Research Consultant, Labour Relations

JOB SUMMARY

Legal Services provides a comprehensive and complex range of legal services to elected officials, all City of Ottawa departments, and various boards and commissions (i.e. Ottawa Police Services Board, Ottawa Community Land Development Corporation and the Ottawa Public Library), in the areas of civil litigation, labour and employment law, prosecutions, and corporate, municipal, planning, development, environmental, and commercial law.

You research best practices for the development and updating of Labour Relations procedures, guidelines and manuals and respond to requests for information on Labour Relations activities, while serving as liaison with union officials to negotiate individual employee settlements as well as corporate settlements. You update and maintain a Labour Relations database and participate as a member of project teams and committees.

You also provide input into the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and educational processes related to Labour Relations.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Completion of 4 year university degree in Industrial Relations, Business Administration, Public Administration or related field

Minimum of 5 years of experience at the senior corporate level with minimum of 3 years of experience in progressively responsible Labour Relations management positions

KNOWLEDGE

• All collective agreements language for both current and past bargaining units
• HR principles, policies, practices and techniques, best practices, and the latest trends and developments in HR management and personnel administration, as well as public sector labour negotiations
• Labour Relations both internal to the corporation and in the public sector in general; the collective bargaining process, including conciliation, mediation and interest arbitration, collective agreement interpretation, dispute resolution mechanisms and union/management relationships
• Relevant labour and employment-related legislation, as well as Labour Relations jurisprudence, principles, practices and contract administration
• Principles and practices of public personnel administration, function and policies, practices and objectives, municipal government and unionized work environments
• Public administrative research methods, techniques, data management systems and processes, measurement tools and methods of report presentation
• Municipal operations, corporate and branch policies, departmental and internal operational and administrative procedures, departmental business requirements and organizational structures of the City of Ottawa
• Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SAP, PeopleSoft, Access, and other corporate standard software

COMPETENCIES, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Develop and follow research methodology and protocol
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative research and analysis on selected employment and labour relations issues
• Analyze complex information to comprehend and make inferences from material and evaluative judgements, as well as to fully define and resolve requests for information concerning labour relations issues
• Interpret and analyze informational needs, and provide technical advice and guidance in area of specialty
• Function creatively and effectively in providing advice and guidance on employment and labour relations matters to internal corporate customers
• Excellent listening and interviewing skills; effectively communicate orally and in writing, including preparing and making presentations
• Ability to plan, develop, maintain and gain acceptance and cooperation from employees, city and union officials and representatives
• Mediation and problem-solving skills
• Exercise of tact and discretion to protect the privacy, confidentiality and security of personal and proprietary information
• Innovative and creative with perceptive abilities in identifying issues in obtaining and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information
• Strong analytical skills, strict attention to detail