Associate Vice - president, Human Resources – Labour Relations And HR Policy

Associate Vice-President, Human Resources – Labour Relations and HR Policy

The Associate Vice-President, Human Resources – Labour Relations and HR Policy ("AVPHR-LR") is a senior strategic leadership position within the Vice-President, Human Resources ("VPHR") portfolio and across the University, responsible for setting a strategic vision that motivates University leadership to new ways of approaching productive and meaningful employment relationships with faculty and staff through data-informed decision-making to support UBC's academic mission and standing.

The AVPHR-LR role is responsible for the strategic oversight and governance of the application of human resources policies, practices, precedents, standards and protocols across both campuses of UBC (Vancouver and the Okanagan) relating to Faculty Relations, Employee Relations, Investigations, Conflict Management, and Housing, Relocation and Immigration Services, in collaboration with members of the HR teams on both campuses.

The AVPHR-LR leads a team of senior, seasoned HR professionals in Employee & Labour Relations, Faculty Relations, Investigations Office, Conflict Management Office, and Housing, Relocation and Immigration Services. The AVP cultivates and fosters strategic relationships with executive leadership and stakeholders throughout the University and externally, including UBCO and other relevant institutions, to optimize the employee experience for staff and faculty relations, including collaboration and a more consistent, standardized and innovative approach to HR to meet long-term strategic priorities of UBC, with responsibility for data analysis for trends to impact delivery.

The AVPHR-LR reports to the Vice President, Human Resources and collaborates with senior leaders across UBC, including UBCO, on shared strategic and operational priorities.

The AVPHR-LR strategically partners with the Senior HR Leaders Network across the community, as well as Deans, AVPs and internal governing and advisory bodies, including a diverse range of stakeholders. The AVPHR-LR provides leadership to two (2) Executive Directors and two (2) Directors, and shared leadership to one (1) Director and works closely with one (1) Director at UBCO.

This position also works closely with other offices, including the Office of the Provost, in the delivery of their responsibilities.

The individual will also liaise externally with regulatory bodies, counterparts at other comparable public and private sector organizations, and third-party providers such as unions and associations, legal counsel, and consultants.

The AVPHR-LR is responsible for setting a strategic vision that motivates University leadership to new ways of approaching productive and meaningful employment relationships with faculty and staff through data-informed reporting to support UBC's mission and operations.

The AVPHR-LR portfolio is responsible for providing University-wide expert advice and guidance on faculty relations, employee relations, investigations, labour, employment, and immigration law, bargaining, conflict management and performance management practices, and on various policies and procedures, ensuring alignment with the various University strategic plans and supporting the housing, relocation and immigration services strategic initiatives.

The FR and ER teams provide university-wide strategic advice, guidance and compliance oversight to academic and administrative leaders and the HR teams within the faculties and administration areas, and hold the key responsibility for bargaining and collective agreement language implementation that supports faculty and administration portfolio outcomes in alignment with UBC.

The AVPHR-LR, in partnership with the AVP Students, will have oversight of the UBC Investigations Office (the "IO"), and work closely to ensure the IO is meeting its statutory and policy obligations, including supporting timely and high-quality investigations.

Provides support to our campus community and initiatives focused on the recruitment and retention of staff and faculty. Working with various internal and external stakeholders, they provide services including leadership on the Housing Action Plan priorities and annual reporting, which include concierge services provided for existing and future faculty and staff; high-level operational program oversight and administration related to staff and faculty housing, relocation, and immigration; administering formal application driven programs including: faculty staff discounted rental housing, faculty loan programs, priority childcare access programs, rent-geared-to-income program, and other relocation support services for faculty and staff; and stewardship/advocacy/progress tracking on the implementation and auditing of Housing Action Plan.

