Manager, Industrial Relations

The Labour Relations Manager provides strategic labour relations guidance and support for a managed open-shop industrial construction project.

This role is responsible for fostering positive workforce and labour relations, ensuring legislative compliance, managing union engagement, and supporting workforce planning and stability.

Acting as the primary liaison between project leadership, employees, contractors, unions, industry stakeholders, and government agencies, the position leads investigations and resolution of grievances, regulatory complaints, and workplace issues.

The role also conducts labour relations audits, develops and implements labour relations strategies, analyzes labour market trends, delivers training, and advises project leadership throughout all phases of the project to support successful project execution.

• Manage and coordinate the daily activities of the Industrial Relations functions and Industrial Relations specialists

• Set priorities for the Industrial Relations specialists to ensure task completion and coordinates work activities with supervisors/managers. Decisions are guided by policies, procedures, and business plan

• Maintain in-depth knowledge and understanding of Industrial Relations procedures

• Analyze and make independent recommendations regarding solutions to problems with varying complexity in accordance with organization and/or project objectives and guidelines

• Typically manage personnel and provide an environment for the development and professional advancement of staff members, including on-the-job and formal training and development opportunities, and timely performance feedback

• Other duties as assigned Basic Job Requirements

• Accredited four (4) year degree or global equivalent in applicable field of study and ten (10) years of work-related experience or a combination of education and directly related experience equal to fourteen (14) years if non-degreed; some locations may have additional or different qualifications in order to comply with local requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Labour Relations, Business Administration or Human Resources is preferred.

• 5+ years of professional experience in personnel administration and/or labour relations.

• Experience working under a Project Labour Agreement in a Managed Open Site environment. Strong understanding of provincial labour legislation and construction/labour arbitration case law.

• The ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and with adversarial personalities is a prerequisite.

• Prior experience of large industrial construction projects.

• Strong negotiation and conflict-resolution skills with unions, contractors and client representatives

• Very strong investigation and research skills.

• Knowledge of contingency planning, proactive employee relations programs, supervisory training, mentoring and employee complaint resolutions.

• Comprehensive knowledgeable with Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, and various databases.

• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills.

• Exceptional organizational skills. Other Job Requirements Participate in and responsible for all functions such as Area Labor Market Analyses (ALMAs), labour relations plans, labour posture letters, project interface and maintain a close relationship with groups inside and outside the organization (other departments, business groups, contractors, vendors, associations, labor organizations, etc.). Manage record keeping, reporting, and documentation that may be required to meet corporate or regulatory requirements, including monitoring initiatives.