Industrial Relations Manager

We have a great opportunity for an experienced Industrial Relations Manager to join our global energy client based in the Edmonton area to be a key member of their Construction Site Management Team, with focus large, complex industrial construction projects. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced professional to contribute to major capital projects while supporting site maintenance programs, commissioning activities, and reliability improvement initiatives. The role will be part of the Asset Integrity Management Team, with a specific focus on rotating equipment within the projects portfolio.

Reporting to the Project Director and Construction Director, with functional support from Regional Human Resources, the role serves as the primary advisor on labor and industrial relations matters.  The position is responsible for maintaining effective relationships between project management, contractors, labor providers, unions, employees, and regulatory agencies while ensuring compliance with collective agreements, Project Labour Agreements (PLAs), labor legislation, and company policies. The Industrial Relations Manager will provide leadership in labor relations, collective bargaining, dispute resolution, workforce planning, and contractor compliance to support a productive, safe, and stable project environment.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Labor Relations and Collective Agreements
• Collective Bargaining and Negotiations
• Grievance and Dispute Management
• Contractor Workforce Management
• Policy, Programs, and Workforce Engagement
• Compliance and Reporting

Key Performance Indicators

• Effective administration of Collective Agreements and PLAs.
• Timely resolution of grievances and labor disputes.
• Labor stability and avoidance of workforce disruptions.
• Contractor compliance with labor requirements and workforce policies.
• Compliance with applicable labor legislation and agreements.
• Positive labor-management relationships and workforce engagement.

Qualifications and Experience

• Postsecondary education in Industrial Relations, Human Resources, Business Administration, Law, Labor Studies, or a related discipline preferred.
• Professional HR, Labor Relations, or Industrial Relations certification is an asset.
• Minimum 20 years of heavy industrial construction experience
• Minimum 10 years of labor relations experience working with construction trade unions, contractors, or major industrial projects.
• Demonstrated experience administering collective agreements, Project Labour Agreements, grievance procedures, and labor negotiations.

Required Competencies Include:
Technical Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of collective bargaining, collective agreement administration, Project Labour Agreements, labor legislation, employment standards, and construction workforce practices.
• Understanding of Building Trades agreements, wage structures, labor market trends, and contractor workforce management.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
• Ability to prepare reports, presentations, workforce communications, and labor analytics.

Leadership and Communication

• Strong negotiation, mediation, conflict resolution, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and training skills.
• Ability to work effectively with executives, project teams, contractors, union representatives, employees, and regulatory agencies.

Personal Attributes

• High integrity and professionalism.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage confidential information and multiple priorities in a dynamic project environment.

People are our business worldwide
 
Orion Group was founded in 1987 and is now one of the largest, independent, international recruitment companies. We have a network of 200 employees working from 24 offices, delivering a range of services – Talent Acquisition, Recruitment Outsourcing Services, Retained Search, Global Workforce Solutions, Completions & Commissioning and Materials Management – across 68 countries. As a global leader in workforce solutions, we recruit personnel across the Engineering & Technical, Office & Commercial, Scientific and Skilled Trades disciplines, for sectors including Oil & Gas, Life Science, Power & Utilities, Constructions & Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Renewables.