Manager, Labour Relations
About The Position
KIRAH Executive Search & Leadership Advisory has been retained by the Vancouver School Board (VSB) to lead the search for its next Manager, Labour Relations. This is a key leadership appointment within VSB’s Employee Services Division, offering an accomplished labour relations professional the chance to take meaningful ownership of day-to-day labour relations operations within one of Canada’s largest and most diverse public school systems. Reporting to the Director, Labour Relations, the Manager will provide operational labour relations leadership, trusted advice, and practical guidance in a complex and highly unionized public education environment. The successful candidate will possess strong technical labour relations capability, sound judgment, confidence, responsiveness, and a genuine ability to coach and develop others. This opportunity is particularly attractive for a highly credible Senior Labour Relations Advisor or an experienced labour relations professional ready for broader leadership responsibility.
Requirements
- Progressive labour relations or employee relations experience within a complex unionized environment.
- Strong experience interpreting and administering collective agreements.
- Experience with grievances, employee discipline, performance management, workplace investigations, and employment legislation.
- Practical experience providing labour relations advice to leaders and internal clients.
- Demonstrated sound judgement in sensitive employee and labour relations matters.
- Strong relationship-building capability with unions and organizational stakeholders.
- Experience coaching, mentoring, or supporting the development of other labour relations professionals.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong organizational and documentation capability.
- Candidates currently operating at a senior advisory level who can demonstrate clear leadership readiness are encouraged to consider the opportunity.
Nice To Haves
- Experience within K-12 education, broader public sector, healthcare, municipal government, post-secondary education, or another complex multi-union environment will be highly relevant.
Responsibilities
- Provide day-to-day operational leadership across the Labour Relations function.
- Independently manage significant labour relations files.
- Provide practical and defensible advice to District leaders.
- Support the Director, Labour Relations on complex and higher-risk matters.
- Help ensure important files progress in a timely and organized manner.
- Maintain strong documentation and professional standards.
- Exercise sound judgement regarding when matters should be escalated.
- Support administration and interpretation of VSB’s collective agreements.
- Advise leaders regarding employee and labour relations obligations.
- Support collective bargaining activities.
- Assist with grievances, mediation, arbitration, and related processes.
- Promote consistency in the application of collective agreement provisions.
- Identify recurring issues and opportunities to strengthen labour relations practices.
- Provide leadership and advice concerning workplace investigations, employee discipline, performance management, complex employee relations matters, employment legislation, risk and documentation, and appropriate escalation of significant issues.
- Coach and mentor Labour Relations Advisors and Coordinators.
- Create meaningful developmental opportunities.
- Help team members build confidence and judgement.
- Support exposure to progressively more complex files.
- Strengthen succession readiness.
- Encourage accountability without becoming the bottleneck for every decision.
- Build a collaborative and professionally rigorous team environment.
- Ensure labour relations advice is timely, practical, credible, consistent, responsive, and clearly communicated.
- Take ownership of assigned matters.
- Follow through reliably.
- Maintain strong documentation standards.
- Ensure advice is clear and actionable.
- Support timely progression of files.
- Strengthen consistency across the function.
- Help build a culture of accountability and professional excellence.
Benefits
- The position also includes benefits.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
