Associate Human Resource Director

nature; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The Nature Conservancy is seeking an Associate Human Resource Director (AHRD) to lead a geographically dispersed HR team across Canada and the Western United States within the WUSCAN division. You will partner with senior leaders to design and deliver strategic People practices that advance conservation goals, create an inclusive culture, and ensure efficient HR service delivery.

Reporting to the HR Director, you will oversee employee relations, compensation, talent management, benefits,

Responsibilities

• Strategic HR partnership and consultation with business unit leaders to align HR priorities with objectives.
• Advise on organizational design, workforce planning, operational efficiencies, and resource optimization.
• Counsel on HR policy, employee engagement, and effective management practices.
• Foster positive employee relations, conduct investigations, and implement remedies aligned with policies.
• Coach managers on goal setting, feedback, and high-performance practices.
• Lead compensation, pay equity analysis, and equitable promotion decisions.
• Develop HR programs including talent reviews, succession planning, and recognition.
• Oversee learning needs assessment and HR-related training, building hiring manager capability.
• Develop and implement HR standards and client service practices across business units.
• Lead or participate in cross-functional projects to advance organizational priorities.
• Supervise a small HR team and provide coaching and development opportunities.

Job description

What We Can Achieve Together:

As a key member of the Western United States and Canada (WUSCAN) HR team, the Associate Human Resource Director (AHRD) builds strategic partnerships with leaders and HR team members and collaborates across multiple Business Units to implement human-centered and impactful HR initiatives that support The Nature Conservancy's mission, values and organizational goals. This role is instrumental in fostering an inclusive, high-performing, and equitable culture across the WUSCAN Division. The AHRD leads service delivery and strategic direction in the following human resource functions: employee relations, compensation, talent management, benefits, payroll, staff development and training, organizational development, performance management and recruiting for Canada and the United States. Reporting to the HR Director, the AHRD will manage a team of HR professionals located in multiple locations.

We're Looking for You:

Are you looking for work you can believe in? At TNC we strive to embody a philosophy of Work that You Can Believe in where you can feel like you are making a difference every day. We're looking for someone with strong experience in leading a geographically dispersed HR team. The ideal candidate develops business partnerships with senior leaders to establish and implement strategic HR direction to meet TNC's organizational goals and conservation mission. The AHRD works closely with all HR functions to integrate services and deliver timely support to business units. The AHRD also plays a leadership role implementing People strategies in support of ongoing operational improvements and to foster an open, inclusive, transparent, and equitable organizational culture. They will partner with other members of the WUSCAN HR team and People Team to collaboratively share responsibility for designing, developing and implementing innovative People practices aligned with TNC values, strategies and goals. They are experts in Canadian employment law and HR practices and are accountable for delivering relevant support and counsel for the full employee lifecycle in assigned Business Units that are geographically dispersed across Canada and the Western United States. They implement these People Team initiatives to ensure consistency in support of a global, decentralized and geographically dispersed enterprise. This role will supervise a small team of HR professionals supporting WUSCAN and leading the optimization of a new HR operating model in service of the business units. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the ongoing mission of conservation by directing and shaping the work of our divisional HR team!

We currently have one vacancy for an Associate HR Director.

Responsibilities & Scope:

Strategic HR Partnership and Consultation

• Serve as a primary liaison between the People Team and Business Unit leaders to align HR priorities with business objectives and deliver consistent, high-quality HR practices.
• Provide strategic counsel on organizational design, workforce planning, operational efficiencies, job creation or elimination, and resource optimization.
• Advise managers on TNC policy and SOPs, HR processes, employment law and policy requirements, employee engagement, and effective management practices.

Employee Relations and Performance Management

• Promote positive employee relations by facilitating conflict resolution, conducting investigations, and recommending remedies aligned with Conservancy policies, SOPs, competencies, and values.
• Coach managers and staff on goal setting, timely feedback, continuous development, and high-performance practices.
• Advise on complex performance management, employee relations, and separations, including voluntary and involuntary terminations, in partnership with HR Legal and senior HR staff as appropriate.

Compensation, Equity, and Talent Practices

• Support job design, job description development, salary guidance, recruitment and offer terms development.
• Lead team in conducting the annual pay equity analysis and supporting equitable promotion, compensation, and talent decisions.
• Develop and implement HR programs and strategic initiatives, including talent reviews, succession planning, performance processes and recognition practices.

Learning, Development, and HR Service Delivery

• Assess learning needs, deliver or coordinate HR-related training, build hiring manager capability, and support HR team members and liaisons in managing administrative HR functions.
• Develop and implement HR standards and client service practices that strengthen consistency, accountability, and support across Business Units.
• Lead or participate in cross-functional project teams to advance organizational priorities.

Team Leadership

• Supervise a small HR team dedicated to providing exceptional service and support to geographically dispersed business units in Canada and the Western United States.
• Provide coaching and development opportunities to grow team's HR ex