Vice President, Human Resources

Kwantlen Polytechnic University; City of Langley; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading polytechnic university in Canada is seeking a Vice President of Human Resources to guide the institution through significant change. The ideal candidate will provide executive leadership for HR, manage labour relations, and champion an inclusive workplace culture. With a focus on strategic foresight and operational excellence, this role offers a unique opportunity to impact the organization's future. Candidates should have a graduate degree and extensive HR leadership experience, ideally in the public or post-secondary sector.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of senior HR leadership experience, ideally in public sector or post-secondary.
• Proven ability to lead change and modernize HR practices.
• Experience advising senior leaders on sensitive HR matters.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President and senior leadership.
• Champion employee experience programs to strengthen engagement.
• Lead transformation by modernizing HR practices.

Skills

Strategic foresight

Operational expertise

Emotional intelligence

Labour relations experience

Change management

Education

Graduate degree in a relevant discipline

Job description

Overview

About KPU

For more than 40 years, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) has been proudly serving the South Fraser region. As Canada's only polytechnic university, we combine academic excellence with applied learning, innovation, and strong connections to industry and community. With campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Langley, and Cloverdale, we are deeply embedded in the communities we serve. Surrey, our largest campus and one of the fastest-growing cities in the province, reflects the energy and diversity that define KPU as a whole. Our students bring a wide range of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences - and their success is at the heart of everything we do. KPU is honoured to partner with local First Nations, including the Kwantlen First Nation, whose name we carry. These partnerships, along with our commitment to equity, inclusion, and reconciliation, are central to who we are as an institution. Our programs span arts, business, science, health, trades, design, and emerging fields - reflecting the diversity of our communities and the needs of a rapidly evolving workforce. That breadth and flexibility make KPU unique, offering pathways that meet students where they are and prepare them for where they want to go. As an open-access institution, we are dedicated to student success and know that our people are essential to achieving it. Building a workforce that is diverse, inclusive, and engaged is key to KPU's continued impact. Today, KPU is entering an exciting period of change and renewal. With a new President and evolving strategic priorities, we are focused on strengthening our student-centered mission, deepening community connections, and shaping an engaged, inclusive workplace for the future.

The Opportunity

This is a pivotal moment to join Kwantlen Polytechnic University's executive leadership team. We are seeking an experienced and visionary Vice President, Human Resources (VP HR) to guide KPU through a period of significant change and renewal. Reporting directly to the President and Vice Chancellor, the VP Human Resources is a trusted advisor and key member of the executive team - shaping the future of KPU's workforce, advancing organizational strategy, and fostering a strong, inclusive workplace culture.

The VP Human Resources provides executive leadership across Human Resources, Risk, and Campus Safety & Security, and directly leads a talented portfolio including the Associate Vice Presidents of People Relations and People Services; the Directors of Organizational Development & Employee Experience and Risk & Security; the Senior Manager of Labour Relations; and the HR Divisional Business Manager. This role is both strategic and hands-on, offering the opportunity to influence KPU's people strategy and support student success, community engagement, and institutional priorities.

As VP Human Resources, you will:

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the President, Board, and senior leadership, guiding people strategies that align with KPU's mission and long-term priorities.
• Champion the employee experience, shaping programs and practices that strengthen engagement, learning, well-being, and a sense of belonging across KPU.
• Lead transformation by modernizing HR practices, introducing innovative approaches, and helping the university evolve through times of change.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership across all HR functions - including labour relations, recruitment, retention, compensation, organizational development, and employee experience.
• Provide leadership in labour relations, including collective bargaining, grievances, conflict resolution, and building strong, collaborative union relationships.
• Provide oversight and direction for Risk and Campus Safety & Security, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for students, faculty, and staff.
• Foster equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation in all aspects of HR strategy and institutional culture.
• Build strong relationships with faculty, staff, and unions, fostering collaboration, trust, and effective resolution of complex issues in a unionized environment.
• Oversee, support and mentor a diverse HR leadership team, in order to achieve departmental and institutional goals.
• Strengthen connections with the communities KPU serves and collaborate with peer post-secondary institutions across BC and Canada to share expertise and advance best practices.
• Influence institution-wide priorities as part of KPU's executive leadership team, contributing to a student-focused, community-driven, and inclusive university.

What You Bring

You are a seasoned HR executive who thrives in complex environments and sees opportunity in times of change. You bring both strategic foresight and operational expertise, with a track record of leading transformation, building strong teams, and fostering inclusive workplaces in a complex unionized environment. You are trusted for your integrity, sound judgment, and ability to inspire confidence at every level of an organization.

We\'re looking for someone who:

• Holds a graduate degree in a relevant discipline and has at least 10 years of senior HR leadership experience, ideally in the public sector or post-secondary.
• Has a proven ability to lead change, modernize practices, and guide teams through transition.
• Is confident advising Presidents, Boards, and senior leaders on sensitive HR and organizational matters.
• Builds credibility through integrity, consistency, transparency, and fairness.
• Demonstrates strong emotional intelligence: listens, engages, and fosters a respectful, inclusive work environment.
• Is deeply committed to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation, and to creating a workplace where all employees feel valued and supported.
• Brings extensive labour relations experience, including collective bargaining, grievances, and arbitration.
• Has experience developing and empowering high-performing teams, balancing accountability with collaboration and service excellence.
• Brings resilience, adaptability, and the ability to make sound decisions in a complex, unionized environment.

For more detailed information on this position, click here.

The Location

KPU is a multi-campus institution. The Human Resources offices are located on the Langley campus, however, frequent travel between campuses will be required.

Application Process

To apply for this opportunity, please submit your cover letter and resume as one document via KPU's Career Centre. Resume review will be conducted on November 3, 2025; however, the competition will remain open until filled.

For inquiries or recommendations related to this position, please contact:
Navneet Sidhu
Manager, Talent Acquisition & Recruitment Services
Email: [e-mail]

Salary Information

The above compensation range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. Typically, initial salary placement is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum. This represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and approximately halfway of the salary range for a job with consideration given to internal equity.

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