Senior Director, People Strategy

At Saputo, we bring good to the table by making high-quality products, investing in our people, and supporting communities around the world . As a top 10 global dairy processor, we value contributions that matter and strive to foster an inclusive, growth-driven work environment. The Senior Director, People Strategy & Business Initiatives is a strategic leadership role reporting directly to the Chief Human Resources Officer. The Senior Director will serve as a trusted advisor to the CHRO, HR Leadership Team, and other key stakeholders to advance priority business and people initiatives. The role leads a direct report and may provide indirect leadership to cross-functional project teams and external partners. The role focuses on shaping fit-for-purpose operating models, strengthening organization design, simplifying how work gets done, enabling AI and technology-driven solutions, and translating people insights into clear recommendations for senior leaders. Lead organization design and operating model work, including spans and layers analysis, role clarity, decision rights, governance, and ways of working. Partner with the CHRO, HR Leadership Team, HRBPs, and business leaders to determine structures, capabilities, and accountabilities required to support business objectives. Use internal insights, external benchmarks, and business context to challenge current models and recommend simpler, more agile, and more effective ways of operating. Identify where process simplification, technology, automation, AI-enabled solutions, and stronger data can improve HR quality, speed, consistency, and employee experience. Lead or support key HR and business initiatives that simplify governance, service delivery, decision-making forums, and ways of working. Assess emerging trends in AI, skills, workforce planning, employee experience, analytics, and HR service delivery, and translate them into practical opportunities for Saputo. Promote continuous improvement across HR by reducing complexity, eliminating duplication, clarifying accountabilities, and increasing work effectiveness. Talent Strategy and Succession Management Support the enterprise talent agenda by connecting talent insights, succession risks, workforce planning, internal mobility, and organization design implications to Saputo’s business strategy. Partner with the HRBPs, division talent leaders, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, and Total Rewards to ensure talent discussions are informed by business priorities, workforce needs, and clear data. Support preparation of CHRO, Executive Leadership Team, and Board-level materials related to talent pipeline, succession risks, critical roles, workforce capability, and organizational health. Define and monitor the HR KPIs and people metrics that matter most to business performance, including organization health, workforce productivity, talent pipeline, internal mobility, retention, engagement, and HR process performance. Connect data from talent, workforce planning, organization design, employee listening, HR systems, and business indicators to build stronger people insights. Translate data, benchmarks, and trends into clear implications, options, and recommendations for senior stakeholders. Partner with HR Systems to improve data quality, reporting discipline, dashboard usefulness, and analytics maturity. Act as a thought partner to the CHRO on key people priorities, business initiatives, organization risks, and decision points. Prepare executive-ready insights, options, recommendations, and discussion materials for CHRO, HR Leadership Team, Executive Leadership Team, and Board-related discussions. Facilitate senior-level discussions on operating model choices, talent risks, workforce scenarios, organization design, and HR modernization priorities. Build alignment across stakeholders and maintain momentum on priority initiatives that support the people agenda and business strategy. Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Industrial Relations, Organizational Psychology, Organizational Development, Data Analytics, or a related field; Master’s degree considered an asset. 12+ years of progressive experience in HR strategy, organization design, talent management, strategic workforce planning, people analytics, HR modernization, management consulting, or a related field. Demonstrated experience leading operating model reviews, organization design, spans and layers analysis, business initiatives, or enterprise change work in a complex organization. Strong business acumen and ability to connect business strategy, organization design, talent implications, HR processes, technology, and people data into practical recommendations. Data fluent, with the ability to interpret people metrics, identify trends, challenge assumptions, and translate insights into executive-level advice and action. Experience identifying, implementing, or enabling technology, automation, digital, or AI-enabled H