Location: Greater Toronto Area (Hybrid) – 3 days on site
Language: Excellent written and verbal English communication skills required
Duration: 12-Month Contract
Commitment: Full-Time
About the Opportunity
We're seeking an accomplished Senior Consultant, People Strategy & Operations to provide VP-level leadership and strategic oversight for a dynamic, national organization. This is a high-impact, 12-month consulting opportunity for an experienced HR executive who brings a strong combination of operational leadership, financial acumen, compensation expertise, and strategic transformation experience.
Reporting to the Vice President, People, you'll assume responsibility for the day-to-day leadership and oversight of the People and Learning Enablement functions, providing direction and accountability through three managers who collectively oversee a team of approximately 23 employees.
This role requires a commercially minded HR leader who can operate independently, confidently oversee complex compensation programs, and translate financial and workforce data into actionable business recommendations. You'll play a critical role in overseeing management incentive compensation (MIC), strengthening compensation governance, advancing pay equity initiatives, and driving talent development and organizational effectiveness.
The ideal candidate is equally comfortable managing the operational demands of an established HR function and leading strategic initiatives that require executive-level judgment, strong prioritization, and cross-functional collaboration.
What's In It for You
Join a collaborative executive leadership team where your expertise will directly influence organizational strategy, compensation governance, and employee experience. You'll have the opportunity to lead an established People and Learning Enablement function, partner with senior executives, and drive meaningful enterprise-wide initiatives.
This role offers a unique combination of senior-level operational accountability and strategic project leadership, making it ideal for an experienced HR professional who enjoys solving complex business challenges, developing high-performing teams, and delivering measurable results.
Your Responsibilities
Senior HR Leadership & Operational Oversight
- Provide independent, day-to-day leadership and strategic oversight of the People and Learning Enablement functions, ensuring operational excellence, effective service delivery, and alignment with organizational priorities.
- Lead and coach three direct-report managers responsible for a broader team of approximately 23 employees, establishing clear expectations, accountability, and performance standards.
- Assess team capabilities, organizational structure, workload distribution, and management effectiveness, identifying specific development opportunities and implementing practical solutions.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the Vice President, People and other senior executives, providing sound judgment and recommendations on complex people matters.
- Balance competing operational priorities and enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, ensuring critical deliverables remain on track without compromising day-to-day HR service delivery.
- Strengthen management effectiveness through coaching, performance feedback, capability development, and proactive problem-solving.
Compensation Strategy, Financial Analytics & Governance
- Provide senior-level oversight of the organization's compensation programs, ensuring alignment with business objectives, internal equity, market competitiveness, and financial sustainability.
- Oversee and provide strategic direction to the Senior Compensation Manager, critically reviewing compensation analyses, recommendations, financial models, and proposed program changes.
- Lead the governance and oversight of Management Incentive Compensation (MIC) programs, including incentive planning, performance measures, payout calculations, financial implications, and approval processes.
- Bring demonstrated experience managing MIC processes, with the ability to independently evaluate incentive compensation methodologies, challenge assumptions, identify risks, and ensure program integrity.
- Partner closely with Finance to develop, review, and manage compensation budgets, forecasts, incentive accruals, and financial scenarios.
- Analyze compensation costs, trends, and workforce data to identify financial risks, cost implications, and opportunities for improved decision-making.
- Translate complex compensation and financial information into clear business insights, executive recommendations, and actionable strategies.
- Provide oversight of compensation structure reviews, salary planning, pay equity compliance, and the implementation of revised compensation programs.
- Ensure appropriate governance, internal controls, documentation, and accountability across compensation processes.
Strategic HR Transformation & Enterprise Initiatives
- Lead organization-wide initiatives related to job architecture, job evaluation, job descriptions, and pay equity, partnering with internal stakeholders and external consultants to ensure consistency, compliance, and internal equity.
- Drive improvements to compensation processes, governance frameworks, and supporting systems, ensuring changes are practical, sustainable, and effectively implemented.
- Oversee the redesign and enhancement of talent management processes, including succession planning, talent reviews, leadership development, and employee development programs.
