Director, Arbitrations & Disputes

Role Responsibilities

Reporting to the Executive Director, Labour Relations & OHS, the Director, Arbitrations and Disputes is accountable for leading the Arbitrations and Disputes team.  This includes oversight of disputes existing between the Government of Alberta  (GoA) and its included, excluded, opted out and management employees within judicial and quasi-judicial forums. The position will provide oversight of consultation with stakeholders, labour relations (LR) policies, directives, programs and initiatives in unionized and non-unionized work environments across the Alberta Public Service (APS). 

The Director, Arbitrations and Disputes provides direction, guidance and mentorship to a team of subject matter experts (SMEs) involved in the development, maintenance and administration of Labour Relations Policy and Programs.  

• Ensures the Assistant Deputy Minister and Executive Director are current in the Department operations.
• Develops collaborative partnerships with Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) representatives to enable productive Labour Relations partnership.
• Provides expert advice to Executive and Senior Management regarding the interpretation and application of the Collective Agreement, Human Rights Legislation, Employment Standards Act, and precedent setting labour law cases.
• Oversees the provision of strategic advisory services to portfolio staff, ensuring PSC stakeholders are provided consistent and effective policy interpretation and application in relation to Labour and Employee relations policies and guidelines.
• Ensures corporate Labour and Employee Relations policies, programs and initiatives (LR/ER) are developed and administrated within an integrated workforce policy context.
• Remains attune to legislative and policy changes impacting the LR/ER environment, ensuring GoA directives, policies and guidelines are in alignment with industry best practices. 
• Leads the environmental scanning process and review of labour and employment policy directives, guidelines and policies to ensure alignment with legislative changes and industry best practices. 
• Liaises with policy and program areas across the PSC to ensure a consistent and standardized approach is taken for policy development and administration across the GoA.
• Ensures internal and external stakeholders are adequately consulted throughout the policy and program development processes.
• In collaboration with the Executive Director, LRPP will assist with overarching strategy for arbitrations as well as the GoA’s position in quasi-judicial proceedings including Alberta Human Rights and the Alberta Labour Relations Board.
• Develop effective strategies, tools, and resources to ensure arbitration case files are heard in a timely manner.
• Provide strategic direction and mentorship to a team, ensuring staff are provided adequate training and development supports to enable career growth and development.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviours that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies:  https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

Creative Problem Solving: Able to provide consistent and effective advisory services to Executive Leadership and CSD regarding the interpretation and application of articles within Collective Agreement, current case law and other Acts impacting the operations of the GoA.

Drive for Results: Able to assists in the development of statistical packages outlining current trends within the GoA.  Identification of base causes impacting statistical trends.

Agility: Ability to develop strategic and collaborative partnerships with AUPE representative(s) as well as with the Ombudsman’s office, Human Rights Tribunal and other quasi-judicial organizations.

Build Collaborative Environments: Able to develop training strategies to enhance the capabilities of the Arbitrations and Disputes Representatives and Specialists.

Develop Networks: Develop and maintain relationships with PSC counterparts to ensure an efficient and well understood operations platform for LRPP.

Qualifications

Minimum recruitment standard:

University graduation supplemented by six years of progressively responsible experience.

Equivalency:

Related education and experience is considered on the basis of:
•    1 year of education for 1 year of experience; or
•    1 year of experience for 1 year of education.

Requirement:
The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate the following skills and attributes:
•    Experience within a large, sophisticated unionized environment.
•    Knowledge of the Alberta Labour Relations Code, Public Service Act, Public Service Employee Relations Act, Employment Standards Code, Human Rights Act, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
•    Leading and mentoring a team of employee/ labour relations professionals, including selection, performance management, and mentoring / career development.
•    Understanding of key Human Resource concepts including compensation / benefits / pension, classification, recruitment, occupational health and safety, Investigations.
•    Understanding of common law / employment law with the ability to communicate key concepts to senior executives, including issues such as just cause terminations and accommodations.
•    Employment contract development and interpretation.
•    Providing critical analysis of current policy and procedure focusing on ensuring best practice.
•    Establishing organizational training protocols and updates focusing on labour education. Issues include:
     o    progressive discipline.
     o    probationary terminations.
     o    precedent setting cases.
     o    bullying / harassment in the workplace.
•    Development and presentation of arbitration packages at hearing.
•    Leading alternate dispute resolution processes.
•    Management of files to be heard at the Alberta Labour Relations Board.
•    Establishing collaborative relationships with organized labour in resolving issues at impasse.
•    Building relationships within Government and with key stakeholders (ALRB, Human Rights Tribunal, Arbitrators, the general labour community).

Qualifications cont'd

Assets:

The following attributes are key to performance success and will be considered attributes:
•    Credentials and training supported by 5 years of experience in Employment/Labour law.
•    Experience managing files heard by quasi-judicial panels (Human Rights Tribunal, WCB).
•    Experience managing legal resources and other vendors.
•    Experience working with and instructing Counsel in the representation of GoA cases.
•    Experience in keeping senior LRPP staff informed about the Department’s status and key issues, ensuring effective communication and decision-making.
•    Knowledge of Financial Administration Act, Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Fiscal Planning and Transparency Act, Individual Rights Protection Act, Administrative Procedures Act and the Fair and Family Friendly Workplaces Act.
•    Experience with high level use of Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 

Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

To be considered for this competition, you application must include a well-written cover letter and resume. Carefully review the Qualifications section to see the specific requirements for the cover letter and resume that are unique to this role.

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening. Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

This competition is used to fill more than one vacancy and future opportunities at the same level or at the lower classification.

Hours of Work: 
7.25 hours per day/36.25 hours per week - Monday to Friday, 8:15 am to 4:30 pm

Links and information on what the GoA has to offer to prospective employees.

•    Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
•    Management Employees Pension Plan (MEPP) - https://www.mepp.ca.
•    Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits.
•    Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive.
•    Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca.
•    Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
•    Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and modified work schedule agreement.
•    Leadership and mentorship programs.