Summary
Description
Role Overview
As one of the largest faculty and staff associations in BC, the BCIT Faculty & Staff Association (FSA) is a membership-driven, certified trade union that represents full-time and part-time technological faculty and staff at BCIT. Through representation on committees, negotiation with BCIT and advocacy for our members, we work to advance the employment interests of members and improve working conditions at BCIT.
Joining an innovative and creative team of 9, the Executive Director (ED) drives the “RNA” of the FSA: Representation, Negotiation, Advocacy. The role carries the primary accountability and principal responsibility for the FSA’s work. The new ED will strive to support a collaborative, cohesive team, to do meaningful work to support, protect, and advance the workplace rights of the FSA membership. Our vision, mission, and values are available at https://www.bcitfsa.ca/about/.
The FSA office is at the BCIT Burnaby campus located on unceded Indigenous land belonging to the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
How you like to work
You’re in your element when working in an integrated team that is small, flexible, and consultative. You’re eager to play a strategic, thoughtful, and compassionate leadership role, and be part of a team guided by the collective membership’s best interests. You help teams collaborate effectively and efficiently. You know that dialogue, communication, and reflection drive relationships and build a healthy workplace. You like to seek creative solutions and are open to different approaches. You love learning new ways of leading teams and keep on top of information and changes in the sectors you work in.
Is this the right fit for you?
The experience you bring into this role is important to us. We want to know how your story and knowledge will help you lead our high-performing team. We are looking for a strong people leader and collaborative labour rights practitioner who sees themselves and their skills reflected in the Core Competencies listed below. Some critical characteristics of the future FSA ED are the ability to effectively communicate, apply emotional intelligence to situations, and demonstrate an instinct to know what opportunities to pursue in service to the FSA mission.
Areas of Responsibility
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the ED is ultimately accountable for all aspects of the FSA’s operations. The key responsibilities are:
Big Picture
- Negotiates with BCIT concerning labour relations and administrative matters and strategically leads the FSA in collective bargaining with BCIT (i.e. may serve as the Chief Negotiator)
- Advises the FSA Board during strategic planning and thereafter works collaboratively with the Board to achieve FSA Board approved strategies
- Advocates for, negotiates for, and represents FSA members possibly including hearings and other bodies
Stakeholder Relations
- Fosters effective and constructive relationships with all stakeholders
- Represents the FSA to, and works with, BCIT, governmental, community, labour audiences, and other stakeholders to advance the FSA’s vision, mission, and strategic plan
Sector Knowledge
- With the input from the FSA board and greater membership, seeks to understand the sectors BCIT serves and stay informed about threats and opportunities across these sectors at the government, labour, and economic levels
- Monitors BCIT and external organizations for issues, trends, and practices that are relevant to the strategic directions of the FSA and FSA member rights, and advises the FSA Board accordingly
- Presents issues of relevance from the FSA membership to the FSA Board and membership through channels such as FSA Tech Reps, General Membership meetings, and FSA communication channels
- Ensures resources are in place to provide education and training on items in the Collective Agreement
Critical Operations Management
- Works collaboratively with the Associate Executive Director to foster a respectful, healthy, and collegial work environment through exercising strong leadership capacities such as support and direction, coaching, and performance development
- Acts as a positive and strategic catalyst to foster culture change towards responding to membership feedback and bettering service standards while maintaining positive relationships between governance and operations branches
- Strategically balances leadership versus management activities to support the FSA staff team to develop efficiencies and optimize their strengths
- Exercises accountability for all matters relating to organizational systems, personnel, and operations within the approved budget and policies in a way that ensures the continuity and high quality of FSA activities
- Complies with the FSA staff CUPE collective agreement and speaks for the FSA in staff grievance and collective bargaining processes.
Strategy & Oversight: Labour Relations
- Develops and oversees a labour-relations strategy in consultation with FSA staff and oversees the implementation of the plan that was approved by the FSA Board
- Represents the FSA Board and FSA members on matters of working conditions and negotiates with BCIT
- Advises the FSA’s labour relations staff and approves grievance settlements and memoranda of agreements
- Has the capability to maintain a limited caseload of FSA member files, as time permits
Strategic Governance Support
- Establishes an effective working relationship with the FSA President and the FSA Board and serves as their advisor, consultant, and resource person
- Executes the FSA Board’s goals and priorities, as stated in the FSA’s strategic plan, by consulting, strategizing, and delegating with the FSA staff and reporting the outcomes of those goals and priorities to the FSA Board
- Communicates an effective exchange of knowledge and relevant information between FSA board and staff team to ensure strategic alignment and encourage organizational cohesion.