- Partner with business leaders to identify critical roles, strengthen succession pipelines, and align talent strategies with future workforce requirements.
- Assess payroll governance, process controls, and documentation, identifying opportunities to improve compliance, operational efficiency, and risk management.
- Establish clear priorities, timelines, ownership, and success measures for concurrent HR initiatives, proactively managing dependencies and competing business demands.
- Lead change management activities to support the successful implementation and adoption of new HR programs, processes, and organizational practices.
People Leadership, Talent Development & Accountability
- Evaluate the strengths, development needs, and effectiveness of the management team, providing actionable coaching and targeted development recommendations.
- Establish a culture of accountability, ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement across the People and Learning Enablement functions.
- Support managers in addressing performance challenges, developing team capabilities, and building sustainable operating practices.
- Identify organizational and functional gaps, recommend practical solutions, and take ownership of implementing improvements rather than simply identifying issues.
- Ensure talent development, employee learning, and leadership capability-building initiatives remain aligned with business needs and organizational priorities.
Executive Reporting & Cross-Functional Partnership
- Develop and present executive-level dashboards, financial analyses, HR Committee materials, and strategic recommendations that support informed decision-making.
- Partner with Finance, Legal, Payroll, and senior business leaders to ensure compensation and people initiatives are financially sound, compliant, and operationally effective.
- Provide clear, data-driven recommendations on compensation investments, workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, and talent priorities.
- Communicate complex HR and financial matters with confidence and credibility, influencing decisions at the executive level.
Skills and Qualifications
- 12–15+ years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience, including significant experience in a senior HR leadership role such as Vice President, Senior Director, or equivalent.
- Proven experience independently leading HR operations and managing managers within a complex, multi-functional HR environment.
- Demonstrated ability to oversee established HR teams while simultaneously delivering strategic transformation initiatives.
- Strong compensation and financial acumen, including hands-on experience with compensation budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, cost analysis, and the interpretation of financial data to inform business decisions.
- Direct experience managing Management Incentive Compensation (MIC) programs, including incentive plan administration, financial oversight, performance measures, payout governance, and related approval processes.
- Demonstrated ability to provide senior-level oversight of compensation professionals, critically evaluate compensation recommendations, challenge financial assumptions, and ensure sound governance.
- Strong understanding of compensation strategy, pay equity, salary structures, incentive programs, and related regulatory and compliance requirements.
- Proven ability to manage competing operational and strategic priorities, exercise sound judgment, and maintain momentum across multiple complex initiatives.
- Demonstrated success in assessing team capabilities, coaching managers, addressing performance gaps, and implementing practical development solutions.
- Experience leading enterprise-wide initiatives related to talent management, succession planning, job architecture, organizational effectiveness, or HR transformation.
- Strong business partnership skills, with the ability to influence senior executives and collaborate effectively with Finance and other corporate functions.
- Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex workforce and financial information into clear, actionable executive recommendations.
- Exceptional leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and change management capabilities.
- University degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Commerce, Finance, Organizational Development, or a related discipline.
- Professional designation such as CHRL, CHRE, CCP, CPA, or a related credential is considered an asset.
- Availability to commit full-time to a 12-month consulting assignment, with the ability to quickly integrate into the organization and deliver immediate value.
The Ideal Candidate
You're an established, VP-level HR leader who combines strategic thinking with strong operational execution. You have the confidence and experience to independently oversee a sizeable HR function, lead through managers, and hold your team accountable for results.
You bring more than traditional HR generalist or compensation benchmarking experience. You understand the financial drivers behind compensation decisions, have directly managed management incentive compensation processes, and are comfortable challenging the work of senior compensation professionals.
You're equally effective navigating complex financial discussions, coaching management teams, and advancing strategic initiatives. You know how to prioritize, make decisions, identify practical solutions, and keep the organization moving forward.
Above all, you're a credible, commercially minded HR executive who can step into a complex environment, establish trust quickly, and deliver measurable results throughout a 12-month assignment.
