Director, Employee & Labour Relations

Job Description

Metrolinx is connecting communities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Metrolinx operates GO Transit and UP Express, as well as the PRESTO fare payment system.

We are also building new and improved rapid transit, including GO Expansion, Light Rail Transit routes, and major expansions to Toronto’s subway system, to get people where they need to go, better, faster and easier.

Metrolinx is an agency of the Government of Ontario. At Metrolinx, equity, diversity and inclusion are essential to living our values of serving with passion, thinking forward and playing as a team.

Our Human Resources Office is seeking a Director of Employee and Labour Relations. This individual will offer strategic leadership in the development, planning, and execution of employee and labour relations, and workplace investigations strategies, aiming to foster a positive employee relations culture across Metrolinx, while minimizing risks.

The role involves providing oversight to ensure rigor in stakeholder support and advice, as well as managing all aspects of employee and labour relations issues utilizing sound and responsible labour relations practices.

What will I be doing?

• Lead the development and implementation of employee and labour relations strategies in support of enterprise strategic and operational plans, evolving workforce interests, trends, and requirements and the broad goals and objectives of HR.
• Provide leadership to the development and implementation of policies, programs, and services in support of the employee and labour relations strategy ensuring alignment with legislative requirements and the needs of the organization and employees.
• Oversee the interpretation and application of labour relations laws, procedures, policies, precedents, and collective bargaining agreement provisions, and the maintenance and creation of policies and procedures as applicable.
• Oversee the specialized management of critical employee relations issues and the provision of advice on challenging employee situations.
• Ensure the team remains current by overseeing the research and analysis of trends and case law to inform the development of recommendations to support business leaders and HR partners in decision-making.
• Lead and approves responses to requests from internal and external stakeholders and provides direction, oversight, and expertise in responding to issues on behalf of Employee and Labour Relations.
• Act as a point of escalation for sensitive and complex issues.
• Lead or oversees the collective bargaining process with two labour unions by developing and proposing strategies and recommendations to support negotiations.
• Manage and oversees the implementation of new collective agreements.
• Oversee the provision of advice to managers on employee relations issues (e.g., employee discipline, workplace investigations, grievances, grievance arbitrations / mediations, termination process, etc.).
• Ensure effective representation of Metrolinx at arbitration, mediation and other processes involved with employee and labour relations matters.
• Oversee workplace investigations, and reports on complaints from employees regarding workplace harassment and discrimination;

oversee and monitors conflict resolution / mediation processes and follows cases to conclusion.

• Review metrics to identify trends and recommend and implement solutions to close process gaps and resources required to further support employees and managers to improve the overall employee and labour relations experience.
• Manage and oversee development, stakeholdering and implementation of applicable projects for their portfolio, as well as participating in broader organizational committees and working groups.

What Skills and Qualifications Do I Need?

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Labour Relations, Master’s degree in Law or a related discipline or a combination of education, training and experience deemed equivalent
• Member in good standing of a provincial Law Society; Professional HR / LR designation (CHRL preferred)
• Demonstrated experience in labour relations and workplace investigations, including proven expertise in negotiations with in-depth knowledge of employment legislation, proven knowledge in administration of collective agreements, conducting investigations, alternative dispute resolution, and policy development and implementation, including demonstrated experience in a leadership role in a unionized environment and in a regulatory or public sector organization.

Experience leading bargaining would be an asset.

• Knowledge of human resources and employee and labour relations, including employment and labour law, collective agreement and collective agreement administration, collective bargaining, union-management relations, and grievance management
• Strong knowledge of applicable provincial legislation including but not limited to the Ontario Labour Relations Act, Employment Standards Act, and Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Demonstrated ability to foster and support a high-performance culture of collaboration, inclusion, trust and accountability, including proven commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Strong conflict resolution, consulting, negotiation, communication, change and project management, interpersonal skills and analytical techniques and approaches as well as the ability to foster dialogue, explore interests, and build relationships
• Skill in balancing results with relationships in pursuing outcomes aligned with organizational business objectives
• Ability and skill in moving flexibly among various approaches in response to changing situations and circumstances, including effectively managing time pressures and conflicting work demands and priorities
• Comfortable taking initiative and working with ambiguity
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills
• Proficiency in MS Office suite of products

Don’t Meet Every Requirement? If you’re excited about working with Metrolinx but your past experience doesn’t quite align with every qualification of this posting, we encourage you to apply.

You just might be the right candidate for this or other roles. We are always looking for great talent to join our team. We invite all interested individuals to apply and encourage applications from members of equity-deserving communities, including those who identify as Indigenous, Black, racialized, women, people with disabilities, and people with diverse gender identities, expressions and sexual orientations.

Accommodation : We value the unique skills and experiences each person brings to Metrolinx and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment.

We are committed to the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act so if you require accommodation during the hiring process, please let our Recruitment team know by contacting us at : or email .