Senior Manager, Employee Relations
About The Position
Are you ready to set the standard for employee relations across a fast-moving, science-led Canadian biopharmaceuticals hub? Can you translate complex legislation into clear, practical guidance that prevents issues before they arise and strengthens a high-performance culture? In this role, you will be the specialist and subject matter expert for Employee Relations across our Canadian enterprise, supporting multiple business units and global functions. Working closely with HR Business Partners and the broader HR team, you will advise leaders, shape a fair and consistent employee experience, and ensure our practices align with Canadian legislation and global standards. You will also partner with global HR centers of excellence to pull through enterprise approaches and resources, ensuring consistent execution of the AstraZeneca way in Canada. Our environment is non-union and highly professional, making experience in large multinationals especially relevant. You will serve as both a center of excellence for HR and a visible, frontline advisor to the business—helping leaders drive performance, avoid escalations, and resolve issues decisively and ethically to keep our teams focused on delivering medicines that change patients’ lives.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree, specialty in Human Resources is an asset
- Minimum of 5 years of relevant Employee Relations/Policy experience with experience in Pharma an asset
- Advanced communication, presentation and project management skills, as well as demonstrated report writing skills
- Excellent problem solving skills with ability to apply sound judgement
- Strong relationship building and relationship management skills, high integrity orientation
- Demonstrated business acumen, expertise in global corporate professional workforce settings an asset
- Comprehensive knowledge of Canadian legislation and regulations regarding employment topics
- Excellent ability to navigate difficult situations by building empathy and objectivity, excellent people skills and ability to navigate tension
Nice To Haves
- Experience in Pharma industry
- Expertise in global corporate professional workforce settings
- Bilingual in English and French
- Experience in large, non-union, multinational corporate environments
Responsibilities
- Set, interpret and uphold HR policies; ensure practical, consistent application aligned to Canadian legislation and global standards.
- Lead all increased ER matters to robust, timely conclusions, including fact-finding, investigations, performance improvement plans, written warnings and involuntary terminations; engage internal or external legal counsel as needed.
- Maintain performance management playbooks, templates and training; uphold consistent standards that improve outcomes for employees, teams and the organization.
- Maintain severance policy and oversee end-to-end processes for individual terminations and reorganizations, coordinating with support services to manage risk and experience.
- Advise HR Business Partners and leaders on change initiatives to ensure compliance with policies and legislation and to enable smooth transitions with strong risk oversight.
- Own intake, triage and resolution of cases reported via AZEthics and those originating outside the system; document and track outcomes.
- Lead the response strategy for demand letters, partnering with legal counsel to resolve effectively while managing precedent and risk.
- Conduct regular policy reviews; update and align with global frameworks and evolving local legislation.
- Report and monitor ER metrics; build and maintain a repository of ER case history and records to identify trends and drive prevention.
- Partner with internal and external counsel to ensure defensible decisions and effective risk mitigation.
- Serve as the escalation point for sensitive exits to diagnose root causes and inform continuous improvement.
Benefits
- Competitive Flex Benefits & Retirement Savings Program
- 4 weeks’ paid vacation
- annual Personal Days
- annual Variable Pay Bonus/Short Term Incentive opportunity
- eligibility to participate in our equity-based long-term incentive program (if applicable to role)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
