Manager, People Strategy & Organizational Effectiveness

George Brown College; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 104,000 - 122,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work opportunities

Pension plan

Generous vacation time

Tuition assistance

Employee discounts

Job summary

George Brown Polytechnic in Toronto is seeking a Manager, People Strategy and Organizational Effectiveness to advance employee experience, leadership capability, and strategic people initiatives aligned with the People Plan.

You will collaborate across People & Culture and with leaders to translate insights into practical actions, supporting continuous improvement in workforce effectiveness through facilitation and governance.

Qualifications

• Four-year degree in HR, organizational development, leadership, business, or related field.
• Nine+ years of progressive experience in people strategy and organizational effectiveness.
• Experience facilitating action planning and monitoring progress from employee listening.
• Strategic advisor to senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of strategic People Plan initiatives.
• Interpret employee listening results and support action planning to improve employee experience.
• Act as a central connector across People & Culture portfolios to align priorities.
• Identify gaps and risks, recommending practical solutions for workforce effectiveness.
• Design, implement, and improve employee experience initiatives and lifecycle improvements.
• Prepare executive reports, presentations, dashboards, and program updates.
• Lead workshops and cross-functional strategic projects for organizational priorities.

Skills

Facilitation

Stakeholder management

Strategic advisory

Communication

Change management

Education

Four-year degree in HR/OD/Leadership/Business

Post-graduate credential or Master’s degree (asset)

Job description

Competition Number: REQ 7416

TITLE: Manager, People Strategy & Organizational Effectiveness

DIVISION: People & Culture

SALARY: Payband 11, $104,000 to $122,385 annually

HOURS PER WEEK: 37.5

LOCATION: 230 Richmond Street East

WORK MODALITY: Hybrid (with 2 days on-site)

STATUS: Admin Contract – 12 months

VACANCY: New

EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately

CLOSING DATE: Open until filled.

Land Acknowledgement: George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work, and live in the community with each other.

Equity Statement: George Brown Polytechnic is committed to creating and sustaining an equitable and inclusive learning and working environment. We encourage and actively seek applications from Indigenous, Black, racialized people, visible minorities, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, all genders, and persons with disabilities.

GBP Vision: To be a polytechnic renowned for its inclusion, excellence, relevance, impact, and leadership.

Position Description

The Manager, People Strategy and Organizational Effectiveness plays a key role in advancing organizational effectiveness, employee experience, leadership capability, and strategic people initiatives aligned with the People Plan and institutional priorities. Working collaboratively across People & Culture and with leaders across the Polytechnic, the role leads and coordinates strategic initiatives that strengthen organizational performance, employee experience, and continuous improvement. Through consultation, facilitation, project leadership, and community engagement, the Manager helps leaders interpret employee insights, identify meaningful opportunities for improvement, and translate organizational priorities into practical action plans. By guiding discussions, facilitating planning processes, supporting implementation, and monitoring progress, the role enables leaders to make informed decisions, strengthen accountability within their teams, and deliver sustainable improvements that enhance the employee experience and organizational effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• People Plan, Employee Experience and Workforce Enablement
  • Lead the planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of strategic People Plan initiatives, ensuring projects are delivered on time, aligned with organizational priorities, and supported by appropriate governance, reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
  • Partner with leaders to interpret employee listening and engagement results, facilitate action planning discussions, and support the development, implementation, and monitoring of meaningful improvement plans that strengthen the employee experience.
  • Act as a central connector across People & Culture portfolios to support alignment, coordination, and progress on employee experience, workforce enablement, and organizational priorities.
  • Identify gaps, risks, dependencies, emerging needs, and opportunities for improvement, and recommend practical solutions that support organizational objectives and workforce effectiveness.
  • Support the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of employee experience initiatives, employee lifecycle improvements, onboarding supports, engagement activities, and inclusive workforce practices.
  • Contribute to workforce planning, talent initiatives, organizational effectiveness projects, career development resources, career pathways, and the identification of emerging workforce capabilities and future skill needs.
  • Support the implementation of recommendations arising from employee feedback, organizational reviews, strategic initiatives, and continuous improvement activities.
• Facilitation, Team Effectiveness and Strategic Projects
  • Design and facilitate workshops, consultations, focus groups, planning sessions, leadership forums, and team effectiveness discussions that support organizational priorities.
  • Lead and support strategic projects and cross-functional initiatives, including stakeholder engagement, consultation, implementation planning, problem-solving, progress reporting, and change support.
  • Facilitate leadership discussions, planning sessions, and action planning workshops that build alignment, accountability, and commitment to organizational priorities. Support leaders in identifying measurable actions, monitoring progress, and sustaining improvements arising from employee listening activities, organizational reviews, and strategic initiatives.
• Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement
  • Support continuous improvement across programs, processes, and practices to ensure they are effective, consistently applied, streamlined, and aligned with organizational needs.
  • Work collaboratively across People & Culture to support service delivery, compliance with legislation, collective agreements, HR policies, privacy requirements, and reporting on key performance measures.
• Communication and Program Support
  • Prepare executive-level reports, presentations, dashboards, briefing materials, communication supports, toolkits, implementation resources, and program updates.
  • Monitor and report on program metrics, while partnering across People & Culture and with Internal Communications to support decision-making, continuous improvement, employee experience, and people-related priorities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Educational and Experience Requirements

