Director, Employee Relations (GMG/SEG 2)

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Senior Director, Human Resource Management and Development, and employee relations matters. The incumbent will be responsible for managing the administration of welfare and recognition and reward programmes. Support will also be provided to Line Managers to assist them in executing employee relations issues to enhance departmental efficiency and overall organizational strategic objectives. 

Key Responsibilities

Technical: 

• Develops Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing policies for UHWI; 
• Reviews and recommends amendments to employee relations policies and ensures their alignment with the UHWI’s strategic objectives and best practices; 
• Participates in the design/review of UHWI’s Employee Performance Management system;
• Collaborates with other practitioners in the HRM&D Department to facilitate the design and implementation of HR strategies and programmes in a seamless and synergetic manner;
• Provides direction in the development/revision of employee welfare and benefits programmes; develops and utilizes appropriate tools/matrices to evaluate the effectiveness of employee welfare activities and inform decision-making; 
• Promotes positive attitudes towards employee health, safety and wellbeing at work; manages the development and implementation of measures which would seek to minimise risk of occupational injury and illness in the workplace and create work/life balance; conducts period assessments of the culture of the organisation through the design and use of appropriate tools and techniques, such as employee surveys and focus groups; 
• Identifies and addresses new challenges to health and safety in the workplace;
• Commissions investigations of the causes of work-related injuries and work-related fatalities;
• Develops and maintains a database of occurrence of workplace injuries to identify trends and make recommendations to enhance safety in the workplace; 
• Leads the design of a creative and valuable organisation-wide recognition and reward programmes that cultivates a fun work environment, boosts employees’ morale, as well as celebrates and encourages high performance; oversees the administration of programmes to ensure equity and adherence to established policies and procedures; 
• Collaborates with line managers to design departmental reward and recognition initiatives to improve/maintain employee morale and productivity; provides guidance to them in addressing employee motivation issues; 
• Analyzes recognition and reward programmes to ensure their sustained effectiveness, in collaboration with the Director PMAS; liaises with the Director, HRM to analyse turnover and other motivation related activities to determine their association with reward and recognition and recommends strategies to address issues identified; 
• Liaises with the Director Organisational Development regarding any process or organisation structure issues arising from analysis of implemented employee relations programmes;
• Oversees the administration of the health plans and staff loans for the University of the West Indies (UHWI) 
• Prepares periodic reports to the Head of the Human Resource Management and Development to provide regular updates on the goals and accomplishments of the Unit. 

Human Resource: 

• Oversees and participates in the review and evaluation of the work of staff members of the organization on a regular basis; 
• Reviews annual development plans for all staff members and ensures their effective implementation; 
• Reviews and approves the Individual Work Plans of direct reports; 
• Reviews and appraises performance of direct reports; 
• Provides leadership and guidance to direct reports through effective planning, delegation, communication, training, mentoring and coaching. 

Required Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

Core: 

• Integrity and confidentiality; 
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and conviction of purpose in unfavorable/unpopular situations; 
• Strong customer orientation skills; 
• The ability to prioritise amongst conflicting demands; 
• Excellent HR/People Management skills; 
• The ability to motivate and influence others; 
• Strong leadership skills; 
• Excellent interpersonal skills; 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; 
• Excellent critical thinking and analytical skills; 
• Excellent problem-solving skills.

Technical: 

• Excellent knowledge of the Labour Laws of Jamaica, the Public Service Regulations and the Staff Orders for the Public Service; 
• Good mediations/conflict resolution skills; 
• Excellent knowledge of employee benefits administration and related statutory regulations;
• Practical knowledge of the applied use of information technology and productivity software, such as Microsoft Office and HRMIS. 

Minimum Required Qualification and Experience

• First Degree in Human Resource Management; 
• Five (5) years’ experience in organization and operations analysis; 
• Knowledge of change management methods; 
• Basic knowledge of government administrative systems. 

Special Condition Associated with the Job

• Participation in retreats/meetings outside of normal working hours may be required from time to time.

Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.