Contract, Director, People & Culture

Covenant House Vancouver; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

An organization supporting youth in Vancouver is seeking a Director of People and Culture. This pivotal role involves shaping the HR strategy and leading a high-performance team to foster an inclusive and supportive environment. Candidates should have a bachelor's degree in HR, over 5 years of experience, and strong knowledge of employment legislation. The position offers a competitive salary between $100,000 and $130,000 and flexible hybrid working arrangements.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Extended health and dental benefits

Generous counselling benefits

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive experience in people and culture roles.
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation and equity, diversity, inclusion practices.
• Experience in implementing HRIS systems to enhance employee experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead people strategy and deliver HR advisory functions.
• Oversee total rewards, employee wellness, and talent acquisition.
• Develop and implement policies to promote fairness and compliance.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Conflict resolution

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources or related subject

CPHR designation (an asset)

Tools

HRIS (WorkDay preferred)

Job description

Please note: A cover letter and resume are mandatory for all applications.

As we serve vulnerable youth, all employees working for Covenant House Vancouver must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Proof of vaccination status will be required prior to your start date.

Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has provided relentless support for youth experiencing, or at‑risk of experiencing, homelessness. We provide support to young people age 16 to 24 who have experienced a wide range of early life and ongoing, complex trauma; including physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect. Our purpose is to serve all youth, with absolute respect and unconditional love, to help youth experiencing homelessness, and provide a safe and supportive environment for all youth in need.

Working at Covenant House will be one of the most meaningful things that you’ll do in your life. However, you will be confronted with significant issues in this work and frankly, this work is not for everyone. In the course of doing your work, particularly for those doing frontline work, you will be exposed to the trauma of others. The youth we serve may also experience overdose, physical harm perpetuated by self or others and even death. Because we provide a relational model of care, the harms our youth experience can impact us in varying degrees.
While we provide training for youth workers on avoiding what we call vicarious trauma (namely, the trauma you can experience or take on by hearing others’ traumatic stories), and a generous allowance for counselling, it is still difficult work that can and does take its toll on many employees. Self‑awareness and self‑care are key. Some candidates and employees decide during the recruiting and probationary periods that this work isn’t for them, and that is totally fair.
We will provide more information on vicarious trauma during recruiting and on‑boarding, to help you decide if Covenant House is the place for you.

The Impact the Director, People and Culture can make:

As the Director, People and Culture, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering Covenant House Vancouver’s people strategy. Reporting to the Chief People and Inclusion Officer, this position provides leadership across key functions including business partnering, total rewards, talent acquisition, policy development and HRIS implementation. This role will be responsible for leading a high‑performance team and partnering with leaders to foster an inclusive, supportive and engaging environment where all staff feel a sense of belonging.

Primary duties and responsibilities:

Business partnering

• In partnership with the Manager, Employee Services, lead the People & Culture advisory function
• Hold regular meetings with leaders across the organization to maintain a proactive approach to partnership and collaboration
• Work closely with leadership teams to support decision‑making, provide strategic guidance, and ensure alignment with organizational goals
• Build and implement supports for all staff, including front‑line employees, to enhance engagement, well‑being, and performance
• Identify and consult on employee engagement strategies, leveraging data and feedback to develop initiatives that strengthen organizational culture and improve retention
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on workforce planning, organizational design, and employee engagement strategies
• Oversee the performance review process to ensure alignment with organizational values and behaviors
• Lead and manage complex employee relations matters, including conducting and overseeing workplace investigations in a fair, thorough, and timely manner
• Ensure all employee relations practices and investigations are conducted in alignment with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) principles, fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace
• Provide guidance to leaders on conflict resolution, disciplinary actions, and compliance with employment legislation and best practices

Total Rewards and Employee Wellness

• In partnership with Chief People and Inclusion Officer, develop and maintain a competitive and equitable total compensation strategy aligned with organizational goals and market trends
• Lead the compensation review process and ensure smooth implementation and effective communication of changes
• Partner with providers to understand CHV benefit experience and identify opportunities for improvements
• Oversee benefits administration, ensuring programs are accessible, inclusive and effectively communicated
• Promote employee wellness through proactively partnering with our OHS Advisor to implement effective health and safety programs with a focus on psychological safety

