Job Description

Company: IWK Health
Req ID: 211487
Department/Program: Labour Relations and HR Partnerships, People and Organization Development
Location: Halifax
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE) x 1 position(s)
Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: Non-union, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $43.7957 - $54.7447 /hour
Closing Date: 22 October 2025 (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)
IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults, and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers, and learners at sites across . People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other's talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our , and enjoy access to enhanced and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families, and communities, and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.
Promoting an anti-racist environment and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care is important to us. We are located in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaq people. Working in Mi'kma'ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities that also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportion of transgender and non-binary people of any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but we have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases, and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.
The Opportunity
Reporting to the Manager, Labour Relations and HR Partnerships, the Senior Human Resources Business Partner (Sr HRBP) is a subject matter expert in Employee and Labour Relations and provides day-to-day coaching and support to the Human Resource Business Partners (HRBPs) and leads by example. Key areas of consulting, coaching and advising include, but are not limited to, the application and interpretation of four collective agreements, grievance handling, arbitration preparation, classification appeals, compensation and classification, accommodations, employment legislation, human rights legislation, disciplinary matters, employment policies, administrative investigations, technological change and unionized severances. The Sr HRBP maintains professional and effective labour/management working relationships with Union Representatives, including Shop Stewards and Labour Relations Representatives. The Sr HRBP is also responsible for supporting the Manager, Labour Relations and HR Partnerships with the work of the collective bargaining negotiation process.
Specific accountabilities include:

• Ensures HRBPs function in a strategic partnership role relative to collective agreement interpretation and the development of alternatives and options available to their clients in resolving their employee and labour relations issues.
• Acts as the step 3 designate for all individual grievances on behalf of the IWK, including preparing responses as the IWK representative as appropriate. Ensures a fair and balanced approach to the resolution of individual grievances such that IWK management rights are protected while also ensuring that employees are managed fairly under the terms of the collective agreements.
• Collaborates with legal counsel, in conjunction with the HRBP, in the development of the Employer's case to present at arbitration hearings, as required.
• Represents the Employer at various hearings with external agencies such as the Human Rights Commission, as appropriate.
• Adjudicates operational impact assessments for medical and other Human Rights workplace accommodations.
• Acts as the Employer Chair on all four Joint Labour Management Committee (LMC) meetings. Provides timely and thorough responses to issues and concerns discussed at LMC and/or information gathering meetings.
• Participates in collective bargaining by gathering information related to existing collective agreements and supports proposals (trends, issues, costs, management feedback, etc.), and provides additional support as required.
• Supports the development of applicable policies, reference tools, and provides education for HRBPs and other teams as appropriate, upon implementation of such.
• Provides negotiation expertise related to unionized and non-union severances.
• Supports, in collaboration with the HRBP, the development of strategies in approaching significant staffing redundancies, reorganizations and/or layoffs in a manner that mitigates impact to patient care and causes the least disruption to employees.
• Contributes employee and labour relations expertise at departmental and organizational meetings, committees, information forums, focus groups, presentations, etc., as appropriate.
• Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with unions to ensure effective labour relations.
• Identifies opportunities to enhance HRBPs' knowledge and skills related to labour and employee relations matters and assists them in developing strategies on trends and best practices.
• Identifies areas for leadership development as it relates to employee and labour relations and supports the creation and facilitation of education sessions.

Hours of Work
7.5 hour shifts; Monday to Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm (Hybrid position with flexibility required to be on site as needed)
Your Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with a concentration in Human Resources or bachelor's degree and a Certificate in Human Resources Management, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in a Human Resources consulting role within a highly unionized environment with multiple unions and/or collective agreements; experience in a variety of human resource functional areas in a unionized environment will be considered; health care or government environment strongly preferred.
• Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) preferred, or willingness to pursue.
• Experience in the interpretation of collective agreements, dealing with arbitrations, and working with unions in a collaborative relationship on complex issues.
• Solid understanding and knowledge of collective agreements, employment guides, and applicable legislation (e.g., privacy legislation, Labour Standards Code).
• Demonstrated experience in collective bargaining, grievance handling, and arbitration processes.
• Excellent customer service, interpersonal, communication skills (verbal and written), and relationship-building skills.
• Demonstrated consultative, influencing, and coaching skills.
• Effective work practice - accountable, dependable, flexible, persevering, and results-oriented.
• Effective research and analytical thinking skills.
• Effective facilitation and presentation skills.
• Knowledge of health care issues and labour trends.
• Demonstrated planning, organizational, prioritization, research, analytical, and time management skills.
• Demonstrated problem-solving and decision-making skills with the ability to handle confidential and sensitive information.
• Able to work in a busy environment with frequently changing priorities.

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.
Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing) you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.
This is a Management/Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units or employment status, are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.
An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.
If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.

Skills Required