Vice President, People & Culture

Recruiting in Motion; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Recruiting in Motion represents a mission-driven nonprofit in Ontario seeking a Vice President, People & Culture to provide strategic leadership across HR, labour relations, employee engagement, total compensation, health and safety, and organizational effectiveness.

This senior leader will balance strategic planning with hands-on oversight, guiding culture, leadership development, change management, and a positive employee experience in a hybrid work model that blends remote work with

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience with senior leadership roles.
• Experience in both unionized and non-unionized environments.
• HR leadership designation (e.g., CHRL) is preferred.
• Strong strategic planning, budgeting, and change management skills.
• Experience in not-for-profit sector is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Lead people strategy, departmental planning, budgeting, and continuous improvement initiatives aligned with organizational objectives.
• People & Culture: Strengthen employee engagement, promote inclusion and collaboration, develop leadership capabilities, and support succession planning and talent development.
• Labour Relations: Lead union relations and participate in collective bargaining, negotiations, and the implementation of collective agreements.
• Human Resources & Compliance: Oversee HR policies, employee relations, organizational change, and compliance with employment standards, human rights legislation, occupational health and safety requirements, and collective agreements.
• Executive Partnership: Advise the Executive Director and senior leadership on workforce planning, emerging HR trends, organizational priorities, and risk management.
• Health, Safety & Accessibility: Oversee workplace health and safety programs, incident reporting, training, accessibility compliance, emergency preparedness, and related initiatives.
• Benefits & Total Compensation: Oversee employee benefits and pension plans, annual renewals, utilization reviews, and communication of plan changes in collaboration with Finance and HR.
• Operational Effectiveness: Manage departmental resources, support cross‑functional initiatives, and ensure HR practices and processes remain effective, compliant, and responsive to organizational needs.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Labour relations

Employee engagement

Total compensation

Policy development

Communication skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Education

Post-secondary education in Human Resources

CHRL designation or equivalent

Tools

Dayforce

Job description

About Our Client

Our client is a mission-driven non-profit organization committed to making a meaningful impact in the community. With a strong focus on people, collaboration, and continuous improvement, the organization is dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace where employees feel supported, valued, and empowered to succeed.

The Role

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Vice President, People & Culture will provide strategic leadership across human resources, labour relations, employee engagement, total compensation, health and safety, and organizational effectiveness.

This senior leadership position balances strategic planning with hands‑on operational oversight, ensuring people practices align with organizational priorities, legislative requirements, and employee needs. The successful candidate will work closely with executive leadership and cross-functional teams to strengthen workplace culture, develop leaders, manage organizational change, and support a positive employee experience.

The role operates within a hybrid work model, combining primarily remote work with purposeful in-person collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Lead people strategy, departmental planning, budgeting, and continuous improvement initiatives aligned with organizational objectives.
• People & Culture: Strengthen employee engagement, promote inclusion and collaboration, develop leadership capabilities, and support succession planning and talent development.
• Labour Relations: Lead union relations and participate in collective bargaining, negotiations, and the implementation of collective agreements.
• Human Resources & Compliance: Oversee HR policies, employee relations, organizational change, and compliance with employment standards, human rights legislation, occupational health and safety requirements, and collective agreements.
• Executive Partnership: Advise the Executive Director and senior leadership on workforce planning, emerging HR trends, organizational priorities, and risk management.
• Health, Safety & Accessibility: Oversee workplace health and safety programs, incident reporting, training, accessibility compliance, emergency preparedness, and related initiatives.
• Benefits & Total Compensation: Oversee employee benefits and pension plans, annual renewals, utilization reviews, and communication of plan changes in collaboration with Finance and HR.
• Operational Effectiveness: Manage departmental resources, support cross‑functional initiatives, and ensure HR practices and processes remain effective, compliant, and responsive to organizational needs.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive HR experience, including significant senior leadership responsibility in both unionized and non-unionized environments.
• Post-secondary education in Human Resources, along with a recognized HR leadership designation (e.g., CHRL or equivalent).
• Demonstrated experience in collective bargaining, labour relations, and collective agreement interpretation and implementation.
• Broad HR generalist expertise encompassing employee relations, benefits and pension administration, total compensation, policy development, legislative compliance, and risk management.
• Experience in strategic planning, budgeting, organizational restructuring, change management, and leadership development.
• Proven ability to advise executive leadership and present recommendations to senior leaders and boards.
• Strong knowledge of employment standards, human rights, occupational health and safety, and accessibility legislation.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, organizational, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in the not-for-profit sector is an asset.
• Familiarity with HR information systems, such as Dayforce, is preferred.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for a strategic, approachable, and people-centred leader who combines big-picture thinking with strong operational judgment. You build trust, foster meaningful relationships, and navigate complex employee and organizational matters with diplomacy and discretion.

You are passionate about developing others, strengthening workplace culture, and creating an environment where employees feel supported and can thrive. You bring a collaborative leadership style, a commitment to continuous improvement, and the ability to balance employee advocacy with organizational effectiveness.

**AI may be used to support certain administrative aspects of our recruitment process. However, all applications and resumes are reviewed by qualified human reviewers, and all screening and hiring decisions are made solely by the hiring team.

The posted salary range reflects expected compensation for this role in accordance with Ontario pay transparency requirements. Actual compensation will be determined based on the successful candidate’s experience, skills, and qualifications and may fall anywhere within the range.