Vice President, Human Resources - Competition ID: 4825

Kwantlen Polytechnic University; Surrey; Hybrid; CAD 166,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extended health and dental benefits

Healthcare spending account

Generous vacation package

Defined pension plan

Tuition waiver

Professional development days

Inter-campus transportation

Job summary

Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) invites applications for the role of Vice President, Human Resources. This executive position leads HR strategy, workforce development, and labour relations across campuses, and partners with senior leaders to advance equity, inclusion, and student success.

Reporting to the President and shaping risk management, compensation, talent development, and workforce planning, you will steward a high-performing HR team in a unionized environment, while strengthening

Qualifications

• Graduate degree and at least 10 years of senior HR leadership experience.
• Proven ability to lead change and modernize practices.
• Experience advising Presidents, Boards on sensitive HR and organizational matters.
• Credibility through integrity, consistency, and fairness.
• Strong emotional intelligence and inclusive leadership.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation.
• Extensive labour relations experience, including collective bargaining and grievances.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership across HR functions (labour relations, recruitment, retention, compensation, organizational development, employee experience).
• Serve as trusted advisor to President, Board, and senior leaders on people strategies and risk management.
• Lead transformation by modernizing HR practices and fostering a high-performing, inclusive culture.
• Oversee Risk and Campus Safety & Security, ensuring a safe environment for students and staff.
• Build collaborative relationships with unions and faculty across multiple campuses.
• Influence institution-wide priorities as part of the executive leadership team.

Skills

Strategic HR leadership

Change management

Labor relations leadership

Employee engagement

Equity, diversity, inclusion

Unionized environment experience

Education

Graduate degree in a relevant discipline

Job description

Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is Canada's only polytechnic university, proudly serving the South Fraser region for more than 40 years. With campuses in Surrey, Richmond, Langley, and Cloverdale, KPU is deeply connected to the communities it serves and to the diverse cultures, backgrounds, and lived experiences of its students. Through academic excellence, applied learning, innovation, and strong industry and community partnerships, KPU prepares students for meaningful futures.

As an open-access university, KPU is powered by the people who live and work here. We believe every employee plays a meaningful role in supporting student learning and success. We are honoured to carry the name of the Kwantlen First Nation and are committed to equity, inclusion, reconciliation, and respectful relationships. As one of BC's Top Employers, KPU is dedicated to fostering a supportive, inclusive, and engaged workplace where employees feel valued, connected to purpose, and empowered to make an impact.

We invite you to explore your next career opportunity at KPU and discover how your work can contribute to a university where thought truly meets action.

Competition ID: 4825

Internal Closing Date: Open Until Filled

External Closing Date: Open Until Filled

# of Openings: 1

Salary Information: 18 - Administrative Salary Grid - $166,197 to $254,836

Employment Type: Permanent Full Time

Workplace Type: Hybrid

Travel Frequency: Frequent travel between campuses is required.

Employee Group: Administration/Management

Days of Work (BCGEU):

Hours of Work (BCGEU):

Hours per Week (BCGEU):

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 various positions – Director, HR Systems & Talent Development; the Director, Labour Relations; and the Director, Workforce Advisory & Compensation, as well as the Manager, Campus Security Operations and the Manager, Emergency Planning. 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.
• Working collaboratively with the Office of General Counsel and other institutional partners to identify and manage legal and organizational risk. Provide strategic leadership in complex employment, Human Rights, workplace investigations, regulatory, and labour relations matters, 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.

The Location

KPU is a multi-campus institution. The Human Resources offices are located at the Langley campus; however, this position will be based primarily at the Surrey Main campus.

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.

Total Rewards

As a part of our total rewards offerings, KPU also offers extended health and dental benefits, healthcare spending account, generous vacation package, defined pension plan, parenthood top-up, sick leave, long-term disability, life insurance, professional development days, tuition waiver, in-house training & development, inter-campus transportation, and more!

Note: Eligibility requirements apply, benefits may vary depending on the employee group the position belongs to and whether the position offered is temporary or part‑time.

Visit https://www.kpu.ca/hr for more information on KPU's workplace, culture and total rewards.

Note to Applicants

Kwantlen Polytechnic University welcomes and encourages applications from equity‑deserving groups and diverse experiences including, but not limited to, Indigenous people, racialized people, people with disabilities, and members of the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community.

If there are any barriers that you are experiencing or an accommodation that we can provide to support you through the application process, please reach out to us at [e-mail].

Kwantlen Polytechnic University is committed to protecting the safety and welfare of employees, students, and the general public, and upholding the reputation and integrity of the University. For this reason, final applicants will be asked to undergo a background check.

We thank all applicants for their interest in employment with KPU. Only candidates who are legally eligible to work in Canada will be considered; only those selected for an interview will be contacted.