Employee Engagement Specialist

Halifax Regional Municipality; Halifax; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 117,000; Full time

Job summary

Halifax Regional Municipality invites applications for a full-time temporary Employee Engagement Specialist in the Human Resources unit. The role acts as project manager and steward for employee engagement programs across HRM, supporting business units to develop engagement plans and enhance workplace culture, aligned with Our People priorities.

The position requires HR-related education and strong PM and change management skills, with a focus on collaboration with Diversity and Inclusion and

Qualifications

• Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration or related discipline.
• Minimum two years demonstrated project management experience. Certificate in Project Management is an asset.
• Minimum three years demonstrated experience in developing and implementing change management strategies.

Responsibilities

• Leads as a project manager the development of a formal corporate wide employee engagement survey.
• Develops and champions corporate action plans in response to survey results.
• Collaborates with Diversity and Inclusion on employee initiatives and engagement outreach.
• Develops employee engagement tools for different work groups.
• Develops KPIs and measurement processes for engagement initiatives post-implementation.
• Supports business units in creating BU specific action plans with KPIs.

Skills

Project management

Change management

Communication

Stakeholder management

Data interpretation

Teamwork

Organizational awareness

Planning

Diversity & inclusion

Education

Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration or related discipline

Project Management certificate

Change Management certificate (asset)

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Visio

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

Halifax Regional Municipality is inviting applications for a full-time temporary up to 12 month term position of Employee Engagement Specialist within the Human Resources business unit. Should this temporary position become permanent through the business planning process, the successful candidate may be offered the permanent position without a further job competition process, provided the incumbent has met the required performance expectations for the position.

Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is committed to reflecting the community it serves and recognizing Diversity and Inclusion as one of the Municipality’s core values. We have an Employment Equity Policy and we welcome applications from African Nova Scotians and Other Racially Visible Persons, Women in occupations or positions where they are underrepresented in the workforce, Indigenous/Aboriginal People, Persons with Disabilities and 2SLGBTQ+ Persons. Applicants are encouraged to self-identify on their electronic application.

The Employee Engagement Specialist acts as the project manager, champion and steward for all employee engagement programs and initiatives across HRM. In addition, the Employee Engagement Specialist will support business units in developing and executing employee engagement plans to address the specific needs of their employees. The Employee Engagement Specialist plays an integral role in the development of an enhanced workplace culture in support of the Our People Administrative Priority.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leads as a project manager the development of a formal corporate wide employee engagement survey, including selection of a survey partner and validating the survey content, to gather meaningful feedback on the employee experience.
• Develops and champions corporate action plans in response to survey results; scopes and initiates projects to deliver on action plans; tracks status of action plans and reports on progress as required.
• Collaborates closely with the Diversity and Inclusion team on employee initiatives and engagement outreach.
• Develops employee engagement tools appropriate for different types of work groups.
• Develops key performance indicators and performance measurement processes to report on the success of employee engagement initiatives or programs post implementation.
• Working with HR Business Partners, acts as a support to business units to create BU specific action plans, and identify key performance indicators in response to specific business unit engagement drivers.
• Leads the development and delivery of change management plans to achieve desired support for employee engagement action plans.
• Engages internal communications experts regarding appropriate mediums and messaging to communicate actions taken in response to employee engagement survey.
• Engages with other municipalities and external consultants as needed to gather information regarding successful employee engagement initiatives and actions, as well as lessons learned.
• Acts as a project manager to develop new and refine existing employee recognition programs and initiatives such as the Kudo’s program, annual CAO Awards of Excellence, Employee Appreciation BBQ, Leadership Summit, Long Service Awards Reception, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• Degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration or a related discipline
• Minimum two years demonstrated project management experience. Certificate in Project Management is an asset
• Minimum three years demonstrated experience in developing and implementing change management strategies
• Certificate in Change Management is an asset
• Data interpretation is consider an asset

Technical / Job Specific Knowledge and Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships and leveraging these relationships and networks to achieve results
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to communicate appropriately at all levels of the organization; this includes written and verbal communications, and presentations
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate discussion with key stakeholders at all levels of the organization, who may at times have opposing perspectives, and guide them to consensus
• Advanced user proficiency in Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio), with expert level skills in Microsoft Excel

Security Clearance Requirements:

Applicants may be required to complete an employment security screening check.

Please note

– Testing may be conducted as a component of the selection process to assess technical and job specific knowledge. Candidates, who are selected for testing, may be tested in a group setting, scheduled at the employer’s discretion.

An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. Applicants relying on education and experience equivalencies must clearly demonstrate such equivalencies in their application.

Please note –

Applicants are responsible to include all information that they wish to have taken into consideration in the review of their application, and applicants are required to provide full details of experience or training referenced in the posting. Applicants may be screened out of this competition at preliminary stages of review based on the insufficiency of the information provided, and the award of this position may be made solely on the basis of the information provided in the electronic submission without any requirement that the Employer contact the candidate for further elaboration on information referenced in the application.

COMPETENCIES:

Analytical Thinking, Communication, Customer Service, Managing Change, Organizational Awareness, Organization & Planning, Teamwork & Cooperation, Valuing Diversity, Values & Ethics.

WORK STATUS:

Temporary, full-time.

HOURS OF WORK:

Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 35 hours per week (flexibility may be required to meet operational requirements) Flex options to work outside of these hours and hybrid may be available.

SALARY:

NU8 $90,466-$117,079. Salary will be determined based on relevant experience and qualifications related to the specified pay band and job. Placement above the midpoint of the pay band is typically reserved for candidates who significantly exceed the minimum qualifications, such as those with exceptional experience, specialized skills, or demonstrated achievements relevant to the role. This ensures fair and consistent compensation practices across the organization.

WORK LOCATION:

8th floor, Purdy’s Wharf Tower II (1969 Upper Water Street, Halifax, NS, B3J 3R7).

CLOSING DATE:

Applications will be received up to 11:59 pm on September 15, 2026.

To ensure a fair and equitable hiring process, candidates are expected to complete all parts of the recruitment process, including assessments, assignments, and interviews independently and without the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools or other forms of external assistance. The use of AI to complete any component of the hiring process is not permitted and may result in disqualification from consideration.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to provide proof of their qualifications, including, but not limited to, educational credentials, professional licenses, and relevant certifications.

During the recruitment process, applicants have the right to request an accommodation. Applicants invited to participate in an assessment process (such as interview or testing) and who require an accommodation, should discuss their needs with the recruiter when invited to the assessment process. For more information on our accommodation process please click on the link; Accommodations | Hiring | Employment | Halifax