Contract, Manager, Employee Services

Covenant-House-International; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 77,000 - 97,000; Full time

Job summary

Covenant House Vancouver is seeking an experienced Manager, Employee Services to design and maintain HR infrastructure that delivers outstanding service to current and future employees. You will lead recruiting, onboarding, total rewards, and employee relations, partnering with the People & Culture team to align programs with our culture and agency goals.

You will work independently, drive positive change, support managers and staff, and ensure equity and compliance across HR programs.

Qualifications

• HR certificate or degree required or equivalent experience.
• CPHR certification is a strong asset and highly valued.
• 5 years HR/People & Culture experience as a specialist or generalist.
• 2 years inside recruitment experience preferred.
• Training in employee relations and total rewards is expected.
• Experience managing staff is advantageous.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and HRIS systems (UKG Ready) is required.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Recruiting, Onboarding, Total Rewards, and Employee Relations functions.
• Lead the Recruiter team and HR Advisors.
• Develop strategies to attract top candidates and improve onboarding.
• Maintain and improve agency employer branding.
• Manage benefits administration and compensation planning processes.
• Design staff training and guidance materials for managers.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Education

HR certificate or degree

CPHR certification

Tools

Excel

Word

Outlook

SharePoint

UKG Ready

Job description

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.

About Covenant House Vancouver 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 other’s 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 Manager, Employee Services can make:

The Manager, Employee Services is responsible to design and maintain the infrastructure to deliver outstanding service to our current and future employees throughout their career at Covenant House, beginning with recruiting and onboarding, through the employment relationship to address their employment questions and needs, and by designing and delivering total rewards solutions.

The role is expected to be highly independent, proactive in identifying and implementing, through a Recruiter and a HR Advisor, positive change and improvements in employee services that are aligned to our culture and serve our agency goals.

You question actions inconsistent with our values. You treat people with fairness and respect independent of their status or disagreement with you. You inspire others with your thirst for excellence. You create an environment where people can flourish and grow. You challenge the status quo to innovate and improve quality. You use data and seek advice, take smart risks and make tough decisions without agonizing.

How you will contribute:

• Responsible for overseeing the Recruiting, Onboarding, Total Rewards, and Employee Relations functions
• Manage the Recruiter and HR Advisors
• Identify strategies to attract the best qualified candidates
• Monitor best practices in talent acquisition, and continually improve agency practices
• Together with Employee Experience Lead, update and propagate agency employer brand
• Oversee employee orientation (online and in‑person) and new hire check‑ins
• Assess quality outcome of onboarding processes
• Monitor best practices in onboarding, and continually improve agency practices
• Oversee the administration of benefit programs and the management of compensation planning (including job evaluation, compensation surveys and annual salary planning)
• Create and share annual total reward statements to all employees
• Together with Director, People & Culture, annually assess benefits programs and recommend changes as required
• Monitor best practices in total rewards, and continually improve agency practices
• Support managers and employees around performance, attendance, immigration
• Manage annual and probationary performance reviews (online using our UKG HRIS)
• Develop and deliver training and guidebooks to managers on employee relations
• Oversee agency role in employee work permits and immigration
• Monitor best practices in employee recognition, and continually improve agency practices
• Oversee the user experience for recruiting and employee maintenance by managers using our UKG Ready HRIS
• Work with Director, People & Culture on projects and leadership
• Other duties as assigned

Who are we looking for?

Education and Experience:

• HR or related certificate or degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• CPHR certification, or eligibility to apply for certification, a strong asset
• 5 years of work experience in HR / People & Culture as a specialist or generalist
• 2 years of experience as an inside recruiter
• Training and / or experience in employee relations and total rewards
• Experience managing one or more employees a strong asset
• Experience with using HRIS systems - we use UKG Ready
• Experience in implementing and improving programs
• Microsoft Office skills – intermediate Excel, Word, Outlook, SharePoint

Competencies:

Ability to establish trust and rapport with managers and employees at all levels Commitment to knowledge and skills upgrading and continuous improvement Confidence to make this new position your own, while respecting agency culture and history Work as part of a people & culture team and an agency management team, and provide leadership in the delivery of HR programs and initiatives Set goals & objectives, devise plans to achieve goals, monitor progress, solve problems, and make decisions Think creatively, see new possibilities, find connections between ideas, and reframe thinking about issues Be innovative and use new ideas or perspectives to solve or prevent problems. Model their strong customer‑service orientation based understanding the business needs and pressures of our agency managers, and the ability to proactively identify needs and act to resolve issues. Manage influence through being persuasive and appropriately persistent in influencing others. Build and maintain positive relationships by identifying key stakeholders, how and when to involve them; and when to use diplomacy or assertiveness to achieve objectives of stakeholders. Able to plan, organize and prioritize work and balance multiple activities concurrently, while optimizing departmental effectiveness and contributing to organizational success. Use exceptional interpersonal and verbal communication skills to gather and present information and work effectively with a variety of stakeholders. Use advanced computer skills in a variety of software applications and web‑based technologies Handle confidential and sensitive information with skill, tact and diplomacy

Additional Position Information:

The schedule is as follows: 9-day Fortnight A

The successful candidate can expect a starting salary of between $77,350 and $96,678 , depending on factors such as internally equity, experience, competencies, and education. Once hired, salaries are reviewed annually following the annual performance review and successful employees have the opportunity for their salary to increase, over time, up to the maximum of the pay band, currently $116,007.

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 Indigenous persons. 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.

Covenant House Vancouver is a non‑profit organization that supports young people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, human trafficking, and youth in need. We offer a continuum of care, providing housing and wraparound supports. We are a diverse team dedicated to ending youth homelessness.

Make a difference with us and embark on a fulfilling career. We strive for employees to feel appreciated, supported, and empowered. Our culture is built around absolute respect, courage, integrity, equity, and inclusivity. We create an engaging work environment where employees can thrive, resulting in the best care for the youth we serve.