Director, Faculty Relations

Director, Faculty Relations

Summary:

The director, faculty relations provides strategic leadership and expert guidance on all aspects of academic faculty labour relations within the university environment, including sessional lecturers. This role is responsible for shaping and executing a comprehensive faculty relations strategy that aligns with institutional goals and academic values. The director navigates legal, procedural, and relational complexities to support effective collective bargaining, policy development, and dispute resolution. Through collaboration and informed decision-making, the director fosters constructive relationships with faculty and academic leaders, providing consistency, fairness, and institutional integrity in faculty relations across the university.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Leads the effective and efficient resolution of grievances and other labour relations processes, managing legal and institutional risks while complying with legislation, collective agreements, and university policies.
• Provides advice and guidance to senior leadership and other key stakeholders to support financially viable and sustainable processes and approaches that protect the university’s reputation and mitigate risks and liability.
• Identifies and applies best practices in academic faculty relations in alignment with the university’s strategic directions, supported by collaboration with key stakeholders and subject matter experts across functional areas.
• Serves as a member of the negotiation and bargaining committee for both the faculty and sessional agreements.
• Promotes a principle-based, relationship-focused approach to academic faculty relations, enabling timely and proactive solutions to employment issues through accurate legal interpretation of collective agreements and alignment across bargaining units.
• Manages a team of direct reports through the full employee cycle, including effective supervision, coaching, mentoring, professional development, workflow management and performance management.
• Provides leadership and guidance to staff, including human resource (HR) professionals, to support consistent interpretation and application of collective agreements, labour law, human rights legislation, and institutional strategy and best practices.
• Identifies and recommends strategies for process improvements, that are integrated with other administrative and academic units and supportive of the university’s transformative change model.
• Collaborates with university legal counsel to facilitate the timely exchange of information and resolution of academic faculty labour relations matters.
• Fosters productive, interest-based relationships with union representatives and provides timely, respectful, and solution-oriented client service to support effective and innovative resolution of academic faculty relations issues.
• Assists and participates in the development, communication and implementation of new programs and initiatives, in alignment with the vision and direction of the office and with university integrated plans.
• Streamlines processes to reduce bureaucratic complexity and promotes adherence to established systems that support the efficient use and long-term sustainability of resources.
• Builds collaborative relationships across the university and external community to support a positive profile of the office, promoting its role as strategic and collegial partner in faculty relations and academic initiatives.
• Facilitates knowledge transfer to build the capacity of internal and external clients in alignment with the talent management strategies.
• Maintains awareness of current and leading best practices in academic labour relations.
• Communicates and acts in a respectful and professional manner, collaborates effectively, abides by policy, contributes to a positive and productive work and learning environment, and models these behaviours across the institution.
• Builds and leads diverse teams, champions inclusive leadership, and values different perspectives.
• Engages in and supports the understanding and growth of employees with the frameworks, initiatives and activities relating to equity, diversity and inclusion and Indigenous engagement.
• Sets and achieves actionable goals in alignment with Indigenous engagement and equity, diversity, and inclusion frameworks; addresses systemic inequities affecting underrepresented equity groups.
• Undertakes related duties, as assigned, consistent with the nature of the position.

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent, preferably in labour relations, human resources, or a related field.
• A Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation is an asset.
• Minimum seven years of progressive experience in human resources, with a specialization in academic faculty relations and experience in a multi-bargaining unit environment.
• Proven leadership experience or potential, including the ability to lead a team through challenging and complex situations and demonstrated leadership beyond reporting lines.
• Extensive knowledge of labour relations legislation, including leading labour law and human rights cases and decisions.
• Extensive experience working directly with faculty and senior leaders.
• Extensive experience working within an academic institution with faculty unions.
• Demonstrated expertise in collective bargaining, grievance and arbitration processes, and alternative dispute resolution.
• Demonstrated understanding of enterprise risk management, strategic project management, and change management, with the ability to evaluate and improve processes in alignment with institutional goals.
• Proven ability to provide strategic, research-informed recommendations that mitigate risk, support financial sustainability, and protect institutional reputation.
• Demonstrated ability to influence, facilitate, and coach senior leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholders, including bargaining unit representatives.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively within a diverse environment, including awareness of issues affecting Indigenous peoples.
• Excellent communication skills to advise senior leaders and engage with diverse stakeholders.
• High level of professional judgment, discretion, and integrity in handling sensitive and confidential matters.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Proficient computer skills, Microsoft Office applications.

Applications must include a cover letter or letter of intent, along with a resume or The University of Saskatchewan recognizes alternate career paths; therefore, a combination of education and experience may be considered.