Director, HR Partnerships and Workforce Relations

Scarborough Health Network • Toronto, ON

9d • CA$87 - CA$100 • Onsite

About The Position

The Director, HR Partnerships and Workforce Relations is a strategic leadership role responsible for advancing SHN’s HR Partnerships and Workforce Relations mandate. Reporting to the Vice President, People, Culture & Governance and CHRO, the Director, HR Partnerships and Workforce Relations is a key member of the People Services leadership team, responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of strategic workforce relations matters, including the employee and labour relations functions across SHN. The Director partners closely with People Services leaders, operational leaders, and union partners to support achieving the people strategy initiatives. This role is critical in building credibility and trust across the organization to position our workforce for success in a rapidly changing healthcare environment and to engage and empower our people in new ways. The Director will lead a modern, data-informed Employee & Labour Relations function, ensuring Human Resources teams operate as true strategic partners while proactively managing risk and opportunities in a complex, unionized healthcare environment.

Requirements

• Post-secondary education in Human Resources, Labour/Industrial Relations, Law, or a related field; CHRL/CHRP required, Master’s preferred
• Minimum 7–10+ years of progressive labour and employee relations experience in a unionized Ontario healthcare or broader public sector environment
• Demonstrated expertise in collective bargaining, arbitration, grievance management, and complex investigations
• Strong knowledge of Ontario labour and employment legislation and labour relations jurisprudence
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders, manage risk, and lead in a complex, multi-site, unionized environment
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills
• Strong knowledge of labour practices and collective agreement administration
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale transformation and change initiatives
• Ability to think strategically and translate into operational action
• Excellent communication skills: written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Strong team engagement, facilitation, and coaching skills to build team morale and improve culture
• Strong customer-service and partnership orientation and the ability to link the people experience with quality outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to develop and influence relationships at all levels, with strong interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Strong fiscal experience including preparing budget proposals, briefing notes, and business cases, monitoring fiscal performance, and implementing strategies to improve efficiency and outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to build strategic alliances and partnerships with health system, academic, and private sector partners
• Good understanding of hospital operations and the broader healthcare system

Nice To Haves

• Master’s preferred

Responsibilities

• Partner with Human Resources, corporate support, operational, and union leadership to advance SHN’s strategic priorities by optimizing human capital performance
• Provide strategic leadership to the HR Business Partners, ensuring alignment between workforce planning, talent strategies, and organizational goals
• Lead the design and implementation of an integrated workforce planning approach in collaboration with People Services leaders
• Partner with People Analytics to leverage workforce data, trends, and human capital metrics to inform strategic decision-making and future workforce needs
• Apply strategic workforce foresight to proactively identify emerging workforce risks and design targeted strategies to address future talent gaps, capacity pressures, and shifting organizational demands
• Serve as the organization’s subject matter expert and partner on complex employee and labour relations matters, including performance, attendance, discipline, investigations, terminations, and accommodations
• Interpret and administer multiple collective agreements, ensuring consistent and compliant application across SHN
• Act as Chief Spokesperson in collective bargaining; lead negotiations, mediations, arbitrations, and the development of MOUs and local agreements
• Partner with union leadership and management to foster productive relationships and maintain a respectful, collaborative work environment
• Provide strategic guidance by developing and embedding supporting policies, processes, and practices that enable corporate decisions to align with collective agreements, SHN policies, and applicable legislation
• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of SHN’s Labour and Employee Relations strategy, policies, and standard operating procedures
• Identify, assess, and mitigate labour and employment-related risks in a complex, multi-union environment
• Oversee grievance processes, including investigation, case management, and arbitration preparation
• Ensure compliance with Ontario legislation, including the Labour Relations Act, Employment Standards Act, Human Rights Code, and Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Oversee investigations into complex workplace concerns, including policy violations and matters raised through formal reporting channels (e.g., whistleblower program)
• Promote a culture of professionalism, accountability, psychological safety, and respect across the organization
• Champion equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging through workforce practices, systems design, and employee experience initiatives
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Employee & Labour Relations team
• Provide leadership, coaching, and support to HR Business Partners, managers, and operational leaders on people management practices
• Establish and sustain enterprise standards of excellence across Workforce Relations operations, providing consistent, high‑quality service through a collaborative consultant model that supports internal partners in achieving strong operations and high‑performing teams across SHN
• Design and deliver training and education programs on employee and labour relations topics
• Develop and manage departmental budgets aligned with organizational priorities
• Contribute to financial and operational planning to ensure effective resource utilization and measurable outcomes
• Prepare and present regular and ad hoc reports that integrate labour and employee relations data with broader HR metrics, risk analyses, and strategic insights
• Build and maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders, including legal counsel, professional associations, and peer healthcare organizations
• Monitor emerging trends, legislative changes, and best practices to continuously strengthen SHN’s employee and labour relations function in a proactive manner

Benefits

• Defined Benefit pension plan through the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan
• Comprehensive insured benefits package including health and dental benefits
• New Graduate Initiative Enroute Program
• Critical Care Sponsorship Program
• Employee Discount and Incentive Programs
• Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP), along with other comprehensive wellness offerings, including our Spiritual Care team of registered psychotherapists for spiritual, religious or emotional care; mental health supports; and on-site wellness rounding
• Recognition events
• Leadership Development and Learning Programs
• Tuition Assistance Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director