Director Labour and Employee Relations - Full-time

Position at VON Canada

Requisition Details:

Employment Status: Regular, Full-time (1.0 FTE)
Program Name: Labour Relations
Number of Hours Bi-Weekly: 75
Work Schedule: Days
Location: Candidate must reside in Nova Scotia. This position is hybrid-remote and requires travel to VON sites in Nova Scotia and Ontario when required.

On Call: No 

Existing Vacancy: Yes – we’re currently hiring candidates for an existing vacancy in this position.

About Us:

VON is a non-profit organization that provides clinical, personal, and social support to people who want to live every day to the fullest while remaining in their own homes and communities.

Job Summary:

The Director Labour and Employee Relations ("Director") manages a team of Labour and Employee Relations professionals in the execution of VON’s national Labour and Employee Relations Strategy. The Director is accountable for labour and employee relations services, including collective agreement administration, grievance and arbitration management, labour negotiations, workplace investigations, legislative compliance and management coaching. The Director establishes performance standards, and operational practices to ensure consistent, high-quality labour and employee relations services. As a subject matter, the Director partners with the Senior Director, Labour and Employee Relations to support organizational priorities and labour relations objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

Labour and Employee Relations Leadership, Advisory and Risk Management

• Provides strategic labour and employee relations advice to Corporate Services and Operational leaders on collective agreement interpretation, labour legislation, workplace investigations, performance management, grievances, arbitration, complaints, organizational change and employee relations matters.
• Identifies emerging Labour and Employee Relations risks, develops mitigation and response strategies and escalates significant organizational, legal, financial, reputational or precedent-setting labour and employee relations matters to the Senior Director.
• Leads all labour and employee relations matters ranging from interpretation to arbitration management, providing coaching to leaders ensure accurate and relevant organizational reporting related to labour and employee relations.
• Provides support to leaders for organizational restructuring, workforce adjustments, service redesign and other organizational change initiatives.
• Partners closely with leaders to support operational excellence through successful implementation of regional labour relations strategy and positive labour-management relationships.
• Participates on quality teams and in quality initiatives.
• Advises and updates the Senior Director Labour and Employee Relations on all complaints and resolution recommendations.

Collective Bargaining and Negotiations

• Supports the Senior Director in the development and execution of bargaining mandates and overall bargaining strategy and negotiations.
• Serve as chief spokesperson and lead negotiator for assigned collective bargaining initiatives in alignment with bargaining mandates and strategies established by the Senior Director.
• Manages bargaining preparation, including proposal development, financial analysis, background research and stakeholder engagement.
• Directs external resources engaged to lead negotiations or other services including compliant investigations .

Grievance, Arbitration and Complaint Management

• Manages grievances, arbitrations and complaint management, including investigations, legislative and human rights matters, and the development of resolution strategies.
• Liaise with external counsel during arbitration proceedings and provide required documentation and disclosure.
• Ensures timely resolution and investigation of all internal and external complaints.
• Reviews all legislative complaints in collaboration with stakeholders and external counsel as required.
• Oversees team workload allocation, service delivery standards, quality assurance processes, key performance indicators, performance outcomes and continuous improvement initiatives to ensure consistent, effective and high-quality Labour and Employee Relations services.

Collective Agreement Administration

• Oversees the administration, interpretation, and implementation of collective agreements to ensure consistent compliance, resolution of grievances and labour relations practices across regions.
• Leads implementation of collective agreement changes, including system configuration, processes and communication (including information sessions and resource documents).

Policy, Compliance and Legislative Affairs

• Maintains knowledge of current legislative requirements to ensure organizational compliance with employment legislation, human rights and labour standards through policy development, interpretation and guidance.
• Develops and maintain policies, standards and best practices related to Labour and Employee Relations.

People Leadership and Talent Development

• Leads and coaches the Labour and Employee Relations team by establishing team-standard work, performance expectations and professional development plans.
• Builds team capability through coaching, mentoring, succession planning and professional development.

Operational Excellence, Performance and Service Delivery

• Establishes and monitors service standards, operational practices, quality measures and performance indicators to ensure consistent, high quality labour relations services.
• Monitors team performance, service outcomes and emerging risks and implements continuous improvement initiatives.
• Collaborates with Human Resources Centres of Expertise to ensure alignment between labour relations strategies and broader HR initiatives.

Financial Management and Reporting

• Participates in budget development, monitors expenditures and labour relations cost impacts.
• Develops and provides reports and analysis to senior leadership, board committees and operational stakeholders.

