Job Description
POSITION TITLE: Associate Vice-President, Labour and Employee Relations
DEPARTMENT: Human Resources
REPORTS TO: Vice-President, Human Resources and Chief Legal Counsel
SALARY: Range Exempt
The University of Windsor invites applications for the position of Associate Vice-President, Labour and Employee Relations (AVPLER), a senior executive leadership opportunity for an accomplished labour relations professional with significant experience in collective bargaining, complex employment matters, dispute resolution, and strategic labour relations leadership.
Reporting to the Vice-President, Human Resources and Chief Legal Counsel, the AVPLER provides strategic leadership and oversight of labour and employee relations across the University, including collective bargaining, collective agreement administration, grievance and arbitration processes, workplace conflict resolution, and Occupational Health and Safety.
As a key member of the University's senior leadership team, the AVPLER serves as a strategic advisor to executive leadership, the Provost, Deans, academic administrators, and other institutional leaders on complex labour relations matters, employment policies, organizational change, and institutional risk. The role requires the ability to navigate the distinct and often complex employment relationships within a university environment, including faculty associations, academic unions, and administrative and support staff bargaining units.
The successful candidate will foster constructive labour-management relationships, promote procedural fairness, and support a respectful, inclusive, and collaborative workplace while ensuring that labour relations strategies and practices advance the University's academic mission and institutional priorities.
This position offers an opportunity to shape the University's labour relations environment, strengthen institutional partnerships, and provide strategic leadership in a dynamic and evolving post-secondary environment.
KEY LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITIES
The Associate Vice-President, Labour and Employee Relations will:
Strategic Labour Relations / Health & Safety Leadership
• Develop and implement comprehensive labour relations strategies aligned with the University's strategic plan, academic priorities, and human resources objectives.
• Provide strategic advice to the Vice-President, Human Resources and Chief Legal Counsel, President, Deans, academic administrators, and senior leadership and the Board of Governors on complex and sensitive labour relations and Health and Safety matters.
• Establish institutional frameworks for proactive labour relations, dispute prevention, conflict resolution, and constructive employee engagement.
• Monitor emerging labour relations and occupational health and safety trends, legislative developments, collective bargaining practices, and sector-specific challenges.
• Assess labour relations and workplace health and safety risks and recommend strategies that support institutional effectiveness and continuity of academic and administrative operations.
• Promote a culture of respectful dialogue, collaboration, accountability, and mutual understanding between the University and its employee groups.
Collective Bargaining and Negotiations
• Lead and oversee collective bargaining negotiations with faculty associations, academic unions, administrative staff unions, and other recognized bargaining agents.
• Develop bargaining strategies, negotiation mandates, proposals, costing analyses, and settlement recommendations in consultation with senior leadership and relevant institutional stakeholders.
• Advise the University on collective agreement provisions concerning compensation, workload, academic responsibilities, appointment terms, benefits, performance management, discipline, and other employment conditions.
• Lead negotiations involving collective agreement renewals, memoranda of agreement, letters of understanding, and other negotiated instruments.
• Establish effective relationships with union and faculty association representatives to facilitate productive negotiations and sustainable labour-management partnerships.
• Provide strategic advice regarding mediation, conciliation, arbitration, strike preparedness, and other labour dispute processes.
• Ensure bargaining activities are conducted in accordance with applicable labour legislation, institutional governance requirements, and approved negotiation mandates.
Faculty and Academic Labour Relations
• Provide specialized labour relations advice to the Provost and academic leaders concerning faculty appointments, tenure and promotion processes, academic freedom, academic workload, performance concerns, and other matters governed by faculty collective agreements or institutional policies.
• Support Deans, Associate Deans, Department Chairs, and academic administrators in interpreting and applying faculty collective agreements and academic employment policies.
• Advise on academic restructuring, program changes, workload allocation, organizational reviews, and other institutional initiatives with potential labour relations implications.
• Support fair, consistent, and transparent processes relating to faculty grievances, discipline, performance management, and employment disputes.
• Collaborate with academic leadership and faculty associations to address workplace concerns while respecting academic governance, academic freedom, and established institutional procedures.
• Promote constructive relationships between academic leadership and faculty bargaining units while recognizing the distinct roles of institutional administration, academic governance bodies, and employee representatives.
Grievance Administration and Dispute Resolution
• Oversee the University's grievance management framework, including grievance assessment, investigation coordination, response preparation, settlement discussions, and arbitration.
• Provide strategic advice on complex grievances involving discipline, dismissal, workload, compensation, appointment terms, policy interpretation, and other employment matters.
