Senior Human Resources Specialist

University of British Columbia•Vancouver, BC

1d•CA$7,284 - CA$10,474

About The Position

The Senior Human Resources Specialist provides strategic and operational human resources support to the VPA, VPRI, and Governance portfolios. This role advises on HR management issues, including employee relations, labour relations, performance management, organizational design, recruitment, compensation, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and change management. The position partners with leaders and staff to align workforce strategies with portfolio and institutional goals, ensuring a respectful, inclusive, and high-performing workplace. This role will primarily focus on providing HR expertise to 2 large projects under the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and IT Services.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline.
Minimum of four to five years of related work experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Nice To Haves

Experience in a complex, unionized environment required.
Strong knowledge of HR management practices, employment legislation, collective agreements, and organizational development.
Experience with change management; Prosci certification an asset.
Demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and indigeneity.
Demonstrated ability to build, manage and maintain high-quality and productive relationships across cultural difference.
Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and interact with empathy, understanding and, respect of diverse and divergent perspectives and behaviours.
Works in a collaborative and inclusive manner, fostering equitable experiences and a respectful environment for all staff.
Acknowledges, reflects upon and challenges one’s own biases and assumptions.
Recognizes and addresses personal and institutional assumptions and behaviours that create barriers to inclusion
Ability to analyze complex issues, exercise sound judgment, and provide strategic advice.
Effective oral and written communication, presentation, and facilitation skills.
Strong organizational, problem-solving, and analytical abilities.
Ability to maintain confidentiality, discretion, and tact.
Proficiency in HR systems and MS Office applications.

Responsibilities

Provides advice on employee and labour relations, including collective agreement interpretation, discipline, grievances, duty to accommodate, performance management, and terminations.
Partners with managers and leaders to design organizational structures that ensure equity and operational effectiveness.
Develops action plans to resolve HR management issues, collaborating with senior HR leadership on complex matters.
Coaches managers on conflict resolution, difficult conversations, and employee engagement.
Oversees and manages full-cycle recruitment for staff roles, ensuring alignment with equity, diversity, and inclusion commitments.
Advises on job description development, classification, and salary administration.
Develops and delivers training for managers and staff.
Builds internal talent pools and succession strategies to strengthen workforce sustainability.
Champions portfolio wide performance development practices, providing guidance and training to managers on effective feedback and coaching.
Leads or contributes to HR team initiatives and cross-portfolio projects that enhance service delivery, workforce effectiveness, or organizational culture.
Collaborates with institutional partners to design and implement process improvements, pilot programs, or other strategic projects as assigned.
Provide detailed analysis of job descriptions, occupational guidelines, and team structures for the purpose of effective aligning teams.
Collaborate with HR colleagues through-out UBC to support the HR activities related to the implementation of UBC wide IT projects.
Partners with Director, HR, Associate Director, HR and portfolio leaders and contributes to the design and implementation of HR process and systems improvements, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and user needs.
Advises on and supports change management activities, ensuring effective communication, knowledge transfer, and staff engagement.
Designs and facilitates staff events, training, retreats, and team building initiatives that enhance culture and collaboration.
Implements strategies to support organizational resilience, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Integrates principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and Indigeneity into HR practices and advises leaders on strategies to embed these values in portfolio culture and operations.
Identifies gaps and risks in inclusive practices and develops strategies to address them.
Supports implementation of institutional strategic plans such as the StEAR Roadmap for change and the Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP).
Ensures compliance with employment legislation, collective agreements, and university policies.
Oversees HR processes, transactions, and data integrity to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
Researches and recommends HR policy and program changes to improve effectiveness and alignment with institutional priorities.

Benefits

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position.
The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position.
In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.
At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students.
Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence.
An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged.
We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, and/or Indigenous person.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
If you have any accommodation or accessibility needs during the job application process, please contact the Centre for Workplace Accessibility at [email protected].