Location: Toronto or Port Hope, ON Canada

Type: Contract (12 Months)

Group/Grade: Bargaining Unit/Officer

Rate: $115,232.38 (start)

Date: May 4, 2026

The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) is Canada’s largest nurses’ union. We are powered by our members — 68,000 nurses and health-care professionals, and 18,000 nursing student affiliates — who provide care in hospitals, long-term care, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

Our mission is to defend the rights of and advocate for nurses and health-care professionals who care for the health of Ontarians. We empower members and fight against unfair and unsafe treatment, negotiate and enforce our contracts, offer benefits and insurance, provide tailored education and development opportunities and much more. We confront governments, administrations and other policymakers head on to fight for high-quality public health care.

ONA is seeking to hire a Labour Relations Officer (Professional Practice Specialist) to join our Professional Practice Team. The office location is to be determined. This posting is for an existing vacancy. The successful candidate will act as an organizational and provincial resource on professional practice and advocacy. This role is accountable for identifying professional practice issues and advising on early intervention strategies to resolve them, including whether to settle, mediate or pursue the issues at an Independent Assessment Committee (IAC). The Specialist works closely with staff and elected leadership to prepare professional responsibility cases, identifying resolutions to the practice issues, identifying supporting evidence, and discussing them at agency meetings, as required.

This is what else you can expect from this dynamic role:

• Accountable for providing service to members and staff in a manner that is consistent with member values and keeping the interests of membership as the primary focus of work.
• Preparing and presenting submissions to Independent Assessment Committees.
• Act as a resource to the individuals on the Regional Service Teams holding responsibility for professional practice.
• Represent ONA on external committees as directed by the Manager and provide backup to other Labour Relations Officers on the team as required.
• This exciting opportunity also provides education to our membership and orientation to new staff.

What we are looking for:

The successful candidate will possess -

• A Registered Nurse (RN) designation is required with a minimum of five (5) years of nursing experience.
• Three (3) to five (5) years of labour relations and/or professional practice experience
• Labour Relations or Industrial Relations Certificate is preferred.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills.
• Strong problem-solving and negotiation skills including familiarity with conflict resolution approaches.
• Experience with teaching/coaching/mentoring is an asset.
• The successful candidate must be flexible, adaptable and able to work well with others in a rapidly changing work environment.
• Adept in the use of Microsoft Office Suite
• Bilingualism (written and verbal French) is an asset.

The successful candidate must be able to travel, possess a valid driver’s license and have access to an automobile for business use.

All interested candidates may apply via ONA Jobs by 4:30 p.m. on May 18, 2026.

The Ontario Nurses’ Association is committed to employment equity within its staff. Applications are encouraged from equity-deserving groups including individuals of Indigenous descent, Racialized individuals, individuals living with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI persons. We also provide accessible employment practices that are in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (‘AODA’). If you require accommodation for a disability during any stage of the recruitment process, please notify Human Resources at HumanResources@ona.org.

Thank you for your interest in joining us. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.