• Represent or oversee institutional representation in mediation, arbitration, labour board proceedings, and other formal dispute resolution processes, as appropriate.
• Work with internal and external legal counsel to assess legal exposure, develop case strategies, and recommend appropriate resolutions.
• Identify recurring workplace issues and systemic concerns through grievance analysis and recommend preventive measures.
• Promote early intervention, interest-based problem-solving, and alternative dispute resolution where appropriate.
• Ensure grievance processes are timely, procedurally fair, well documented, and consistent with collective agreement requirements.
Labour Relations Analytics, Reporting and Risk Management
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators relating to grievance volumes, arbitration outcomes, bargaining milestones, settlement costs, case resolution timelines, and recurring workplace concerns.
• Prepare executive reports, briefing notes, risk assessments, and recommendations for senior leadership and relevant governance committees.
• Analyze labour relations trends to identify opportunities for process improvement, dispute prevention, and more effective institutional decision-making.
• Support budget planning and forecasting for bargaining, arbitration, legal services, settlements, and labour relations operations.
• Maintain confidential and accurate labour relations records and ensure appropriate information governance.
• Provide timely advice regarding significant labour disputes, potential service disruptions, and matters requiring executive intervention.
Labour Relations / Health and Safety Advisory Services
• Provide expert interpretation of collective agreements, employment policies, labour legislation, occupational health and safety requirements, and institutional procedures.
• Advise institutional leaders, managers, supervisors, Deans, Department Chairs, and Human Resources professionals on discipline, attendance management, performance concerns, workplace investigations, and employee complaints.
• Develop guidance, protocols, and decision-making frameworks to support consistent labour relations and workplace health and safety practices across academic and administrative units.
• Provide strategic advice on complex health and safety matters, including work refusals, workplace hazards, harassment complaints, safety violations, and other matters requiring risk assessment and mitigation.
• Support or oversee complex employee matters involving harassment, discrimination, accommodation, workplace conflict, and allegations of misconduct, in collaboration with appropriate institutional offices.
• Ensure workplace investigations are conducted impartially, confidentially, and in accordance with applicable legislation, collective agreements, and institutional policies.
• Coordinate with Human Rights, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Occupational Health and Safety, Legal Counsel, and other relevant institutional functions on complex workplace matters.
• Promote procedural fairness, consistent decision-making, and effective conflict resolution across academic and administrative units.
Labour Relations / Health and Safety Policy and Legislative Compliance
• Monitor and interpret applicable federal and provincial legislation, collective agreements, employment standards, human rights requirements, occupational health and safety legislation, and relevant labour board decisions.
• Ensure labour relations and occupational health and safety policies and practices are consistent with applicable legal obligations and institutional governance frameworks.
• Lead or support the development, review, and implementation of labour relations and occupational health and safety policies, procedures, and administrative guidelines.
• Provide strategic oversight of the University's Occupational Health and Safety services and functions, ensuring effective service delivery and compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario.
• Identify compliance risks and recommend appropriate corrective measures.
• Maintain effective documentation, records management, reporting, and governance practices for labour relations and health and safety activities.
• Consult with legal counsel and relevant stakeholders on emerging legal issues and significant changes to the employment environment.
• Lead and support the implementation of a University-wide attendance management policy, program, and system.
Leadership, Collaboration and Organizational Development
• Lead, mentor, and develop the Labour Relations and Occupational Health and Safety teams, establishing clear performance expectations, service standards, and professional development priorities.
• Foster strong working relationships across Human Resources, academic affairs, Finance, Legal Services, faculty leadership, and administrative departments.
• Build institutional capacity through education, training, and coaching for managers and academic administrators on collective agreement administration, conflict management, and labour relations and occupational health and safety best practices.
• Promote a professional, responsive, and service-oriented approach to labour relations and occupational health and safety.
• Support leadership development, succession planning, accountability, and continuous improvement within the labour relations and occupational health and safety functions.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Respectful Workplaces
• Integrate principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti-discrimination into labour relations strategies, policies, and decision-making.
• Support fair and consistent application of collective agreements and employment policies across diverse employee groups.
• Collaborate with Human Rights, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, accessibility, and workplace well-being offices to address systemic workplace concerns.
• Provide advice on employment matters involving accommodation, discrimination, harassment, and equitable workplace practices, within the appropriate institutional mandates.
• Promote culturally responsive conflict resolution, respectful engagement, belonging, psychological safety, and a respectful workplace culture.
ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATI
