Manager, Workforce Development & Retention - Environmental Services

GFL Environmental Inc.; North Vancouver; On-site; CAD 85,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

GFL Environmental Inc. is seeking a Manager, Workforce Development & Retention in Metro Vancouver. The role focuses on designing onboarding and retention strategies aimed at enhancing employee experiences and reducing turnover.

The ideal candidate will have 5+ years in People Operations, able to analyze attrition data and develop clear career paths for staff. Strong communication and project management skills are essential.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in People Operations, Talent Management, or related fields.
• Comfortable using data to inform strategies.
• Understands the challenges of frontline leaders.
• Highly organized and capable of managing large-scale projects.
• Ability to build trust at all organizational levels.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead onboarding programs to enhance employee retention.
• Develop proactive retention initiatives for employee satisfaction.
• Conduct employee surveys to identify and fix cultural issues.
• Analyze data to report on turnover and suggest improvements.
• Create clear career paths to support employee growth.

Skills

People Operations

Talent Management

Employee Experience

Analytical Skills

Project Management

Communication Skills

Job description

We are looking for a Manager, Workforce Development & Retention to design and lead the strategies that keep our best talent growing with us. You will be responsible for the full employee journey - from a new hire’s first day to their third promotion. This role is perfect for someone who enjoys building programs from scratch, analyzing turnover trends, and creating clear career paths that ensure our employees see a long-term future here.

Key Accountabilities

• Onboarding & Retention
• Onboarding Redesign: Lead the end-to-end overhaul of our onboarding process. You will build a centralized, consistent program that ensures every new hire is welcomed and prepared for success.
• Retention Initiatives: Develop and implement proactive programs aimed at reducing turnover and increasing overall employee satisfaction.
• Employee Feedback: Own the employee survey process (Pulse and Annual) and conduct regular check-ins and "stay interviews" to identify and fix cultural friction points.
• Turnover Reporting: Track and analyze attrition data, providing leadership with clear reports on why people leave and actionable recommendations to improve retention.
• Internal Mobility & Career Growth
• Career Pathing: Create clear, transparent career frameworks so employees understand the skills and milestones needed to move up or across the organization.
• Internal Hiring Strategy: Design and manage the process for internal moves, ensuring we prioritize our own talent for open positions before looking externally.
• Talent Development: Partner with department heads to identify high-potential employees and build development plans that prepare them for their next role.
• Learning & Frontline Leadership Support
• L&D Partnership: Work closely with the Learning & Development team to identify skill gaps across the company and help design relevant training solutions.
• Frontline Supervisor Training: Lead the rollout of specialized training for frontline supervisors. You will equip our first-time and shop-floor leaders with the essential coaching, communication, and conflict resolution skills they need to lead effectively.
• Job Architecture & Competency Mapping
• Profile Overhaul: Support the large-scale overhaul of our job profiles. You will work with department leads to ensure every role has a clear, modern, and accurate job description.
• Skill Alignment: Lead the process of defining core competencies and technical skills for each role, ensuring alignment across the organization so employees know exactly what is expected for their current and future positions.
• Standardization: Assist with building a centralized library of job descriptions and competency models to be used in hiring, performance reviews, and promotions.

Qualifications

• Relevant Experience: 5+ years in People Operations, Talent Management, or Employee Experience with a proven track record of building programs from the ground up.
• Analytical Thinking: You are comfortable using data to tell a story and can turn turnover statistics into a strategic plan.
• Frontline Fluency: You understand the unique challenges of frontline leaders and can translate high level corporate goals into practical training for supervisors.
• Project Management: You are highly organized and capable of managing multiple large-scale projects, from a total onboarding redesign to annual survey cycles.
• Strong Communication: You can easily build trust with employees at all levels, from entry-level staff to senior executives.

Success Metrics

• Reduced Turnover: Decrease in overall and first-year attrition rates.
• Internal Fill Rate: Increase in the percentage of roles filled by internal candidates.
• Onboarding Satisfaction: High feedback scores from new hires regarding their first 90 days.
• Supervisor Effectiveness: Improved engagement scores for teams led by frontline supervisors.

We thank you for your interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

GFL is committed to equal opportunity for all, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic. If you are interested in applying for employment and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply for a posted position, please contact [e-mail]