Director, Faculty Relations is a leadership role responsible for academic employment and labour relations matters, including the administration of collective agreements for full-time faculty, contract teaching faculty, and graduate teaching assistants. Reporting jointly to the client, the role provides strategic guidance to academic leaders to support consistent, fair, and collaborative practices across all academic units. The Director leads a faculty relations team and represents the client in key committee and forum settings, supporting constructive relationships with internal stakeholders and union partners.
Key responsibilities include providing overall leadership for faculty labour relations, including interpretation, administration, and negotiation of academic collective agreements; leading collective bargaining strategy and related support to university bargaining teams; and overseeing grievance management, arbitration, and dispute resolution in coordination with legal counsel to support fair and compliant outcomes. The Director advises academic leadership on complex faculty relations, performance management, and employment matters, aligned with applicable legislation and best practices, and drives strategic planning for academic labour relations through risk identification, mitigation, and alignment with institutional priorities.
The role monitors sector trends, analyzes relevant information, and leads program evaluations to inform decision-making and continuous improvement. It ensures consistent application of academic policies and alignment with governance, legislation, and institutional standards, while fostering collaboration across academic leaders, HR colleagues, and unions. The Director also leads, develops, and manages the Faculty Relations team, supporting recruitment, performance management, and professional development, and oversees operational effectiveness, including systems optimization and data governance.