HR Business Partner | Great West

Canada Life; Toronto; On-site; CAD 79,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Health & Wellness

Time off

Pension & share ownership

Rewards programs

ERGs and mentorship

Job summary

Canada Life is seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to advise and coach executive-level leaders and to shape HR strategy for Canada Life Reinsurance and Great West Life Global Investments. You will support talent management, employee relations, and organizational effectiveness, while guiding leadership development and data-driven HR decisions.

Ideal candidates have 6–8+ years in HR, a related degree, and strong communication skills with a strategic partner mindset.

Qualifications

• 6–8+ years as an HR professional.
• Degree in HR Management or related field; HR certification is a plus.
• Hands-on project management with a partner mindset; able to work with senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Provide HR advice and coaching to executive-level leaders on HR policy, planning, and engagement.
• Counsel employees on work-related issues and support employee relations.
• Support talent management, salary and bonus processes, and organizational health initiatives.
• Lead or participate in HR projects and cross-functional HR committees.

Skills

HR coaching

Stakeholder management

Talent management

Employee relations

Data analysis

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Post-secondary Degree/Diploma in HR Management

HR Certification (asset)

Job description

Permanent Full Time

We are looking for a Human Resources Business Partner to provide HR support for Canada Life Reinsurance and Great West Life Global Investments. In this role you will provide consultative support and service to executive/senior level people leaders and support the development and delivery of the HR agenda that aligns to the vision and strategy of each division.

What You Will Do

• Provide HR related advice and coaching to assigned client groups and business leaders (typically ranging from AVP to SVP level) on matters related to HR policy or practices, workforce planning, talent management, employee relations, compensation decisions, structures and organizational effectiveness, employee engagement etc.
• Provide counsel and support to individual employees on work related issues (employee advocacy)
• Manage the escalation of employee issues and engage with Employee Relations & Standards Centre of Excellence to resolve complex employee issues
• Identify people related issues/themes across client groups and recommend action to mitigate risks and act on opportunities
• Support cyclical HR processes for supported client groups (i.e. talent management, salary and bonus processes etc.)
• Participate on projects teams and/or develop and/or deliver small scale HR projects to the business (i.e. coordinating HR projects with members of the HR community and other key business stakeholders)
• Participate on cross-line business HR committees and councils to share best practices, lessons learned and collaborate on initiatives
• Support and contribute to talent plans for the business/function supported for example; diagnostics of organizational health, key business/function needs and opportunities; strategies for recruitment, retention and development of talent pools; organizational effectiveness plans including development of strategic capabilities; elevating overall talent bench for supported businesses/functions
• Elevate people managerial capabilities by providing advice, support and coaching to senior level people leaders on all people and talent matters (i.e. leadership, team facilitation, situational training)
• As this position is posted in several locations, we specify that bilingualism is an asset (fluent in French and English) but is required for Quebec only as the position will regularly serve our clients with French and English- speaking needs.

What You Will Bring

• 6-8+ years as an HR professional
• Ideal education includes a post-secondary Degree/Diploma in HR Management, Business Administration or a related field; an HR certification is an asset
• “Hands-on” project manager with a business partner mindset who has the experience and confidence necessary to work with senior business leaders, HR leaders, and employees at all levels to deliver results
• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills to effectively deal with multiple stakeholders and demands
• Ability to network across functional teams and build solid client relationships
• Ability to identify trends and/or anomalies in a dataset and conduct follow-up root cause investigation
• Sound problem solving and influencing skills, coupled with an ability to understand broad Human Resource issues and resolve conflict situations in a diplomatic manner
• Ability to multitask with strong organizational, planning and time management skills
• Excellent data analysis skills with a well-developed ability to think analytically and present various analyses in a useful and understandable format
• Strong work ethic, a high respect for confidentiality and sound professional judgment and initiative
• Strong accountability and responsibility to meet aggressive deadlines
• Previous experience supporting technology teams, or experience in the financial or insurance industry is preferred

The base salary for this position is between $79,100 - $131,800 annually. This represents base salary only and does not represent other variable compensation components of our total compensation ( i.e. annual bonus, commission etc). If you are selected to move forward in our recruitment process, your recruiter will be able to discuss additional details of our total rewards program with you.

Career opportunities will be open a minimum of 5 business days from the date of posting, closing dates will vary depending on the search activity. All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Grow with Great-West Lifeco

Great-West Lifeco Inc is a Canadian headquarter, international financial services holding company with interests in life insurance, health insurance, retirement and investment services, asset management, and reinsurance businesses. We operate in Canada, the United States, and Europe under the brands: Canada Life, Empower and Irish Life. At the end of 2024, our companies had over 32,250 employees, 106,000 advisor relationships, and thousands of distribution partners – serving approximately 40 million customer relationships.

Great-West Lifeco trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the ticker symbol GWO and is a member of the Power Corporation group of companies.

What we offer

We’re committed to supporting our employees through every stage of their career. Here’s what you can expect as a full-time or part-time permanent team member:

• Career Development: Opportunities for career advancement, access to industry-leading learning programs and up to$2,000 annually towards education reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness: Flexible health and dental benefits, plus a $5,000 mental health benefit to support your well-being.
• Time Off: In addition to regular vacation and personal days, we support community involvement with a volunteer day.
• Financial Security: Company-matching pension plan,share ownership program and additionalinvestment options.
• Rewards and Recognition: Employee recognition programs, service milestone celebrations, employee discounts and more!
• Emphasis on Community: We provide a workplace where employees feel connected and supported through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, social clubs and events.

Learn more about Great-West Lifeco.

We’re committed to removing barriers and ensuring equal access to employment. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation during the application process may contact [e-mail]. All information provided will be handled in accordance with applicable laws and Great-West Lifeco policies.