People, Generalist

Knak; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in the company

Paid vacation and life leave days

Team lunches and off-sites

Job summary

Knak, Ottawa-based, is seeking a proactive Generalist to anchor People Operations and elevate the employee experience. You will partner across teams to scale people programs, maintain HR systems, and strengthen our employer brand in a fast‑growing company.

You will drive onboarding, offboarding, policy administration, and data accuracy while leveraging AI to automate routine tasks and improve reporting. This role emphasizes collaboration, confidentiality, and a passion for people operations in

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years in HR/People Operations in a fast-growth environment.
• Experience with HRIS and data integrity management.
• Experience managing employee relations cases.
• Knowledge of Canadian employment standards and compliance.
• Experience using AI tools to improve workflows.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day People Operations across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, HR systems, employee records, and policy administration.
• Deliver an exceptional employee experience by providing timely support and coordinating key people programs and lifecycle events.
• Support and grow Knak's employer brand through recruitment marketing, employee storytelling, and employer branding initiatives.
• Create engaging internal communications using Knak's platform to keep employees informed, connected, and aligned.
• Partner with the Office Manager to plan and execute employee events, culture initiatives, and engagement programs.
• Maintain HR compliance by managing documentation, supporting audits, and ensuring adherence to employment legislation and company policies.
• Maintain HRIS data integrity and provide people reporting and insights to support informed decision‑making.
• Support recruitment during busy hiring periods and vacation coverage by coordinating interviews, candidate communications, and recruitment administration.
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees, providing day‑to‑day HR guidance while maintaining confidentiality.
• Continuously improve People Operations by identifying opportunities to streamline processes and leverage AI and automation.

Skills

HRIS experience

Data integrity

Employee relations

Canadian employment standards

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

AI in HR

Tools

BambooHR

AI tools

Job description

Role

We're looking for a proactive, detail-oriented, AI-forward Generalist to join our Employee Success team.

In this role, you'll be the operational backbone of our People function, ensuring every stage of the employee lifecycle runs smoothly while helping create an exceptional employee experience. You'll partner with employees, and cross‑functional teams to deliver scalable people programs, maintain operational excellence, strengthen our employer brand, and continuously improve the way we work.

If you thrive at the intersection of people, systems, process improvement, and employee experience, we'd love to meet you.

Responsibilities

• Own day‑to‑day People Operations across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, offboarding, HR systems, employee records, and policy administration.
• Deliver an exceptional employee experience by providing timely support and coordinating key people programs and lifecycle events.
• Support and grow Knak's employer brand through recruitment marketing, employee storytelling, and employer branding initiatives.
• Create engaging internal communications using Knak's platform to keep employees informed, connected, and aligned.
• Partner with the Office Manager to plan and execute employee events, culture initiatives, and engagement programs.
• Maintain HR compliance by managing documentation, supporting audits, and ensuring adherence to employment legislation and company policies.
• Maintain HRIS data integrity and provide people reporting and insights to support informed decision‑making.
• Support recruitment during busy hiring periods and vacation coverage by coordinating interviews, candidate communications, and recruitment administration.
• Serve as a trusted resource for employees, providing day‑to‑day HR guidance while maintaining confidentiality.
• Continuously improve People Operations by identifying opportunities to streamline processes and leverage AI and automation.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of progressive experience in HR and/or People Operations, including 2–3 years in an HR Generalist, HR Manager, or HR Business Partner capacity within a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment.
• Strong experience with HRIS systems (BambooHR preferred) and data integrity management.
• Diverse experience managing employee relations cases.
• Working knowledge of Canadian employment standards and compliance requirements.
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to balance critical thinking with hands‑on execution in a fast‑paced environment with evolving priorities.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with comfort interpreting People data and trends.
• Experience using AI tools and automation to improve workflows, documentation, reporting, or employee experience – a strong asset.

Benefits

At Knak we have four foundational pillars. Culture, customers, product and growth. Culture is our number one pillar because we know that is at the core of building a strong company that can build amazing products and delight our customers. We do this with a laser focus on hiring the right people who are smart, positive and who want more than the typical nine‑to‑five offers.

We offer an extremely rewarding, second‑to‑none work environment as acknowledged by Ottawa’s Best Places to Work 2025! We show our investment in our people through our competitive salaries, equity in the company, great benefits, paid vacation, life leave days, team lunches and off‑sites, and most importantly our commitment to your career growth.

If this sounds like something you’re looking for, then we’d love to hear from you!

Equal Opportunity

If you don’t see yourself fully reflected in every job requirement listed on the posting above, we still encourage you to reach out and apply. Research has shown that women and under‑represented groups often only apply when they feel 100% qualified. We strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientations, and life experiences to apply. Knak believes in creating an inclusive, barrier‑free working environment. If you require any accommodation to the interview process please contact [e-mail].

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At Knak, our recruitment process includes AI screening for keywords and minimum qualifications as well as video interviews which are transcribed with AI. Humans are still at the core of our decision making!