Req ID: 388622
We are currently seeking a Employee Relations Specialist (hybrid) to join our team in Burnaby, British Columbia (CA-BC), Canada (CA).
Position SummaryThe Employee Relations Specialist develops, implements, and administers employee and labour relations practices that support employee engagement, operational effectiveness, legal compliance, and constructive union-management relationships. The role provides practical advice to managers, employees, HR colleagues, and business stakeholders and handles difficult or complex matters within established policy, collective agreement, and legal frameworks.
The position performs the full range of assigned employee relations work and provides substantive labour relations support, including investigations, corrective action, discipline, termination risk assessment, grievance administration, collective agreement interpretation, dispute resolution, arbitration preparation, labour-management consultation, and bargaining implementation. The incumbent manages projects with supervisory oversight and seeks guidance for new assignments or matters outside the normal scope of work.
Core Responsibilities- Proactively coaches and counsels managers on employee relations issues, performance concerns, conflict management, and appropriate corrective action.
- Guides managers in handling difficult or complex complaints and disputes, including discipline procedures, consistency considerations, and termination risk assessments.
- Coaches local HR and leadership on employee relations trends, issues, and techniques that support positive employee relations and engagement.
- Administers employee relations programs through uniform and equitable application of policies and procedures.
- Handles and resolves escalated employee and internal client inquiries.
- Coordinates appropriate termination procedures, including preparation, risk review, and support during termination meetings.
- Resolves workplace conflict by investigating circumstances, conducting interviews, assessing evidence, exploring solutions, and facilitating conflict-resolution or team-building sessions.
- Interprets and applies collective agreements, memoranda of agreement, letters of understanding, bargaining protocols, and established labour relations practices.
- Administers grievances from intake through investigation, response, settlement discussions, withdrawal, mediation, arbitration preparation, or other disposition, with guidance on novel or high-risk matters.
- Prepares grievance responses, position summaries, chronologies, settlement language, disclosure packages, exhibits, briefing materials, and arbitration files.
- Supports the Employer at grievance meetings, labour-management meetings, joint committees, mediation, arbitration preparation, and labour board matters.
- Maintains constructive working relationships with union representatives and consults to clarify interpretation, exchange information, prevent disputes, and resolve issues where appropriate.
- Advises managers on collective agreement provisions concerning seniority, job postings, temporary assignments, classification, scheduling, hours of work, overtime, callout, standby, vacation, leaves, layoffs, displacement, recall, severance, and related matters.
- Supports collective bargaining through research, issue analysis, proposal drafting, documentation, costing coordination, and implementation of negotiated changes.
- Responds to union information requests and disclosure obligations while protecting privacy, confidentiality, legal privilege, information security, and third-party information.
- Provides guidance on representation rights, investigatory meetings, steward activity, union access, bargaining-unit status, exclusions, and scope issues.
- Supports workforce-change processes, contracting-out or technological-change reviews, and strike, picketing, essential-service, business-continuity, contingency, or return-to-work planning where applicable.
- Coordinates implementation of settlements, arbitration awards, labour board decisions, and negotiated commitments with HR Operations, Payroll, Finance, Legal, and operational stakeholders.
- Maintains complete, accurate, confidential, and privilege-aware employee and labour relations case files, trackers, correspondence, evidence, decisions, and implementation records.
- Analyzes case trends and recurring disputes and prepares summaries, dashboards, risk assessments, and recommendations for HR and business leadership.
- Produces reports, including but not limited to attrition rates, seniority calculations, and union reports, as required.
- Develops and delivers guidance or training for managers and HR on investigations, discipline, grievance handling, collective agreement interpretation, documentation, and union-management protocols.
- Manages employee and labour relations projects with supervisory oversight and coordinates defined activities with other contributors.
Typical Years of Experience- Typically requires 5-7 years of relevant experience.
Minimum Education and Certifications- Undergraduate Degree/Bachelor's Degree.
- Graduate degree preferred.
- A recognized Canadian human resources or labour relations designation is an asset.
Skills- Advanced understanding of HR policies, practices, and administrative guidelines.
- Excellent client service skills, including the ability to handle issues in a timely and professional manner.
- Advanced knowledge of employee relations practices and procedures.
- Advanced knowledge of workplace investigations, corrective action, performance management, conflict resolution, and termination risk assessment.
- Strong knowledge of Canadian labour relations principles and working knowledge of British Columbia labour and employment legislation.
- Strong ability to interpret and apply collective agreements, memoranda, letters of understanding, arbitral principles, past practice, and labour relations procedures.
- Strong grievance administration, dispute-resolution, mediation-support, and arbitration-preparation skills.
- Strong collective bargaining support skills, including research, issue analysis, proposal drafting, documentation, and implementation planning.
- Strong consultation and relationship-management skills for working with union representatives, managers, employees, legal counsel, and cross-functional partners.
- Advanced oral and written communication skills, including preparation of investigation records, grievance responses, settlement language, and briefing notes.
- Strong negotiation, influencing, facilitation, judgment, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent project and case-management skills, with the ability to manage competing deadlines and maintain accurate confidential records.
- High level of tact, diplomacy, discretion, integrity, business ethics, and commitment to procedural fairness.
- Ability to work effectively in a complex, multi-site, unionized environment and manage projects with supervisory oversight.
- Microsoft Office 365 proficiency is required.
Physical Requirements / Working Conditions- Ability to physically perform general office requirements.
- Must be able to perform essential responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation.
- May require travel within British Columbia and participation in meetings or proceedings outside regular business hours, based on operational requirements.
Other Relevant Information- No direct reports
- No financial or budgetary responsibilities
Where required by law, NTT DATA provides a reasonable range of compensation for specific roles. The starting pay range for this remote role is $80,000 -$90,000. This range reflects the minimum and maximum target compensation for the position across all US locations. Actual compensation will depend on a number of factors, including the candidate's actual work location, relevant experience, technical skills, and other qualifications. This position may also be eligible for incentive compensation based on individual and/or company performance. This position is eligible for company benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance with an employer contribution, flexible spending or health savings account, life and AD&D insurance, short and long term disability coverage, paid time off, employee assistance, participation in a 401k program with company match, and additional voluntary or legally-required benefits.