The development of the new Conflict Management Office (CMO) will involve a mandate to work collaboratively with campus partners to action university commitments to creating a safe and respectful work environment for all employees as per UBC's Respectful Environment Statement. This partnership includes the Investigations Office and the Equity and Inclusion Office to support conflict resolution through our strategic plans. The CMO will provide strategic planning and development of conflict resolution initiatives, guidance, advice, support and training to employees in the workplace with a focus on restorative and sustainable outcomes, will facilitate interventions as needed, and support post-investigation support for various units.

The AVPHR-LR is accountable to:

• Support the continued attraction and retention of faculty and staff to achieve UBC's academic mission and administrative and operational priorities.
• Drive, promote, publish, and distribute leading practices, thought leadership, and subject matter expertise.
• Establish centralized faculty and employee relations experts that partner with the advisory services team and units across both campuses to help deliver effective employment and labour practices and standards, and work on multiple projects across the university concurrently.
• Action commitments made by the University to create a safe and respectful work environment for all employees per University policies, including UBC's Respectful Environment Statement, and supports conflict management/resolution initiatives, guidance, advice and support to all employees.
• Models and provides exceptional customer service that provides high-quality and timely responses to issues and files.
• Uses data and metrics to drive strategic direction and provide annual reports where needed.
• Leverage changing technology to optimize the delivery of customer service and the employee experience to promote innovation and efficiency.
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including Government entities, Unions and Associations.
• Represent UBC or direct legal counsel on third-party applications, including with the Human Rights Tribunal, Employment Standards Branch, WorkSafeBC, and Labour Relations Board.

Portfolio Leadership

• Leads the establishment of a future vision and long-term plan for the evolution of the portfolio by ensuring an optimized employee experience and model is strategically led, including data-driven metrics to identify human resources trends to impacts where efforts and results are measured and reflected through BOG annual reports.
• Establishes mid to long-term objectives and strategic plans for this portfolio, consistent with the University's Strategic Plan, Focus on People Framework, collective agreements, and various University priorities and plans (StEAR, ISP, HAP, WSF, etc.).
• Identifies the critical issues and risks to be raised with the VPHR and ensures risk plans are in place to mitigate and achieve effective implementation of programs, policies, processes and practices for employee groups, in consideration of the role and interests of the University's unions/associations, Executive, Board of Governors, PSEC, RUCBC and other key stakeholders.
• Oversees the assurance that advisory, governance, and operational support programs and plans are managed and administered in accordance with the University's strategic and fiscal objectives and that governance structures and practices meet fiduciary and legal criteria as required by legislative bodies, legislation, and regulations.
• Prepares strategic reports and presentations for senior management and the University's Board of Governors; and attends and presents at Executive and Board of Governors meetings as required.

Cross-UBC Collaboration

• Provides strategic and system-wide input and feedback (from a central advisory, governance, and operational support service-delivery perspective) on the design and implementation of innovative HR policies, programs, and practices that will contribute to employee experience and provide quality of working life and wellbeing, and workforce planning and effectiveness.
• Champions equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility across all labour relations strategies, ensuring alignment with the university's values and commitments.
• Contributes as a member of the senior Human Resources leadership team and the AVP leadership community to the provision of effective and progressive human resource stewardship and evolving HR professional practice management.
• Works collaboratively with AVP colleagues, Deans and the distributed Senior HR Leaders Network, including UBCO, on proactive employee and labour relations matters to ensure policy, practice, precedent and a standardized approach is administered.
• Partners with Deans, AVPs, and senior HR leadership to foster effective customer service, relationships and influence buy-in, including accountability for roles, governance and deliverables across the distributed senior human resources community.

Strategic Innovation and Continuous Improvement

• Maintains a keen awareness of the long-term needs of the University as a whole, and an appreciation of the overall context of the University's decision-making and strategic priorities.
• Develops, monitors and reports on key annual data and strategic performance metrics for the entire portfolio's objectives, and utilizes data to continuously improve overall portfolio performance.
• Consults with colleagues across the HR portfolios and with