Labour and Employee Relations Metrics and Analytics

• Develops and monitors labour and employee relations metrics (including scorecards and dashboards), and analyzes trends related to grievances, arbitration outcomes, workplace investigations, and labour costs.
• Presents quarterly labour and employee relations insights and recommendations to senior leadership.

Common Leadership Responsibilities:

• Promotes the strategy of VON and their role as an integrated community care provider to all stakeholders and staff. 
• Prioritizes and ensures alignment of emerging opportunities in the community with VON strategic plan. 
• Provides leadership in navigating the requirements and complexities of unionized and non- unionized environments. 
• Coaches, advises, motivates, and provides leadership to staff; creates a positive workplace for staff. 
• Promotes the Lean team management approach to ensure a common paradigm of management and discipline of management practices. 
• Ensures there are mechanisms for all staff to come together to hear of organizational news and to provide feedback on what is working and what is not working. 
• Ensures all Districts have a plan to complete performance development and learning plans with all staff. 
• Promotes common approaches to orientation, learning, motivating, recognizing and supporting staff when achieving organizational goals; such as meeting or exceeding KPIs, meeting or exceeding milestones. 
• Provides leadership and commitment to building client and family engagement and following accreditation Canada Standards. 
• Provides leadership in the promotion of a safe and healthy workplace ensuring workplace conduct and activities are in accordance with the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations, that KPIs related to safety are regularly reviewed by management, that appropriate investigations occur when needed, and plans to address issues are created and acted upon. 
• Compliant with the VON Safety Management System, including all Safe Work Practices and Procedures. 
• Promotes work/life balance fostering professional excellence and personal fulfilment and health. 
• Promotes the use of technology-based systems for the capture, transformation and distribution of knowledge. 
• Abides by all confidentiality and protection of personal information policies, regulations and practices and ensures appropriate safeguards are in place in the Region. 

External and Internal Relationships:

• Fosters collaborative labour-management relationships by partnering with union representatives and operational leaders, facilitating labour-management meetings, resolving emerging issues and promoting proactive problem-solving.
• Strong collaboration with VON leadership teams and Human Resources department.
• Strong interactions and relationships with Union representatives and bargaining leads.
• Manages relationships with external contractors, stakeholders and legal counsel to ensure effective delivery of Labour and Employee Relations services.
• Represents the organization and gives direction to internal and external stakeholders as required on labour/employee matters.
• Extensive interaction on behalf of VON with legal services, Ministry of Labour, government agencies and other relevant stakeholders.
• Maintains professional relationship with employees at all levels.

Education, Designations and Experience:

• University Degree in Human Resources Management or related field, or equivalent.
• A minimum of 8 years of progressive labour relations experience at a senior level plus 3 years’ experience at a management level.
• Knowledge of labour/management principles, provincial employment law, Human Rights, statutes and the Labour Relations Board processes and collective agreement administration is required.
• Experience leading collective bargaining, contract administration and interpretation.
• Familiarity with provincial labour regulations, collective agreements, provincial worker compensation legislation and practice, and various labour organizations.
• Strong background in employee and labour relations in a multi-unionized environment.
• Thorough knowledge of HR principles and applicable laws and regulations.

Skill Requirements:

• Strong communication, interpersonal, and influencing skills with the ability to build collaborative relationships and credibility across all levels of the organizations.
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced multi-union environment by managing multiple priorities, adapting to changing demands, and working independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to analyze, select and present solutions in a high-quality, highly effective and acceptable format.
• Demonstrated business acumen, flexibility, and a commitment to high performance standards.

Other:

• A current and original satisfactory Criminal Records Check is required upon the start of your employment
• A Vulnerable Sector Search and/or Child Abuse Registry Check may be required
• Travel, overtime and irregular work schedules as required.

Working conditions and physical demands: This role requires a detail-oriented approach in a dynamic environment, with physical activity including lifting, carrying (using proper techniques), bending, reaching, kneeling, and other movements that emphasize good body mechanics. Individuals in the role are required to walk, sit, stand, and climb stairs throughout the day, with some tasks requiring fine hand movements.

VON Canada is committed to meeting the needs of persons with disabilities and to providing accessibility accommodations for candidates who require them. If you are in need of accessibility support, please visit our website at for further details.

VON Canada is committed to embracing and celebrating equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) as fundamental to living out our values of Respect, Compassion, and Excellence in all that we do.