Reports To: Chief Human Resources Officer
Direct Reports: Regional HR Leaders, HR Managers, HR Business Partners
Location: Mississauga, ON - national travel required 10-20%
About the Organization
Our client is a large, well-established Canadian organization with a national operational footprint spanning every province. With a workforce of thousands of frontline employees and a long-standing presence in communities across the country, the organization combines deep operational scale with a strong, people-first culture. They are known for long-tenured teams, institutional knowledge, and a genuine commitment to their employees.
Having recently completed a significant strategic acquisition and continuing to grow, the organization is in an exciting moment of transformation - modernizing its people practices, investing in technology and infrastructure, and standardizing HR operations to support its expanding national mandate. This is an opportunity to join a respected Canadian employer at an inflection point, where your work will have meaningful, lasting impact.
The Opportunity
This is a newly elevated, senior leadership role created to unify oversight of the field HR function under a single national leader. Reporting to the CHRO and serving as a member of the HR Leadership Team, the Senior Director, Human Resources will be the senior HR partner to national Operations leadership - bridging the gap between field and corporate, and driving consistency, standardization, and modernization across a large, complex, geographically dispersed organization.
This role is ideal for an experienced HR leader who is energized by complexity, thrives in demanding, unionized operational environments, and is ready to make a visible impact at the national level.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic HR Leadership & Business Partnership
- Serve as the senior HR partner to national Operations leadership, translating business priorities into practical, measurable people strategies.
- Provide strategic advice and coaching on organizational effectiveness, talent management, workforce planning, and change management.
- Partner closely with the CHRO, providing proactive updates in a trust-based, autonomy-rewarding environment.
- Represent the field HR perspective as a member of the HR Leadership Team.
National Field HR Team Leadership
- Lead a national field HR team across Western Canada, Ontario/Central, and Quebec/Eastern Canada.
- Build trusted relationships with regional directors and senior managers across the operational network.
- Ensure consistent application of HR policies, programs, and labour relations practices across all regions.
- Support operational leaders in managing employee relations matters: performance management, attendance management, investigations, accommodation, and workplace conflict resolution.
Labour Relations & Unionized Workforce Support
- Own the day-to-day, operational side of labour relations across multiple bargaining units and jurisdictions.
- Apply strong LR knowledge to collective agreement administration, interpretation, grievance management, arbitration preparation, and dispute resolution.
- Support collective bargaining-related activities including preparation, operational planning, implementation, and contingency planning.
- Monitor evolving labour trends, legislation, and legal developments; maintain constructive relationships with union stakeholders.
Continuous Improvement & HR Modernization
- Drive a culture of continuous improvement across field HR and operational people practices.
- Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and modernize HR processes and practices nationally.
- Leverage data and analytics to identify workforce trends and support evidence-based decision-making.
- Champion technology adoption and partner with Centres of Excellence to enhance HR programs and tools.
Change Leadership
- Lead complex organizational change initiatives impacting field operations nationally.
- Ensure regional leaders are equipped to successfully implement new programs, structures, and ways of working.
- Provide stakeholder management and change leadership through transformational projects.
Talent & Leadership Development
- Assess organizational capability and build succession plans for critical operational roles.
- Support talent reviews, leadership development, and workforce planning activities.
- Coach senior operational leaders on performance management, employee engagement, and leadership effectiveness.
Compliance & Risk Management
- Ensure compliance with employment standards, labour legislation, human rights obligations, health and safety requirements, and collective agreements across multiple provinces.
- Provide oversight and guidance on high-risk employee and labour relations matters.
- Minimize organizational risk through proactive management of ER and LR issues.
Qualifications & Experience:
Experience
- 12+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, including significant experience supporting large, unionized workforces.
- Demonstrated experience leading multi-regional HR teams across Canada.
- Strong labour relations knowledge: collective agreement administration, grievance management, arbitration, and dispute resolution.
- Experience supporting collective bargaining processes - preparation, operational planning, implementation, and leader readiness.
- Background in operational, frontline environments such as manufacturing, distribution, transportation, or other large, complex, unionized sectors.
- Proven success leading organizational transformation, change management, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Strong working knowledge of federal and provincial employment and labour legislation.
Education
- Post-secondary education in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business Administration, or a related field.
- CHRL, CHRE, CPHR, or equivalent professional designation is an asset.
- Additional studies in labour relations, employment law, organizational development, or change management are an asset.
- Bilingualism (French/English) is a strong asset given the national scope of the role.
What Makes You Right for This Role
- You are hands-on and field-present - you believe the best HR leaders are close to the business, not removed from it.
- You are energized by complexity, not overwhelmed by it. You thrive when things are moving fast and the stakes are high.
- You lead with low ego and high accountability - you get things done without needing the spotlight.
- You are a relationship builder who earns trust quickly across union counterparts, field leaders, and executive teams.
- You bring strong executive presence and can partner credibly at the most senior levels of the organization.
- You are data-driven, tech-forward, and always looking for smarter ways to work.
