Manager, Human Resources – Retail (MUST RESIDE IN CALGARY OR EDMONTON)

Indigo Books & Music; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Indigo Books & Music is seeking a Manager, Human Resources – Retail to partner with regional leadership and elevate HR processes across a multi-site retail network. This role focuses on staffing, performance & potential, succession planning, learning, and total rewards, driving a high-performance culture aligned with Indigo’s Guiding Principles.

The ideal candidate has 5–7 years HRBP/generalist experience, strong business acumen, and willingness to travel up to 25% across Canada.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years progressive experience in HR business partner or generalist role.
• Experience in a multi-site or retail environment is required.
• Strong knowledge of Canadian employment legislation.
• Proven ability to navigate complex employee and labour relations issues.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted partnerships with business leaders and regional people leaders.
• Act as the primary HR advisor and advocate for assigned client groups.
• Provide expert guidance on employee relations, performance management, risk mitigation, and compliance.

Skills

HR business partner

Strategic advisor

Employee relations

People analytics

Education

Post-secondary education in HR or business

Tools

UKG HRIS

Job description

Manager, Human Resources – Retail (MUST RESIDE IN CALGARY OR EDMONTON)

• Full-time
• Department: Human Resources
• Employee Type: Permanent
• Full-Time/Part-Time: Full-Time
• Compensation: CAD 90000 - CAD 110000 - yearly

WHO WE ARE

Indigo is a physical and digital place inspired by and filled with books, ideas, beautifullydesigned lifestyle products, and the creative people who help make it all happen. We believein real books, living life fully and generously, being kind to each other and to the environment,and that stories — big and little — connect us. Indigo is our customer's happy place — for joyfulmoments of discovery and to connect with people who share their passion for reading, theirbelief in ideas, and their commitment to making the world a better and more beautiful place.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Our Mission is to inspire reading and enrich the lives of booklovers. As such, we believe inthe power of people and their stories. We aim to attract top talent, nurture the potential ofour employees, and create space for everyone to thrive. Our Guiding Principles are thefew key ideas that are meant to influence everything we do, every day.

• We Will Hire, Inspire, Promote and Retain the Best – A’s Hire A’s.
• We Will be Customer Centric.
• We Will Be Data Driven – System Thinking – Entrepreneurial.
• We are Committed to True and Shared Value Creation.
• We Will be Human-Centered and AI Enabled.
• We are Committed to Caring About Each Other, Our Communities, Our Environment.

The Manager, Human Resources – Retail partners with regional retail leadership teams and client groups to foster a high-performance culture by embedding and elevating exceptional HR processes and practices consistent with Indigo’s Guiding Principles. This role acts as a strategic business partner providing proactive HR practices to support operational success in a retail environment.

By collaborating with HR Centres of Excellence, the Manager, Human Resources – Retail ensures the effective delivery of core HR processes—including Staffing, Performance & Potential, Succession, Career Planning, Learning & Development, and Total Rewards—driving organizational success through people while ensuring compliance with employment legislation and any applicable collective agreements.

KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Engagement
• Employee Net Promoter Score
• Talent development and succession bench strength
• Retail talent program completion KPIs
• HR annual scorecard KPIs

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Build trusted partnerships with business leaders and regional people leaders, providing strategic HR guidance aligned to business objectives, workforce planning, talent strategies, and organizational effectiveness.
• Act as the primary HR advisor and advocate for assigned client groups, ensuring effective implementation, communication, and adoption of enterprise and retail people programs including annual HR processes.
• Provide expert guidance and coaching on employee relations, performance management, risk mitigation, and complex people matters, ensuring compliance with employment legislation, company policies, and HR best practices.
• Translate business strategy, market trends, and operational priorities into people plans and organizational solutions that support growth, performance, and change.
• Leverage people analytics, business insights, and workforce trends to identify opportunities and risks, informing proactive talent, engagement, and organizational decisions.
• Help to define employee engagement goals and action planning strategies to drive increased engagement and enhance overall team performance
• Conduct sensitive investigations with a high degree of professionalism, discretion, care and expertise
• Partner with leaders to design and implement organizational changes, talent strategies, engagement initiatives, and communication plans that strengthen culture, leadership capability, and team effectiveness.
• Partner with leaders on talent acquisition, succession planning, development planning, and retention strategies to build strong leadership pipelines and organizational capability.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and liaison between the business, HR teams, and Centres of Excellence to ensure integrated, practical, and impactful people solutions.
• Collaborate with HR Centres of Excellence to design, deliver, and embed people programs, policies, processes, and initiatives that meet the needs of assigned client groups.
• Support the successful execution of key talent processes, including staffing and onboarding, talent planning, annual performance and potential processes, succession planning and career planning
• Support the successful execution of key total rewards processes including annual merit and bonus cycles, equity assessments, and compensation recommendations.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance people practices, processes, systems, and ways of working, with a focus on scalability, efficiency, and long-term organizational effectiveness.

Reports to: Director, Human Resources – Retail

Manager Once Removed: CPO

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

Internal:

• Retail Upper Field Leaders
• Retail Store Leadership
• HR Centers of Excellence
• Retail Operations Team
• Payroll

External:

• Outplacement services
• External legal

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 5-7 years progressive experience in HR business partner or generalist role, primarily in a multi-site or retail environment
• Post-secondary education in HR, business or a related field
• CHRL or similar HR professional designation an asset
• Proven ability to navigate complex employee and labour relations issues.
• Strong knowledge of Canadian employment legislation
• Strong business acumen and strategic problem-solving
• Trusted advisor with excellent communication, relationship-building and stakeholder engagement skills
• Cultural engagement expert with a focus on operational excellence
• Demonstrated curiosity for surfacing and effectively and efficiently solving problems to assist leaders in resolving organizational, people and change priorities
• Full alignment with Indigo values as reflected in the Guiding Principles statements
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to effectively manage competing priorities
• Previous experience with UKG (HRIS) an asset
• Other (travel, Bilingual, etc.)
• Ability to travel independently up to 25% across assigned regions, including overnight travel within the Canadian market; a valid driver’s license is required
• Occasional travel to Indigo Home Office (located at 620 King St W, Toronto, ON M6K 0C6, Canada)
• Access to a private and consistent home office environment suitable for confidential remote work

Bilingual (English/French) considered an asset.

At Indigo, all applications submitted are reviewed in detail by our HR team.In certain aspects of the hiring process artificial intelligence (AI) tools may be used, specifically for screening and assessments. These tools support our team and are used to help bring relevant criteria to the foreground and do not replace human judgment. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly, and in compliance with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws. We regularly review these tools to help prevent bias or discrimination.

At Indigo, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility are core to our values. We integrate these principles into our training, policies, and hiring practices and continuously evolve to reflect the needs of the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and lived experiences, including but not limited to individuals who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and persons with disabilities. If you require an accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources at [emailprotected]

This posting is for a current opportunity within Indigo.

Indigo uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with certain aspects of the hiring process, such as screening and assessments. These tools support our team but do not replace human judgment. We are committed to using AI responsibly, fairly, and in compliance with applicable employment and anti-discrimination laws. We regularly review these tools to help prevent bias or discrimination.

At Indigo, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility are core to our values. We integrate these principles into our training, policies, and hiring practices and continuously evolve to reflect the needs of the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and lived experiences, including but not limited to individuals who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour), members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and persons with disabilities. If you require an accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact Human Resources at [emailprotected].

We respect your privacy throughout the recruitment process. Our Candidate Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you apply for a role with Indigo, and the choices available to you.

This posting is for a current opportunity within Indigo.

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