Associate Vice President, Labor Relations

Department Overview

Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is seeking an Associate Vice President, Labor Relations who will advance labor strategy aligned with the clinical, academic, and research missions of the institution, lead from the bargaining table, develop and coach a growing labor relations team, and guide labor partnership for a workforce where nine unions represent more than 17,000 employees, roughly 75% of OHSU’s overall employee population. OHSU is a labor-friendly institution and a continued strong, positive relationship with union partners is essential to the university’s continued success and growth.    

Roughly three in four OHSU employees, more than 17,000 people, are represented by one of nine collective bargaining units spanning healthcare, research, and public employee unions. Labor relations is not a peripheral human resources (HR) function at OHSU; it is central to how the institution operates, negotiates change, and sustains its clinical, academic, and research missions.  

Function/Duties of Position

The Associate Vice President (AVP), Labor Relations is OHSU's enterprise executive for labor strategy, collective bargaining, and union partnership across the university. Reporting to the Vice President, HR Business Partners & Employee and Labor Relations, and with a dotted line to the Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, this role carries executive-level accountability for how OHSU engages with a represented workforce that makes up roughly three-quarters of its total employee population across nine bargaining units. 

The AVP will lead a labor relations organization and will set a vision for the structure, hiring and development of its leaders to ensure the team operates as a unified, strategically aligned function.  

Beyond internal leadership, the AVP is OHSU's senior voice at the bargaining table and in the C-suite on labor matters — translating institutional priorities into negotiation strategy, advising executive leadership on risk and opportunity, and ensuring that labor strategy is woven into how OHSU plans its workforce, its finances, and its operations. The successful candidate will bring both the gravitas to advise senior executives on high-stakes labor matters and the operational discipline to lead a growing, specialized team through a period of significant organizational change. More than anything, OHSU is looking for someone who leads with a people-first mindset, makes it a priority to build authentic relationships with leadership, and sees strong labor partnership as core to moving OHSU to even greater heights. 

Key Responsibilities 

Enterprise Labor Relations Strategy & Governance 

• Own OHSU's enterprise labor relations strategy, ensuring it aligns with the university's clinical, academic, and research missions and its broader financial and operational priorities 

• Build the oversight model, decision rights, and escalation pathways that allow labor relations to function consistently across a complex, multi-mission institution 

• Serve as the senior authority translating institutional direction into a coherent labor relations agenda 

Collective Bargaining & Negotiations 

• Direct collective bargaining strategy and in-person negotiations across OHSU's nine bargaining units, representing roughly 17,000 employees 

• Lead or oversee the bargaining table personally for the university's highest-stakes negotiations, and ensure the broader team is equipped to do the same across their assigned portfolios 

• Partner with Finance and Compensation on proposal costing and ensure negotiated outcomes protect both institutional sustainability and workforce stability 

Contract Administration & Interpretation 

• Ensure consistent, compliant interpretation and administration of collective bargaining agreements and labor-related policy across every mission area of the university 

• Establish standards that allow the labor relations team to apply contract provisions accurately and consistently, regardless of which union or unit is involved 

Arbitration & Dispute Resolution 

• Provide executive oversight of arbitration and grievance strategy, personally engaging in the most complex or highest-risk cases 

• Represent OHSU in arbitration and mediation proceedings as needed and build proactive risk-identification practices that reduce the volume and severity of disputes over time 

Executive Advising & Stakeholder Influence 

• Act as OHSU's go-to executive resource for senior leaders, deans, and operational leaders on labor and union-related matters, particularly where decisions carry institutional risk or touch multiple bargaining units 

• Translate complex labor dynamics into clear guidance that supports sound, timely leadership decisions 

Organizational Design & Team Leadership 

• Design, staff, and lead a labor relations organization built around union-specific expertise 

• Recruit and develop the team, establish labor relations competencies, workflows, and professional development frameworks for the team and build the bench strength needed for long-term succession 

Change Management & Capability Building 

• Lead communication and change management for labor agreements, policy shifts, and workforce transitions, ensuring leaders across the university understand their obligations and options under active contracts 

• Build durable tools, training, and frameworks that raise every manager's ability to lead effectively in a unionized environment 

Integration with Broader HR Strategy 

• Partner with HR Business Partners, Employee Relations, Total Rewards, and Workforce Planning to ensure labor strategy is not siloed — that it actively informs and is informed by organizational design, compensation strategy, and employee engagement efforts across OHSU 

• Provide escalation support to HR Business Partners and Employee Relations on complex disciplinary matters involving represented employees, ensuring performance management and discipline decisions hold up against active contract language 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) 

• Advance DEIB outcomes within the labor relations function and in how labor strategy is executed — through hiring, development, promotion, and the equitable application of contract provisions

This role requires regular onsite presence across OHSU locations and the ability to respond in person to critical events at any OHSU site within four hours. Work is generally performed during standard business hours; however, extended and non-traditional hours should be expected during active negotiations and time-sensitive labor matters. The AVP will maintain a visible, in-person presence at the bargaining table and across OHSU worksites to stay connected to workplace climate and workforce trends. 

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Labor Relations, Business Administration, Law, Public Administration, or a related field is required. Master's degree (MBA, MHA, MS in HR) or JD is strongly preferred. 
• 12–15-plus years of progressive labor relations experience, including significant time in a senior leadership capacity  

• Demonstrated success leading collective bargaining across multiple unions or bargaining units simultaneously  

• Track record of building or substantially reshaping a labor relations function or team  

• Direct experience advising C-suite executives and/or governing boards on complex labor matters  

• Experience in a large, unionized academic medical center, healthcare system, or comparably complex, highly regulated environment is strongly preferred

• Advanced knowledge of labor law, collective bargaining statutes, and grievance/arbitration processes  

• Proven negotiation, mediation, and conflict-resolution skills at the executive level  

• Ability to translate labor strategy into workforce planning, organizational design, and total rewards decisions  

• Strong executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders across clinical, academic, research, and administrative domains  

• Data-driven approach to labor analytics and risk assessment  

• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop specialized technical teams 
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of this position with or without accommodation

Additional Details

OHSU has engaged Opus Partners to support this search. For additional information and to apply, please contact Thomas Lapierre: [email protected].  

To be considered, candidates must provide a resume and a letter of introduction that addresses the specific responsibilities, expectations, and qualifications described above. Please consult Opus Partners for more information about the application process. 

Why apply to OHSU?

We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington.

All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply.

To request reasonable accommodation, contact [email protected]