Senior Consultant, Recruitment & Immigration (Signing Bonus)

Company: IWK Health

Req ID: 205637 
Department/Program: Recruitment, People & Organization Development 
Location: Halifax  
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE) x 1 position(s)
 Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: Non-union, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $38.362 - $47.9524 /hour
Closing Date: Open Until Filled, with interviews planned for late July

Preference will be given to qualified candidates who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and/or 2SLGBTQIA+. Please self-identify on your application.

Successful external applicants may be eligible to receive a one-time Signing Bonus of $7,000. In turn, a Return of Service will be required for a two (2) year period.

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults, and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers, and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families, and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportion of transgender and non-binary people than any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but we have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases, and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager, Recruitment & Employee Experience and working as a part of the People & Organization Development team, the Senior Consultant is responsible to:

• Serve as a resource and subject matter expert on immigration matters during workforce planning and the recruitment and onboarding of foreign nationals.
• Support the development of newcomer orientation at IWK Health, and provide guidance on settlement information and settlement services to provide to international resources before their arrival in Canada.  
• Make recommendations on strategies for obtaining authorization to work in Canada when an international resource is identified as the best candidate to fill a particular role. 
• Prepare and submit “Offers of Employment” to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) through IWK Health’s Employer Portal and provide other employer information required to support prospective and current employees with applications for employer-specific work permits exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) requirement. 
• Apply to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for LMIA confirmation in respect of IWK Health hiring a foreign national in hard-to-fill role. 
• Provide standardized immigration guidance to prospective and current employees who require a work permit. 
• Provide more fulsome immigration representation to foreign nationals hired in certain hard-to-fill positions at IWK Health.   
• Serve as the organization’s employer contact with the various government departments involved in the granting of immigration approvals (IRCC, ESDC, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration (LSI)).
• Track and monitor the expiry dates of work permits/study permits held by all foreign nationals employed at IWK Health as well as any conditions imposed on the employment of those individuals by work authorization such as a weekly maximum number of hours that can be worked, occupation or location of employment and a medical restriction precluding work in a health services role.      
• Provide advice to foreign workers employed at IWK Health on their options for becoming permanent residents of Canada. 
• Support foreign workers employed at IWK Health with the employer aspects of their permanent resident process through the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), or other pathways to permanent residence.
• Consult with legal counsel on complex matters outside of the scope of expertise.
• Liaise with and maintain good working relationship with various community stakeholders and employer engagement representatives from government departments (i.e. ISANS, IRCC’s Designated Service Channel, LSI, Members of Parliament). 
• Create immigration policies and procedures for foreign nationals, hiring managers/recruitment teams, and other internal partners. 
• Provide education and training throughout the organization on employer immigration compliance issues applicable to foreign nationals and employers. 
• Champion immigration employer compliance at IWK Health.
• Respond to provincial and federal employer compliance inspection requests (immigration audits) in a timely manner.  
• Remain up to date on employment-related immigration programs and pathways available in Nova Scotia.
• Monitor changes in immigration laws and policies and update internal procedures accordingly.  Provide guidance and support to the internal recruitment team to build capacity.
• Identify and mitigate any immigration risks that may arise and escalate concerns to leadership.

Hours of Work

Monday to Friday, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm/8:30 am-4:30 pm. This role is eligible for hybrid work arrangements. 

Your Qualifications

• Graduate of a post-secondary degree and/or Certificate Program in Human Resources, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience required.
• Active status with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) as a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant in good standing is required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of employer-based immigration support experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of provincial and federal legislation and policies governing temporary and permanent immigration to Nova Scotia, Labour and Employment Standards, and the Canadian Human Rights Act.
• Demonstrated knowledge of employment-related immigration programs and pathways available in Nova Scotia.
• Experience educating organizational partners on immigration matters while ensuring employer compliance.
• Experience conducting immigration assessments and developing strategies for bringing international resources to Canada to fill key vacancies and supporting foreign nationals with their transition to Canadian permanent residence through the Nova Scotia Nominee Program, the Atlantic Immigration Program, and other federal immigration programs. 

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing), you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management/Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units, or employment status are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.