes benefits.

Final compensation will reflect the successful candidate’s experience, qualifications, and overall alignment with the mandate.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

For an accomplished labour relations professional, this is an opportunity to:

• Take on meaningful operational leadership within VSB’s Labour Relations function.
  
• Work closely with the Director, Labour Relations and senior Employee Services leadership.
  
• Manage complex labour relations matters with genuine autonomy.
  
• Support collective bargaining and administration of multiple collective agreements.
  
• Coach and develop Labour Relations Advisors and Coordinators.
  
• Strengthen succession capability within the team.
  
• Improve consistency, responsiveness, and operational discipline across the function.
  
• Build trusted relationships with District leaders and union partners.
  
• Contribute to the evolution of labour relations practices across VSB.
  
• Join an organization serving more than 50,000 students and supported by more than 7,700 employees.
  

For a strong Senior Labour Relations Advisor or experienced practitioner ready for broader leadership responsibility, the role may represent a significant progression opportunity.

KIRAH’s Perspective

KIRAH believes this opportunity will be especially attractive to a strong labour relations practitioner who wants more ownership, greater leadership responsibility, and the opportunity to develop others without moving away from substantive labour relations work.

VSB is seeking someone who can independently handle complex matters while knowing when to seek broader executive involvement.

Technical capability will be important, but long-term success will also depend on reliability, judgement, responsiveness, communication, coaching capability, and professional maturity.

The strongest candidate will bring enough confidence to lead while retaining the humility and collaborative approach required to build trust across the organization.

Equity and Inclusion

The Vancouver School Board and KIRAH Executive Search & Leadership Advisory are committed to an inclusive search process.

Qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply.

Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment and selection process upon request.

Application Process

KIRAH Executive Search & Leadership Advisory welcomes applications and confidential expressions of interest from qualified candidates.

Please submit a current resume and any requested application materials through this page.

All applications and inquiries will be treated with discretion.

Candidate information will not be presented to the Vancouver School Board without the candidate’s knowledge and appropriate consent.

This application is being securely processed through destinationone Consulting’s recruitment platform on behalf of the KIRAH executive search.