Regional People Leader-Ontario & Northwest

GHD is seeking an experienced Regional People Leader (RPL) for our Ontario and Northwest regions who will be responsible for aligning HR strategies to the business objectives, as well as providing leadership and support to the People Team and Business Leaders.

 As a SME (subject matter expert), you will act as a consultant, strategic business partner and primary point of contact to the Regional Managing Principal's for Ontario and the Northwest regions. You will act as an employee champion and change agent to empower a high performance culture and partner with the HR Centers of Excellence (COE) as needed. In addition, you will develop integrated people solutions to business problems by leveraging people and resources across the people team department in addition to manage one or more HR Business Partners in Ontario and the Northwest regions.

Key Responsibilities: 

Strategic Partnership

• Promote a high level understanding of the business strategy and organizational plans and assist the business in achieving their goals by identifying People resources and organizational issues and by leading the analysis & diagnosis of client needs;

• Encourage and build close and constructive relationships with leadership and employee groups

• Empower the team to act as change agents, challenge the status quo and offer creative ‘out of the box’ solutions to the business

• Develop best practice solutions to address people challenges before they impact the business

• Ensure leadership and coaching culture is cascaded within the region

• Develop initiatives to build a high-performing organization aligned with the strategic leadership initiatives

Learning & Development

• Provide clear leadership by demonstrating understanding of business trends and needs

• Strategize and partner with the COE’s to develop and implement employee development programs including: Actions from Succession Planning, identifying future leadership capabilities; leadership development plans; Mentoring program; Career Tracks program for career development for employees at all levels

• Partner with the Business School and Regional Managing Principal to determine training and development objectives and needs for the region

Leadership

• Effectively lead and manage staff by clearly communicating employee expectations, holding employees accountable and rewarding/recognizing goal achievement as appropriate

• Provide coaching and development for employees related to their career development and opportunities

• Provide thought leadership to both the region and people team in all aspects of human resources

Performance, Talent Management & Talent Acquisition

• Manage and participate in the development of the people processes (performance, development, and career) to ensure that employees’ level of performance and capabilities meet current and future standards

• Provide support, guidance/consultation and approvals within the talent acquisition process regarding new requisition's and offer details, etc.

• Identify the talent pool strengths and needs, and manage programs to leverage strengths and develop needs in partnership with the Talent Management COE.  This also includes development of programs focused on diversity and inclusion.

• Develop and implement employee engagement programs to continually improve employee engagement and retention

• Coach and support managers in the development of performance improvement plans/progressive discipline procedures in particular highly sensitive and at risk situations

• Review & guide recommendations for employment terminations

• Manage the annual Performance Review in partnership with the Total Rewards COE.

• Manage People Survey for the Region including communicating results, developing action plans and follow-up

• Manage specific projects as determined in the annual HR operational plan as well as participating in functional and cross-functional initiatives

Compensation & Benefits

• Provide guidance to PBP and management in partnership with the Total Rewards COE on compensation and benefits

• Partner with the Total Rewards COE in developing HR policies and reward strategies to ensure that all reward decisions are fair and objective

Employee Relations/Policies

• In partnership with other Regional People Leaders, establish a positive employer-employee relationship and promote a high level of employee morale and motivation by recommending HR policies and objectives to the business.  

• Maintain thorough knowledge of legislative compliance and pro-actively recommend policy changes in line with legislative updates.  

• Partner with management to communicate Human Resources policies, procedures, programs and legislation.

• Provide guidance to People Business Partners and management regarding interpretation and application of GHD policies and procedures

• Coach and train management in their communication, feedback, recognition, and interaction responsibilities with the employees who report to them

• Manage risk related to employment and employee relations issues.  Partner with legal counsel as required to develop solutions and mitigate risk

• Conduct investigations when employee complaints or concerns are brought forth.

Miscellaneous

• Work with North American People Team members to contribute and participate in People initiatives and special projects as needed

• Provide various human capital reports and updates to the National People Leader as well as insights on interpretation of the data to make better decisions

• Review and benchmark the internal and external environment to improve the HR policies and initiatives to enhance overall business performance with the vision of GHD as an employer of choice.

• Identify and drive the communication and sharing of learning across functions to facilitate continuous improvement

• Perform administrative responsibilities related to transactional HR functions such as: New Hire Forms, COS, change letters, etc.

Minimum Requirements/Skills Required: 

• Degree in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business Administration or related field of study.

• Minimum 10 years of experience as human resources professional.

• Minimum 5 years of experience in managing a Human Resources department.

• Understanding of and/or experience in professional services firms

• Highly knowledgeable in principles and practices of human resources

• Highly knowledgeable in employment law and other regionally specific compliance regulations

• Relevant Regional HR Certification an asset

• Strategic thinking and insight to evolve the maturity of the HR function and drive organizational change

• Well-developed communication skills - both oral and written.

• Strong inter-personal and relationship skills; builds rapport with others.  Coaches and influences without formal authority.

• Must be effective at influencing management and conflict resolution

• Sound judgment, business acumen and the ability to make a contribution to the business as a whole;

• Strong project management and influencing skills

• Relationship building with internal and external network with the HR community to perform best practice sharing and benchmarking

• Ability and confidence to effectively manage ambiguity;

• Ability to effectively address sensitive HR issues with integrity and confidence

• Willing to travel to regional offices as required

To learn more about why GHD is the perfect place to bring your career, apply today and check out our website at www.ghd.com

Our commitment to you 

Fostering gender balance, diversity and acceptance of flexible working is central to the way GHD does business. We offer a professional, friendly and inclusive culture based on our core values of Safety, Teamwork, Respect and Integrity. 

GHD provides attractive career options including professional development with our GHD Business School and family-friendly flexible work arrangements. 

Why GHD? 

Be a part of a high functioning team, where everything we do is inspired by a level of passion and professional pride that comes from being employee owned. This ownership is what sets us apart and means our people enjoy an unrivalled amount of autonomy in their roles. It helps drive our passion and accountability in how we serve our clients, deliver projects, and pursue new opportunities. 

So, do you have what it takes: passion, collaboration, imagination and values that match our own?

About GHD

As one of the world’s leading professional services companies, GHD delivers iconic projects that shape our landscapes, support our communities and set the path of our collective future. To do this, we actively seek and nurture the very best people in their respective fields to join our team of over 10,000 professionals operating in the markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. 

In return, we offer remarkable career shaping opportunities to extend your skills and gain global experience. 

Interested?

Please submit your cover letter and resume to the apply link above.

As a multicultural organization, we encourage individual achievement and r