• Four-year degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, preferably in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Leadership, Business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and progressive experience. A post-graduate credential or Master’s degree in a related field is considered an asset.
• Minimum of nine (9) years of progressive experience leading people strategy, employee experience, talent management, workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, or related initiatives in a complex environment.
• Experience supporting employee engagement or employee listening initiatives, including facilitating action planning, developing implementation strategies, and monitoring organizational progress.
• Experience acting as a strategic advisor, consultant, facilitator, and project lead with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and evaluating programs, resources, consultations, or initiatives that support employee experience, workforce enablement, organizational effectiveness, continuous improvement, and inclusive people practices.
• Experience using qualitative and quantitative information, including employee feedback, workforce insights, consultation themes, and program metrics, to inform recommendations, planning, and decision-making.
• Experience preparing executive-level reports, presentations, business cases, briefing materials, and recommendations.
• Experience working in a unionized, public-sector, post-secondary, or similarly complex environment is preferred.
• CHRL or equivalent designation is preferred.
• Change management, facilitation, or professional coaching certification is considered an asset.

Skills and Attributes

• Advanced facilitation and consultation skills, including the ability to design and lead leadership sessions, planning discussions, consultations, and employee engagement forums.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing, collaboration, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively without direct authority in complex environments.
• Strong advisory and problem-solving skills, including the ability to assess organizational needs, synthesize qualitative and quantitative information, and translate insights into practical recommendations.
• Advanced written, verbal, and visual communication skills, including the preparation of executive-level reports, briefings, presentations, dashboards, and culture-related communications.
• Demonstrated understanding of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging principles, with the ability to integrate these into leadership practices, engagement initiatives, and people strategies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, collaboration tools, presentation tools, survey platforms, and related technologies to support analysis, reporting, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to travel between campuses as required.

Interview process may consist of a practical skills component.

Notes

• The Polytechnic requires proof of degrees, credentials, or equivalencies from accredited regional or federal post-secondary institutions and/or their international equivalents. Credentials may require validation at the time of interviews or offer.

About Us

George Brown Polytechnic prides itself on educating students through real-world learning, in the heart of Toronto. Our faculty and employees make this vision a reality, and we support them by making George Brown a great place to work. See why we are consistently ranked as one of GTA's top employers. George Brown Polytechnic offers hybrid work opportunities, a competitive pension plan, generous holiday and vacation time, a tuition assistance program, discounted rates for employees taking Continuing Education courses, and an equitable work environment where everyone matters.

George Brown Polytechnic is committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Candidates who require accommodation in the hiring process may contact [e-mail] confidentially.