People Operations Manager-Canada

Established in 2021, Independence Pet Holdings is a corporate holding company that manages a diverse and broad portfolio of modern pet health brands and services, including insurance, pet education, lost recovery services, and more throughout North America.

We believe pet insurance is more than a financial product and build solutions to simplify the pet parenting journey and help improve the well-being of pets. As a leading authority in the pet category, we operate with a full stack of resources, capital, and services to support pet parents. Our multi-brand and omni-channel approach include our own insurance carrier, insurance brands and partner brands. 

IPH is seeking a People Operations Manager, an agile HR professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment to support our Canadian People Operations in a matrix environment. This role is ideal for a seasoned generalist who brings deep expertise across core HR functions and excels at building strong relationships—including with external vendors to ensure seamless service delivery and operational effectiveness. This individual will spend their time across leave administration, benefits support, compliance, and employee relations, and may lead or contribute to HR projects such as policy updates, process improvements, and employee engagement initiatives. 

Job Location: Hybrid – Oakville, Ontario

Main Responsibilities: 

Leave Administration

• Manage the full cycle of leave administration including disability, parental, and other statutory leaves.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employees and managers throughout the leave process.
• Ensure compliance with provincial and federal leave regulations.
• Partner as appropriate with stakeholders to ensure accurate leave tracking and pay continuity.
• Work with legal team to close any open cases of leaves and ensure all day to day compliance with leave vendor is completed timely.
• Cultivate strong relationships with HR vendors, collaborating to enhance service offerings and resolve issues efficiently.
• Manage leave portal to ensure compliance.

Benefit Support

• Collaborate with the Total Rewards team to support benefit open enrollment, new hire benefit changes, and benefit invoice administration for Canada.
• Assist in annual benefit enrollment, vendor coordination, and communications. Participate in the annual Benefits Renewal Process and lead communications within Canada for Benefit Changes
• Help resolve benefit-related issues and escalate complex cases as needed.
• Manage the Canada People Inquiries for all employee questions on Rewards, HR Operations and transactions requiring HR support.
• Manage any retirement related questions related to the regulatory benefits in Canada.

Compensation

• Provide assistance with Wage and Hour requirements for each Canadian province, assist in audits and communication where pay changes are required.
• Provide assistance during the merit cycle for Canada employees and managers to ensure country has appropriate support to ensure Canada payroll requirements are met in a timely fashion.
• Provide assistance to ensure the Overtime Hours in Workday are set up partnering with configuration based on Canadian local requirements.

Compliance

• Act as the Canadian compliance SME staying current on employment legislation and regulatory changes.
• Ensure HR policies and practices align with Canadian laws and company standards.
• Manage the Employee Handbook for Canada and the annual Holiday Calendar for Canada.
• Support audits and reporting requirements related to HR compliance.
• Ensure any posters and required regulatory materials are posted for Canada for each province.
• Manage all local Canadian contracts and review offer letter templates to ensure they are in compliance as regulatory changes occur.

Employee Relations

• Provide guidance and support to managers and employees on workplace issues.
• Conduct investigations and facilitate conflict resolution. 
• Promote a positive employee experience and uphold company values.
• Provide guidance and support to managers and employees on workplace issues.
• Manage termination for severance and voluntary and involuntary termination to ensure compliance with statutory requirements for benefits and other HR elements.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's Degree or Masters Degree in HR or related field preferred.
• 5+ years progressive HR experience in Canada, with a strong generalist background. 
• In-depth knowledge of Canadian employment laws and HR compliance.
• Experience managing leaves and benefits in partnership with internal teams.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently.

All of our jobs come with great benefits including healthcare, parental leave and opportunities for career advancements. Some offerings are dependent upon the location of where you work and can include the following:

• Comprehensive full medical, dental and vision Insurance
• Basic Life Insurance at no cost to the employee
• Company paid short-term and long-term disability
• 12 weeks of 100% paid Parental Leave
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Retirement savings plan
• Personal Paid Time Off
• Paid holidays and company-wide Wellness Day off
• Paid time off to volunteer at nonprofit organizations
• Pet friendly office environment
• Commuter Benefits
• Group Pet Insurance
• On the job training and skills development
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)