Workplace Violence and Harassment Investigator

JOB SUMMARY

The Workplace Safety and Compliance Unit (WSC) under Human Resources has been delegated the responsibility to develop and implement the Occupational Health & Safety Management System (OHSMS) and to provide occupational health and safety resources to support all City of Ottawa departments. The Unit creates and executes corporate Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) initiatives and ensures the integration of the OHSMS with strategic management and decision-making processes.

You are responsible for conducting timely internal investigations related to workplace violence and harassment while maintaining procedural fairness. You will also provide recommendations for corrective actions such as training and changes to and/or  implementation of policy, inorder to prevent reoccurrence and mitigate risk.  

You provide expert advice and guidance to City management and staff on workplace violence and harassment complaint resolution processes consistent with City policy, legislation, training and case law. 

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Minimum 3 year diploma in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Law or related field. 

Minimum of 2 years in employment and labour law, WVH investigation experience and reporting and/or human rights violations.

KNOWLEDGE

• Demonstrated knowledge with all applicable legislations such as Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Canada Labour Code, the Ontario Human Rights Code, and the Canadian Human Rights Act.
• Corporate or municipal Workplace Violence and Harassment Policy
• Dispute resolution techniques and processes
• Knowledge of investigative methods, techniques and practices
• Knowledge of interviewing and negotiation processes and procedures
• Corporate or municipal , policies and procedures, political infrastructure

COMPETENCIES, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Strong planning and project management skills; Possess organizational skills and flexibility to plan, organize and prioritize own work and to deal effectively with multiple demands, shifting/conflicting priorities, pressures and deadlines in an complex, unionized work environment
• Strong skills in the areas of conflict resolution, problem-solving, and interviewing
• Demonstrated experience in planning and executing investigations, with the ability to remain impartial and neutral throughout the investigative process and in highly emotional situations
• Excellent critical thinking skills and judgment with demonstrated ability to analyze and apply legal and policy standards to fact patterns
• Ability to assess interviewees’ credibility and draw conclusions
• Possess excellent consultative, collaboration and interpersonal skills, and the ability to bring conflicting points of view to consensus
• Highly effective communication skills, including verbal and written communication skills
• Self-driven, resourceful and able to work well independently and as part of a team
• Must be able to travel to work locations as required by the job 
• Ability and willingness to periodically work evenings and weekends as duties require
• It would be considered an asset to have experience with interest based mediation
• Ability to work independently and deal with contentious issues that may draw media attention (reputational impact)
• Ability to respond to multiple and often conflicting parties to an investigation while maintaining the integrity of the City’s WVH Policy 
• Able to deal with difficult individuals and situations; effective at de-escalation