Hybrid Director, People and Culture – Parental Leave Contract

at BrandActive

• Job title: Director, People and Culture – Parental Leave Contract
• Job type: Contract
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: CA$130,000 - CA$175,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Toronto, Canada

About the role

• Director of People and Culture managing HR operations and strategic alignment for BrandActive's team. Overseeing people programs and fostering a strong organizational culture while ensuring recruitment and retention.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for developing the annual HR plan in alignment with BrandActive’s strategic priorities and presenting to senior leadership.
• Responsible for developing and managing the HR roadmap with projects that roll into the strategic priorities, including creating timelines, assigning responsibilities, managing and ensuring completion, proactively flagging any concerns to Managing Partner.
• Responsible for staying informed of wider trends, successfully identifying and actioning on opportunities to attract and retain candidates, and improve the BrandActive Experience (BAX) through talent management initiatives or programs.
• Responsible for vendor management and effective administration of all our department-owned systems and technology (i.e. legal teams, HRIS systems, technology like Northpass and Small Improvements), including being accountable for BambooHR administrators, auditing regularly to ensure accuracy and compliance and effectively managing any inconsistencies with urgency.
• Responsible for overseeing the People and Experience department, including day-to-day operations, the execution of the HR Process Plan, AI integration and automation, and recruitment function, while ensuring compliance with legislation and achieving the BAX expected by the people team.
• Accountable for all People team programs, including but not limited to recruitment, onboarding, compensation, benefits, growth and development, performance, engagement, learning, EDI, 3rd party coaching etc., regularly designing and delivering talent management programs that support BrandActive strategic priorities and continuously elevate the team member experience.
• Handle all investigations ensuring complaints are taken seriously, appropriate documentation, a fair and consistent process and risk mitigation to the business.
• Accountable for all HR processes, policies and procedures, internally and externally facing, including but not limited to the Team Member Handbook, HR Process Plan etc.
• Accountable for the People Team budget, overseeing internal events, learning and wellbeing funds.
• Support BrandActive’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, including participation on EDI Advisory Group and managing individual projects as required with the support of an external EDI consultant.
• Accountable for pulse survey program, overseeing administration, responsible for the analysis and creating action plans, following up on action plans to ensure completion, ensuring engagement and continuous improvement of the program.
• Seek opportunities to ensure our policies, documents and processes allow for the team to work smarter, faster, better, and are in compliance with the legislation in the states and provinces we operate within, flagging any trends or risks and making recommendations to senior leadership team.
• Partner with senior leaders (Associate Directors and above) and department leads to assist with the performance management of their teams and elevating the BrandActive Experience (BAX), including but not limited to compensation, team member development, communications, employee relations, workforce planning and recruiting, and other people-related matters.
• Manage employee life-cycle processes for the senior leaders (Associate Director and above) and department leads post onboarding from creation to maintaining and enhancing (i.e. return to work, leave, paternity leave, termination, remote work, OT etc.), ensuring to notify appropriate parties of any changes (i.e. payroll, benefits, People Leaders etc.).
• Successfully build trust and act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders for people-related matters, resulting in proactive HR practices and risk mitigation.
• Responsible for overseeing the Manager, People and OE as a recruiter and people partner, including ensuring they are meeting the expectations set, achieving strategic priorities and meeting project milestones while adhering to BrandActive’s policies and procedures, mitigating risk and ensuring compliance with legislation.
• Partner with other departments (i.e. finance, administration) to ensure seamless BAX, compliance and effective employee life cycle administration, seeking opportunities to improve collaboration and automation.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive relevant experience preferably in a small to medium-sized entrepreneurial business, with experience managing others.
• Excellent and in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation, concepts, policies and practices across the full-range of People and Culture disciplines – demonstrated experience designing and implementing talent management strategies and practices.
• Experience leading high-performing People and Culture teams.
• Experience in the management of compensation and benefits programs.
• Demonstrated leadership of full-cycle recruitment, overseeing workforce planning, talent strategy, and end-to-end hiring processes aligned to organizational goals.
• Championed a balanced and values-led approach to employee relations, resolving complex issues with empathy, confidentiality, and fairness while protecting organizational integrity.
• Demonstrated experience coaching people managers in their interactions with team members.
• Demonstrated experience managing projects.
• Experience with and commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and company culture.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including ability to communicate at the senior leadership level with a demonstrated ability in understanding the key messages for this group.
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to adjust messaging depending on the audience (i.e. senior leadership group vs. junior team members).
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills.
• Results-oriented with high energy, takes accountability for their work.
• Great organizational skills and demonstrated ability to execute plans while managing the day-to-day.
• Highly flexible and adaptive in a fast-paced demanding work environment.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building capability – ability to influence.
• Strong cultural sensitivity and alignment with the firm’s culture.
• Proficient skills with technology and Microsoft office products, including HRIS systems (BambooHR).

Benefits

• Competitive compensation: $130,000-$175,000 CAD
• Comprehensive health and dental coverage with no waiting period – your benefits start on day one.
• Mental health resources such as an Employee Assistant Program (EAP) and access to the Headspace app.
• Generous paid time off: 5 weeks of vacation, additional office closures, Flex Fridays, and extended long weekends throughout the summer.
• Holistic wellbeing benefits, including a wellbeing allowance, flexible additional time off to care for a loved one, support mental health, or observe meaningful religious or cultural holidays.
• Parental leave benefits to support you and your family.
• $2,000 annual professional and personal development support, including funding and time off for learning to support your growth.
• Home office and communications reimbursement to help you work comfortably.
• Charitable donation matching to support the causes that matter to you.
• Flexible work options.
• Two annual town halls in Toronto, featuring engaging sessions and fun team activities.
• Supportive leadership and career development, with ongoing coaching and feedback to help you grow and succeed, quarterly formal feedback, annual performance reviews and separate annual development meetings.
• Work-from-anywhere flexibility, with the option to work abroad for up to four weeks (in eligible countries).