labour relations jobs in Toronto, ON

Senior Human Resources and Labour Relations Manager

Avron | Concord, ON | Full-time, on-site, Monday to Friday

$100,000 to $115,000 base plus a $10,000 target bonus tied to business performance

Start Date: January 4th, 2027

About Avron

We're a proudly Canadian company, founded in 1994, and one of the country's largest suppliers to childcare centres, schools and camps. From our Concord head office and warehouse, we ship everything from nutritious food and snacks to furniture, learning materials, cleaning supplies and sensory equipment, using our own fleet and a network of partners across every province. We're part of BB Group, alongside our Ontario sister brand Louise Kool & Galt, a 53-year-old early learning furniture and resources company with a showroom and team in Scarborough.

We run on three values: initiative and rigour, service, and innovation. We're growing and this is a fast-paced environment within a business that is constantly striving for continuous improvement.

The role

You'll be our HR department for about 110 people: 80 at Avron in Concord and 30 at Louise Kool & Galt in Scarborough, where you'll spend roughly one day in ten. You report to leadership at Avron, Louise Kool & Galt and BB Group. Day to day you'll work closely with our Divisional Financial Controller on payroll, benefits and WSIB, with the leadership team at Louise Kool & Galt, and with BB Group head office in Quebec on policy and systems.

This is a hands-on role in a unionized distribution business. Our warehouse team and drivers are represented by LiUNA and we're negotiating our first collective agreement now. You'll join the bargaining team as negotiations finish, then own the agreement on the floor: training supervisors, building the working relationship with the stewards and business agent, and running the grievance process.

This is a senior individual contributor role. There are no direct reports now and none planned. We want someone who wants to do the work, not manage people who do it.

You advise and collaborate. Policy and people decisions are made together with the leadership team, and your job is to bring the expertise, options and recommendations that make those decisions good ones.

Your first year

• Help us close our first collective agreement and carry it onto the floor

• Get supervisors and leads applying it the same way, every time

• Have a grievance process running and a working relationship with the union in place

• Keep the HR system rollout moving and the handbook current for both brands

What you'll do

Labour relations

• Join the bargaining team as we complete our first collective agreement with LiUNA, then own its rollout

• Train managers, supervisors and leads on the agreement so it's applied consistently from day one

• Interpret and apply the agreement day to day: seniority, job postings, overtime distribution, layoff and recall, and discipline under a just cause standard

• Build productive working relationships with shop stewards and the union business agent, and run the labour-management committee

• Manage grievances through steps 1 to 3, lead investigations, and prepare files for mediation or arbitration with counsel

• Keep the grievance log and settlement records, and track what each one costs us

• Start preparing for the next round of bargaining well before it begins

Performance and discipline

• Own our progressive discipline framework: policy, supervisor training, documentation and consistent enforcement

• Coach managers on performance conversations, attendance management and accommodation

• Support terminations with proper process, documentation and risk review

Policy and the employee handbook

• In collaboration with head office, draft and update policies, memos and the employee handbook for both brands

• Keep us compliant with the Employment Standards Act, Labour Relations Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Human Rights Code, AODA and WSIA, and with the policy requirements each Working for Workers Act adds, from disconnecting from work and electronic monitoring to job posting rules

Recruiting, onboarding and training

• Lead recruiting across both sites, using agencies for volume warehouse and driver roles

• Run onboarding so new hires understand our values, our safety expectations and, in food handling roles, our hygiene standards

• Build a training calendar and onboarding schedule for supervisors and staff and track completion

Health and safety

• Support the Concord and Scarborough Joint Health and Safety Committees as the HR representative, working with operations, who lead the safety program

• Work with operations on food safety and hygiene practices in the warehouse and fleet

• Manage WSIB claims, return-to-work plans and modified duties

Benefits, HR systems and administration

• Administer group benefits, enrolments and changes, working with finance, who run payroll

• In collaboration with head office, continue the implementation of our first HR management system, covering employee records, onboarding, time off, training tracking and reporting

• Run the system day to day and keep employee files and HR data accurate, then use it to give leadership clean reporting

• Other duties relevant to the position will be assigned as required

Culture and presence

• Be visible. Walk the floor daily, know people by name, and be the person the team wants to bring a problem to

• Lead recognition, engagement and communication

What you bring

• 8 or more years in HR, at least 5 as the sole HR lead for a site of 75 to 200 people

• At least one full collective bargaining round, followed by ownership of the rollout

• Grievances handled end to end: investigation, step meetings, settlement and preparing cases for arbitration with counsel. You've sat across the table from a business agent

• Progressive discipline and workplace investigations in a unionized setting, including harassment investigations under the OHSA

• Deep, applied knowledge of Ontario's Employment Standards Act, Labour Relations Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Human Rights Code, AODA and WSIA, and the judgment to apply them to real situations

• Background in distribution, warehousing, manufacturing or food. HACCP or food safety exposure is a plus

• Strong writer. You'll be drafting policies, memos and handbook content regularly

• Comfortable working with several leaders and stakeholders across two sites and a head office, with no direct reports

• Able to travel to our Scarborough site roughly one day in ten (mileage reimbursed)

• Hands-on experience implementing an HR management system and using one daily (Folks HR or similar)

• CHRL or CHRP designation is an asset

• JHSC certification is an asset

• French is an asset

What we offer

• $100,000 to $115,000 base plus a $10,000 target bonus tied to our business performance

• Comprehensive group benefits and RRSP program

• 4 weeks' vacation

• Professional development support, including CHRL and JHSC certification

How we hire

This posting is for an existing vacancy and the start date is as soon as possible. Shortlisted candidates meet leadership from Avron, Louise Kool & Galt and BB Group, and we'll tell you where you stand within 5 to 10 days of your interview. Avron is an equal opportunity employer. We're committed to meeting the accessibility needs of candidates under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code, and accommodations are available on request at every stage of the hiring process.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

We use artificial intelligence tools to help screen and assess applications for this position. This statement is provided under Ontario's Employment Standards Act, 2000, and also applies to any application form associated with this posting.

Pay: $100,000.00-$115,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental care
• On-site parking
• Paid time off
• RRSP match
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision care

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Concord, ON L4K 4W8: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Application question(s):

• The start date for this role is January 4th, 2027, is that in line with your goals?
• Will you be able to reliably commute to Concord, ON L4K 4W8 for this job on a daily basis?

Work Location: In person