Engagement and Retention Lead

The Miller Group; Markham; On-site; CAD 84,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The Miller Group in Markham, Ontario is seeking an experienced HR professional to lead employee engagement, onboarding, DEI, and development initiatives on an 18-month contract. You will design and implement programs that improve recognition, retention, and career growth while partnering with leaders to drive culture and inclusion.

You will coordinate learning platforms, assess needs, and measure impact to ensure alignment with business priorities and workforce development in the construction

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive Human Resources experience, ideally focused on employee engagement, learning and development, culture.
• Experience leading projects and influencing stakeholders across multiple levels of an organization.
• Experience designing and implementing employee experience, retention, learning, or DEI initiatives is considered a strong asset.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and continuously improve employee experience programs, including recognition, career development, performance management, and succession planning.
• Develop and lead engagement and retention initiatives that support a high-performing, motivated workforce.
• Drive continuous improvement of key employee lifecycle experiences, from onboarding through career progression.
• Support administration, analysis, and action planning related to Miller's annual employee engagement survey.
• Partner with leaders to identify opportunities that strengthen employee commitment, satisfaction, and retention.
• Enhance onboarding experience to ensure new employees feel welcomed, connected, and prepared for success.
• Align onboarding and employee experience initiatives with broader engagement, culture, and inclusion objectives.
• Collaborate with leaders to embed inclusive practices into recruitment, development, promotion, and succession planning.
• Create and facilitate learning opportunities that increase awareness, belonging, and inclusion.
• Lead and coordinate employee-led DEI working groups, measuring progress and impact.
• Organize culture-building initiatives, awareness campaigns, speaker events, and educational programming.
• Assess organizational learning needs and identify opportunities to strengthen employee capability and growth.
• Oversee the design and delivery of learning programs aligned with business priorities and workforce needs.
• Measure program effectiveness and recommend enhancements that support employee and organizational success.
• Build and maintain relationships with community organizations and external partners supporting inclusion and workforce development.
• Identify and recommend partnership opportunities that support underrepresented groups, including women and BIPOC communities.

Skills

Employee engagement

Learning & development

DEI initiatives

Stakeholder management

Project leadership

Education

Post-secondary degree in Human Resources

Job description

About Us

The Miller Group, a subsidiary of Colas Canada, is a Canadian leader in the construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure since 1917. We provide exceptional customer service and operational support using our time-proven construction methods and innovative technologies, alongside the highest quality products and materials. We leverage our global network to foster positive relationships that make a lasting difference in the communities where we live and work. Whether it is making your commute more efficient, keeping our communities safe, or making remote areas more accessible, at Miller we are proud to Build Greatness in everything we do.

About Us

The Miller Group, a subsidiary of Colas Canada, is a Canadian leader in the construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure since 1917. We provide exceptional customer service and operational support using our time-proven construction methods and innovative technologies, alongside the highest quality products and materials. We leverage our global network to foster positive relationships that make a lasting difference in the communities where we live and work. Whether it is making your commute more efficient, keeping our communities safe, or making remote areas more accessible, at Miller we are proud to Build Greatness in everything we do.

Main Responsibilities

This is an 18 month contract

Employee Engagement & Retention

• Design, implement, and continuously improve employee experience programs, including recognition, career development, performance management, and succession planning.
• Develop and lead engagement and retention initiatives that support a high-performing, motivated workforce.
• Drive continuous improvement of key employee lifecycle experiences, from onboarding through career progression.
• Support administration, analysis, and action planning related to Miller's annual employee engagement survey.
• Partner with leaders to identify opportunities that strengthen employee commitment, satisfaction, and retention.

Onboarding & Employee Experience

• Enhance the onboarding experience to ensure new employees feel welcomed, connected, and prepared for success.
• Create consistency across key employee touchpoints throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Align onboarding and employee experience initiatives with broader engagement, culture, and inclusion objectives.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Collaborate with leaders across the organization to embed inclusive practices into recruitment, development, promotion, and succession planning.
• Support the development and implementation of scalable DEI strategies, programs, and policies.
• Create and facilitate learning opportunities that increase awareness, belonging, and inclusion.
• Lead and coordinate employee-led DEI working groups, measuring progress and impact.
• Organize culture-building initiatives, awareness campaigns, speaker events, and educational programming.

Learning & Development

• Assess organizational learning needs and identify opportunities to strengthen employee capability and growth.
• Leverage the Miller Institute of Excellence and other learning platforms to deliver impactful development experiences.
• Oversee the design and delivery of learning programs aligned with business priorities and workforce needs.
• Measure program effectiveness and recommend enhancements that support employee and organizational success.

Community Partnerships & Talent Outreach

• Build and maintain relationships with community organizations and external partners supporting inclusion and workforce development.
• Partner with operational leaders to enhance diversity-focused programs within construction, trucking, and related industries.
• Identify and recommend partnership opportunities that support underrepresented groups, including women and BIPOC communities.
• Ensure community engagement initiatives align with Miller's talent strategy, employer brand, and social impact goals.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team responsible for learning, engagement, and employee experience initiatives.
• Establish clear goals, expectations, and accountability measures.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance environment that encourages innovation and professional growth.
• Provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and development support to team members.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of progressive Human Resources experience, ideally focused on employee engagement, learning and development, culture
• Experience leading projects and influencing stakeholders across multiple levels of an organization.
• Experience designing and implementing employee experience, retention, learning, or DEI initiatives is considered a strong asset.

Compensation Data

Salary Range $84,000 to $95,000

Our Company may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with sourcing potential candidates. All screening, assessment, and hiring decisions are made exclusively by our internal team. Every application is reviewed and verified by our recruitment team to ensure a fair, transparent, and human-driven hiring process. This posting reflects an existing vacancy.

Miller is proud to provide this unique career opportunity, we offer continuous learning, opportunity for growth, and a competitive compensation package. At our core; we are our people. We succeed because we respect our people and invest in their development, safety and well-being. Miller is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity and inclusion are key attributes to building greatness. Miller’s core values of Integrity and Community welcomes everyone, at work and in the community, and our value of Accountability, means that we own our actions, our decisions and our results. As a Miller employee, this will ultimately be your commitment to our inclusive culture.

We will contact candidates selected for an interview. Accommodation for applications with disabilities will be made during the recruitment process when requested.