Director, Employee Relations

What is the opportunity?

As an Employee Relations Director, you will perform a critical role in helping to strengthen the relationships that exist amongst employees and reinforce RBC's strong values-based culture that champions client first, collaboration, accountability, inclusion, and integrity.

You will make a difference by helping to lead and direct Employee Relations team members who support executives, people managers and employees with a range of workplace issues including employee communications, employee engagement and performance, dispute resolution and investigations, and the application of RBC's Code of Conduct and policies.

What will you do?

Employee conduct & risk culture

• Develop, implement and manage HR processes and systems to monitor employee conduct, aligning with business conduct monitoring processes to provide integrated insights and identify proactive strategies to prevent misconduct.
• Provide expert advice to ensure the consistent application of RBC's Code of Conduct and compliance with all policy, regulatory requirements and applicable federal and provincial employment and human rights legislation.
• Oversee investigations under RBC's Respectful Workplace Policy and Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Standard.
• Identify and report on trends and emerging issues, including understanding the root cause of misconduct.

Individual and collective high performance

• Provide expert advice on performance and attendance management to support a highly engaged and effective workforce.
• Identify issues and mitigants to address people impacts arising from operating model changes and organizational redesign to support exceptional client experiences and operational excellence.

Relationship management

• Manage highly complex cases and act as a point of escalation for Employee Relations Advisors and Senior Advisors on complex matters arising in their portfolio.
• Build and maintain key relationships with businesses and functions, influencing and negotiating while being viewed as a true partner.
• Work closely with the Employee Relations Senior Director on complex and sensitive matters and broader business-related initiatives and projects.

Operational excellence

• Support Employee Relations senior management with the development of resources, guidelines, processes and tools to facilitate Employee Relations' ability to provide advice at scale through consistent case management
• Manage risk and improve manager and employee experience through well informed, fair and transparent decisions which place employees at the centre and focus on RBC Values while making recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Champion HR-led initiatives that strengthen the relationship between RBC and its employees.

Leadership

• Develop employee goals that align to team vision and demonstrates commitment to RBC Leadership Model, Collective Ambition and Values.
• Provide real-time, constructive performance and behaviour coaching to Employee Relations team members that strengthens employee engagement and enablement.
• Provide coaching and advice to Employee Relations Advisors and Senior Advisors regarding management of matters reported through various Speak Up Channels.
• Support and monitor Employee Relations team members' development/career management to build and grow professional capabilities.
• Foster an open environment within Employee Relations that drives a high-performance culture.

What do you need to succeed?

Must-haves:

• Minimum 10+ years direct experience in Employee Relations and/or Employment Law.
• Post-secondary education (preferred focus in Human Resources or Employment Law).
• Demonstrated and applied knowledge of Canadian employment law & regulations (both federal & provincial including human rights, accommodation, whistleblowing, and workplace standards / requirements).
• People management/leadership experience.
• Proven experience aligning and integrating risk management with business and HR strategy.
• Proven ability to drive execution and achieve business results.
• Thought leadership. Strategic thinking, analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience establishing and managing relationships with executives and senior level stakeholders.
• Ability to drive change in unfamiliar or ambiguous circumstances, to handle confidential information and escalate issues when appropriate.
• Excellent organizational skills, able to juggle and prioritize multiple tasks simultaneously while delivering on commitments.
• Excellent collaboration capabilities and ability to engage others to work towards a shared vision and common goals.
• Strong sense of accountability, high-quality judgement and sound decision-making.
• Outstanding communication skills in written and verbal form; extensive public speaking, training, and/or leadership communication skills.
• Significant experience in conducting and/or managing workplace investigations.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience in an in-house legal department or law firm.
• Called to the Bar of a Canadian province (or equivalent).
• Bilingual (English/French).

What's in it for you?

We thrive on the challenge to be our best and work together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.

• A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including flexible benefits and eligibility for bonuses, and competitive compensation.
• Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team.
• Opportunities to take on progressively greater scope of work.

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