Director, People & Culture

HighlightTA; Kitchener; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Manulife benefits

Stock options

3 weeks vacation + 10 holidays

Office gym

Team lunches

Job summary

RouteThis, a 10-year-old tech company headquartered in downtown Kitchener, Ontario, is seeking a Director, People & Culture to lead the People function through its shift from SaaS to AI-native operations. You will own culture, engagement, performance management and internal communications across a hybrid team.

You will lead the People Operations, onboarding/offboarding, HRIS accuracy, and compliance with Ontario employment law while partnering with department leads and HighlightTA on hiring

Qualifications

• Seven or more years of progressive People experience, incl. scaling tech.
• Ownership of performance management, engagement or culture program with results.
• Experience leading through hybrid work setups and office returns.
• People-first approach that still informs decisions.
• Consistent and resilient in driving culture change.
• Collaborative style and ability to bring in specialists.
• Strong knowledge of Ontario employment law; US familiarity is a plus.
• Comfort with AI tools and interest in using them more.
• Assets: direct report management, leadership program design, CHRP/CHRL designation.

Responsibilities

• Culture and engagement: lead and measure culture across hybrid team.
• Performance management: own the performance process to develop people.
• Internal communications: translate strategy into clear org-wide messages.
• Leadership support: advise department leads on people matters.
• Skills and career framework: own skills/role framework for reviews.
• People Operations: oversee onboarding, offboarding, HRIS accuracy.
• Compensation: manage pay bands and annual cycle with specialist input.
• Hiring: partner on headcount planning and standards with talent partner.
• AI adoption: use AI tools and champion their use across People function.

Skills

HRBP

Performance management

Culture programs

Hybrid culture

People leadership

AI familiarity

Collaboration

Education

CHRP/CHRL designation

Tools

HRIS

Onboarding

Job description

About RouteThis

RouteThis is on a mission to revolutionize technical support. We build AI-powered solutions that help Internet Service Providers and Smart Home companies solve connectivity and WiFi problems before the subscriber ever needs to call.

The Role

RouteThis is 10 years in and moving from a SaaS business to an AI-native one. That shift changes how the company is structured, what roles it needs and how the team works together. The Director, People & Culture leads the People function through it.
The focus is culture, engagement and communication: making sure a company of around 50 people understands where the business is going and is set up to get there.
This role reports to the Chief Operating Officer. Together they shape the people strategy, and the Director leads its delivery. The Director leads a small People team, brings in specialists for defined projects, and owns the day-to-day experience of working at RouteThis.
This is a good fit for someone ready to lead a function for the first time, including a senior manager or HR business partner looking for the next step.

What You'll Do

• Culture and engagement. Lead culture and engagement across a hybrid team. Measure what matters and act on it.

• Performance management. Own the performance process and make it a tool that develops people and supports the business.

• Internal communications. Work with the CEO and COO to turn company strategy and key decisions into clear, consistent communication the whole organization can act on.

• Leadership support. Act as a trusted advisor to department leads on people matters and support leadership development across the organization.

• Skills and career framework. Own the company's skills and role framework and use it in talent reviews, performance cycles and development planning.

• People Operations. Lead the People Operations Partner and a co-op. Own HRIS accuracy, onboarding, offboarding and Canadian employment law compliance.

• Compensation. Administer pay bands and the annual compensation cycle, bringing in specialist support where needed.

• Hiring. Partner with department leads on headcount planning and hiring standards, and with HighlightTA, our talent partner, on open roles.

• AI adoption. Use AI tools in your own work and support their adoption across the People function.

What You Bring

• Seven or more years of progressive People experience, including time in a scaling technology company. An HRBP background is a strong fit.

• Ownership of a performance management, engagement or culture program, with results you can point to.

• Experience leading through a return to office or building a hybrid culture that works.

• A people-first approach that still gets to a decision.

• Consistency and resilience. Culture change takes time.

• A collaborative style. You share information openly and are comfortable bringing in specialists rather than doing everything yourself.

• Strong knowledge of Ontario employment law. Familiarity with US practices is a plus.

• Comfort with AI tools and an interest in using them more.

• Assets: experience managing a direct report, leadership development program design, CHRP or CHRL designation.

Why RouteThis

Ownership. A COO who backs good ideas and gives real autonomy.

Timing. A 10-year-old business with a product that works, moving from SaaS to AI-native. You will shape how the team grows through it.

Team. A close, highly motivated team that prefers to promote from within.

Time off. Every long weekend, the Friday is off too. The company closes for a week between Christmas and New Year.

Package

CAD $140,000 to $170,000 Competitive benefits through Manulife: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance Employee Assistance Program Equity: Stock Options 3 weeks vacation plus an additional 10 days around statutory holidays
Our downtown Kitchener office has an onsite gym and weekly team lunches. For remote team members we run other social activities.

Location

Headquartered in downtown Kitchener, Ontario. This role is in the office three days a week.