Position Summary
The Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) –is a strategic and hands-on HR leader responsible for supporting a designated client group within a unionized, safety-sensitive manufacturing environment. This role partners closely with plant leadership and supervisors to drive operational performance through disciplined people management, effective labour relations, and proactive workforce risk management.
The HRBP holds direct accountability for WCB claims management, disability and accommodation processes, attendance and sick leave management, labour relations, and leader capability development. The role requires strong shop-floor knowledge and experience and the ability to balance empathy with consistency, compliance, and business needs.
KEY OBJECTIVES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Business Partnering
- Act as the primary HR advisor to plant, production, and maintenance leadership teams.
- Align people strategies with operational goals including safety, productivity, quality, uptime, and cost control.
- Provide real-time coaching to supervisors and managers on effective people management in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
- Use operational and workforce data (WCB costs, attendance, overtime, grievances, turnover, training compliance) to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities.
Labour Relations – Manufacturing & Maintenance (Unionized)
- Lead and support all labour relations activities within the manufacturing and maintenance workforce.
- Interpret and apply collective agreement provisions related to:
- Scheduling, overtime, shift premiums, and call-outs
- Job postings, job classifications, and seniority
- Discipline, investigations, and terminations
- Attendance management and sick leave
- Manage grievances from initial response through resolution, including preparation for arbitration where required.
- Support constructive day-to-day relationships with union representatives while protecting operational and business interests.
- Train supervisors and maintenance leads on contract administration and effective unionized people management.
WCB Claims Management & Return to Work
- Own end-to-end WCB claims management for manufacturing and maintenance employees, including:
- Incident reporting and claim submission
- Claim adjudication support and appeals
- Coordination with WCB case managers, healthcare providers, and safety teams
- Lead early and safe return-to-work (RTW) planning aligned with operational capabilities and maintenance tasks.
- Develop and maintain a maintenance- and production-specific modified duties bank.
- Analyze WCB trends (injury type, department, trade, shift) and partner with Safety and Operations to reduce injuries and claim duration.
Disability Management, Sick Leave & Accommodation
- Lead attendance and sick leave management programs within the plant, ensuring fair, consistent, and defensible application.
- Manage short-term and long-term disability cases, including non-occupational and occupational injuries.
- Coordinate and implement workplace accommodations in compliance with human rights legislation, including:
- Functional abilities review
- Identification of productive modified work within production or maintenance
- Monitoring and adjustment of accommodation plans
- Coach supervisors on managing attendance and disability cases with both operational discipline and empathy.
Training & Supervisor Capability Development
- Identify skill gaps and training needs specific to manufacturing and maintenance leadership.
- Design and deliver practical, operations-focused training on:
- Labour relations and collective agreement application
- Conducting investigations and issuing discipline
- Attendance and disability management
- WCB responsibilities and RTW processes
- Respectful workplace and performance management
- Ensure training is practical, legally sound, and directly applicable to shop-floor realities.
- Reinforce training through ongoing coaching and case-based learning.
Compliance, Safety & Risk Management
- Ensure compliance with employment legislation, labour law, WCB requirements, and occupational health and safety obligations.
- Partner closely with EHS to support injury prevention, incident investigations, and corrective actions.
- Support audits, inspections, and regulatory inquiries related to people management and labour relations.
- Proactively identify people-related risks that could impact safety, uptime, or labour stability.
This is a fully on-site position; hybrid or remote work arrangements are not available.