Talent Acquisition and Workforce Planning

• In partnership with the Manager, Employee Services and recruitment team, oversee the development of recruitment strategies to attract and retain top talent across all levels of the organization
• Ensure equitable and inclusive hiring practices that reflect Covenant House Vancouver’s commitment to diversity and belonging
• Partner with organizational leaders to identify future workforce needs, ensuring proactive planning for skills, roles, and capacity to support long‑term organizational goals
• Use workforce analytics and market trends to inform talent strategies and succession planning

Policy Development

• Lead the creation, review, and implementation of P&C policies that promote fairness, compliance, and consistency across the organization
• Lead the development and maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure clarity, consistency, and ease of application for all P&C processes

Oversee HRIS Implementation

• Oversee implementation of WorkDay system, partnering with Snr Advisor to identify opportunities for efficiencies, ensuring excellent quality of data
• Actively identify opportunities to improve the employee and people leader, experience navigating and using the system
• Continue to optimize use of system to enhance efficiency, reporting and employee experience
• Lead a high performing team of 5 P&C professionals including 2 direct reports. Provide coaching, mentorship and development opportunities for the team
• Foster a collaborative culture aligned with Covenant House Vancouver’s core values of Equity, Inclusion, Respect, Integrity, and Courage

This position is offered as a fixed‑term contract for a duration of 1 year from the date of signing.

This position has the opportunity to work a 9‑day fortnight schedule most months of the year, where you’ll work longer days for 9 days and earn every other Friday off.

Who are we looking for?

Education and Experience:

• Bachelors degree in Human Resources or related subject or equivalent combination of education and experience
• 5+ years of progressive people and culture experience, including leadership roles in employee relations, total rewards, benefit administration, talent acquisition and policy development
• Strong knowledge of employment legislation and best practices in equity, diversity, inclusion and reconciliation
• Proven experience implementing HRIS system and experience leveraging technology to streamline processes and enhance employee experience. Familiarity with WorkDay would be an asset
• Experience leading complex employee relations issues with fairness and integrity
• CPHR designation an asset
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with ability to influence and build trust across all levels
• Exceptional communication skills with demonstrated ability to convey complex information clearly and effectively to diverse audiences
• Ability to navigate complex issues with sound judgement, fairness and integrity
• Skilled in guiding teams and leaders through organizational change with clarity
• Ability to empower team members and organizational leaders to achieve their full potential
• Demonstrated ability to utilize structured approaches to documentation to support HRIS implementation, configuration, and change management

Compensation

The successful candidate can expect a starting salary of between $100,00.00 and $130,00.00 depending on factors such as internal equity, experience, competencies, and education.

Total Rewards

This position has flexible working arrangements with a hybrid in‑office expectation; Beginning immediately, this position has extended health and dental benefits for you, your spouse, and your children, including generous counselling benefits. If you’d like more information on what we offer, please ask!

In 2024, we were recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Covenant House Vancouver is a secular organization that welcomes and serves young people from all backgrounds. While the international federation to which we belong was founded in the 1970s by members of the Catholic Church, we are not aligned with any specific faith traditions.

CHV is committed to upholding diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workplace. We actively encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including, but not limited to:

• Persons from groups marginalized due to race, ancestry, colour, religion/spiritual beliefs, or place of origin;
• Persons with visible (physical) and/or invisible (mental) disabilities;
• Persons who identify as women;
• Persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions; and

We recognize that many of these identities intersect and that therefore, diversity, equity, and inclusion can be complex. We value the contributions that each person brings and are committed to ensuring full and equal participation for all at Covenant House Vancouver.

We love what we do and try to make a difference every day. Covenant House Vancouver offers a competitive salary with a great benefits package and excellent opportunity for training and career advancement. If you are looking to join a place where we have a purpose and aim to achieve positive outcomes, please join us by applying.

If our recruitment process does not work for you, let us know. Let’s see how we can work together to get to know you and see what might be a great fit!