Reporting to the Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, the Manager, People & Culture is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day delivery of human resources programs and initiatives that support a positive, inclusive, and effective workplace. Working closely with leaders, managers and employees across Werklund Centre, this role provides guidance across the full employee lifecycle - from recruitment and onboarding through employee development, workplace relations, and offboarding - while ensuring HR practices align with organizational priorities, legislation, and Werklund Centre’s values.
The Manager, People & Culture serves as a trusted HR resource, providing insights on policies, employee relations, performance management, training, workplace concerns, and people practices. This role also leads the development and management of Werklund Centre’s volunteer program, ensuring volunteers are recruited, supported, and equipped to contribute meaningfully to the organization and its events.
As the Manager, you are an experienced, people-centred HR leader with a strong foundation in HR best practices and employment legislation. You can build trusted relationships, navigate complex workplace matters with sound judgment and discretion, and effectively balance competing priorities across a broad HR portfolio. Combining empathy with a practical, solutions-oriented mindset, you enhance existing practices while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement. You are passionate about creating an exceptional employee experience and strengthening organizational culture as the People & Culture function continues to evolve.
WHO WE ARE
Werklund Centre (formerly Arts Commons) is the steward of Western Canada’s largest arts centre and the artistic and civic cornerstone of Calgary’s downtown core that fosters the arts through live performance, educational opportunities, and artist development. For 40 years, it has been a key contributor to the social, economic, cultural, and intellectual life and well-being of Calgarians - a commitment that is being renewed through the Werklund Centre Transformation project, the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history.
Our Belief
Equitable access to the arts is a basic human right
Our Responsibility
To redefine a bold and adventurous Calgary by championing and investing in creativity
Our Mission
We pursue artistic leadership through shared cultural experiences - creating opportunities that bring people together to celebrate who Calgary is today and spark the conversations that will shape our city’s future
WHAT WE OFFER
Employee Promise
We cultivate a diverse community that encourages collaboration, connection, and empowerment. On top of the excitement of working with a team of cultural enthusiasts passionate about welcoming people into our spaces at one of Canada’s top performing arts facilities, Werklund Centre also offers:
- A collaborative, engaging and values driven work environment
- An annual salary in the range of $68,000 - $74,000
- A comprehensive health and dental benefits package, with RSP matching and access to an Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP)
- A Health Spending Account providing annual employer-funded coverage for eligible health and wellness expenses
- A positive working culture, keeping employee health and wellness a priority with generous paid time off policies and an annual lifestyle allowance
WHAT WE VALUE
We are looking for individuals who share our vision of creating a bold and adventurous Calgary that brings people together through the arts. Our team is made up of people with a diverse range of interests - singers, actors, musicians, playwrights, coaches, teachers, gamers, bakers, photographers, athletes, dancers. People whose interests encompass the widest spectrum. We even have furry, four-legged friends in the office. We value people who strive to do the right thing, and work to be their best. People with open minds, hearts, and arms.
WHAT YOU WILL GET TO DO HERE
As the Manager, People & Culture, you oversee supporting HR functions across the organization. You will ensure employees and leaders have the tools, resources, and support they need to succeed while maintaining and continuously improving HR practices. As the primary point of contact for all people matters, you will develop and implement policies, procedures, training, and strategic people initiatives that are current, compliant, and aligned with organizational needs.
A key focus of the role is fostering employee engagement and a positive workplace culture. You will provide coaching and guidance on workplace concerns, support employee relations and potential conflict resolution. Across the employee lifecycle, you will lead recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, performance management, and offboarding, partnering with hiring managers to deliver an exceptional candidate and employee experience. You will also identify learning needs, coordinate training and workshops, maintain required certifications, and develop tools and resources that support effective, values-driven people management across salaried and hourly teams. Additionally, you will also lead the development and management of Werklund Centre's volunteer program, overseeing a strong function that supports operational needs while providing meaningful volunteer experiences.
This role also provides operational oversight of HR systems and processes, including the HRIS, time and attendance systems, employee records, training and certification tracking, and time-off reporting. In partnership with the VP & COO, you will contribute to HR budgeting, workforce planning, and strategic people initiatives while staying current with employment legislation and emerging HR practices.
Strategic Goals: Support a strong, inclusive, and values-driven workplace by delivering effective people practices, developing engaged employees and volunteers, strengthening organizational culture, and ensuring HR programs evolve with the needs of Werklund Centre.
WHERE YOU FIT WITHIN OUR ECOSYSTEM
As part of the Human Resources function within Corporate Services, the Manager works closely with leaders, managers, supervisors, employees, and external partners across all Werklund Centre to connect people practices with organizational operations, support positive employee experiences, and ensure HR processes, policies, and programs are effectively implemented. Additionally, this position is proactive in creating and maintaining connections with external community groups to advance and promote Werklund Centre as an employer of choice and establish talent pools for future hiring and volunteer needs.
YOU WILL BE A GREAT FIT IF YOU . . .
Must haves:
- 5–7 years of progressive experience in a human resources role.
- Post-secondary degree or diploma, preferably with a focus on Human Resources Management.
- CPHR designation or actively working toward the designation.
- Strong knowledge of HR practices, employment legislation, and workplace policies.
- Experience supporting employee relations, workplace investigations, conflict resolution, and performance management.
- Experience managing recruitment and the employee lifecycle from onboarding through offboarding.
- Strong interpersonal, communication, coaching, and relationship-building skills.
- Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Strong judgement, discretion, and the ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Demonstrated ability to research, analyze information, and provide practical HR recommendations.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
- Strong attention to detail, ethics, integrity, and accountability.
Nice to have:
- Experience working in a performing arts, cultural, non-profit, or similarly dynamic organizations.
- Experience supporting both salaried and hourly workforces.
- Experience working with HRIS or time and attendance systems; experience with RISE is an asset.
- Experience developing employee training programs, resources, and workshops.
- Experience managing or developing volunteer programs.
- Experience working with collective agreements or unionized environments.
- A passion for creating positive employee and volunteer experiences.
If you are interested in applying to this exciting opportunity, please forward your resume and cover letter in confidence to:
employment@werklundcentre.ca
Interviews will be conducted on an on-going basis and the job posting will officially close when a suitable candidate is found. While we hope to fill this position as earliest as possible, our commitment to finding the right candidate may require more time. We thank all interested applicants in advance but will only be contacting those selected for an interview. If you have any specific questions to ask in relation to the role, please send them to the email address above and a member of our team will do our best to respond to you in a timely manner.
Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility
As part of our organization’s commitment to IDEA, we work to remove barriers in collaboration with a broad range of voices. Removing these barriers begins with the hiring process. To that end, we are committed to recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, and providing accessible employment practices. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process, and applicants are asked to make their accommodation needs known.
We strongly encourage applicants who identify as part of underrepresented groups, including women, people of colour and those with disabilities to apply. Even if your past experiences do not align perfectly with every qualification, we strongly encourage you to apply anyway! An excitement and passion for Werklund Centre can go a long way here, whether it’s in this role or another.