- Exercises a strong understanding of, and adherence to, the legislation under which the FSA functions (BC Societies Act, Labour Relations Code, etc.) as well as the constitution, bylaws, and policies of the FSA
- Serves as ex-officio, non-voting member at Board meetings and on FSA bodies such as the Collective Agreement Committee, the Bargaining Team, and other committees on an as-needed basis
Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes
Core Competencies
The successful proponent will demonstrate the following key competencies:
1. Leadership
- Integrity and honesty: ED acts consistently with words; follows through on promises and commitments; models the core values; and leads by example
- Inspires and motivates staff: Energizes people to go the extra mile and be accountable; inspires commitment, high energy, and a positive attitude
- Practices self-development: Makes constructive efforts to change and improve performance based on feedback from others; seeks feedback and development opportunities
- Develops others: Is genuinely concerned about the success and professional satisfaction and development of staff; provides training and growth opportunities; gives an appropriate balance of positive and corrective performance feedback
- Equity and Inclusion: Is committed to the ongoing journey of creating inclusive environments that welcome and encourage full participation for diverse individuals, teams, and members.
2. Interpersonal & Communication Skills
- Communication: Is clear, concise, and articulate in verbal and written communication; seeks to ensure clarity of understanding of issues; promotes timely and appropriate communications; articulate public speaker
- Relationship Management: Identifies and builds effective relationships; earns the trust of the Board, staff, and others; balances need for results with sensitivity for employee needs; approachable; addresses conflicts promptly and with grace, and does not shy away from handling difficult situations constructively
- Partnership Development & Management: Effectively explores common interests among stakeholders to develop mutually beneficial partnerships to achieve goals; follows through on commitments to partners, maintaining organizational credibility
3. Strategic
- Develops strategic perspectives: Ensures organizational alignment to the strategic plan; able to translate strategic initiatives and objectives into meaningful goals for others; can be trusted to balance short-term and long-term needs
- Innovative: Encourages innovation and new ideas; generates creative, resourceful solutions; constructively challenges the status quo and seeks new and better ways to get the job done; creates a culture of learning
- Champions change: Able to identify change necessary to create efficiency, remove barriers, meet stakeholder needs, and achieve results; champions appropriate projects to achieve strategic goals; able to persuasively represent organization vision and provide clarity of message related to change both internally and externally to the Board, staff, consultants, stakeholders and/or partner
4. Technical/Professional
- Financial Management: Effectively manages finances consistent with the strategic plan and the values of the organization
- Governance Practices: Understands solid governance practices; ensures effective governance policy and documents are in place; supports the Board to strengthen governance capacity
- Program Management: Ensures program results through effective management practices; provides clear communication and provides solid coaching to staff and volunteers that enable them to meet the program goals and achieve results
- Strategic Planning: Participates effectively in the strategic planning process; recommends adjustments to the strategic plan where appropriate throughout the year; reports appropriately on progress towards the strategic plan goals
Minimum Requirements
- Five or more years in senior leadership and management roles, within an association (or equivalent) of comparable size and scope.
- Five or more years experience in managing a unionized, or equivalent complexity, workforce, ideally in a not-for-profit context
- Three or more years experience in labour relations practices and laws.
- Significant first-hand experience working directly with a board of directors (or similar governance body), or as a member of a board of directors of a society
Things that will give you an edge
- Understanding of, commitment to, member-led governance model, governance practices, and laws
- Post-secondary education related to labour relations practices and laws
- Established instances of having advanced the rights of a collective group for the betterment of the members of the group
- Can share your stories of, and lessons learned from, negotiations in a collective bargaining, or equivalent, process
- Examples of your commitment to, and action for, improving the conditions of those other than yourself
- Effective team supervision including management of progressive performance development and demonstrating a collaborative approach to leadership
- Proven strengths in change management and conflict management to support a positive work culture given demanding and at times stressful circumstances
What we offer
This is a full-time, in-person, permanent position. When needed, flexibility exists for occasional work from home days. The position is entitled to extended health benefits, professional development, and training opportunities. The salary range established for the position is $130,000 – $160,000. Occasional travel is required, as well as flexibility in hours to attend monthly Board meetings
Working in a campus environment provides additional benefits such as free access to recreation facilities, a variety of food purchasing outlets, outdoor space, and other amenities.
Employment Equity
The FSA is actively committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from qualified members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including but not limited to status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, neurodiversity, political belief, religion, marital or family status, or age.
How to apply
Submit your resume and a cover letter explaining why you would be a great fit for our team through the Charity Village Job Posting by 9 pm PST on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. Please note, that the first round of interviews is anticipated to take place January 10-17, 2024.
Only candidates that meet the minimum requirements will be considered. Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada.
