Director, People

Ready to Shape the Future of People & Culture? Join Cymax Group as Director, People & Culture

Be the Strategic Mind AND the Hands-On Executor

Are you an HR leader who believes that performance and accountability drive great cultures? Join Cymax Group Technologies, a dynamic 100+ person organization, where you'll have the unique opportunity to drive strategic people initiatives that build a high-performing, accountable workplace.

Why This Role is Different:

In this role, you'll operate at both altitude and depth—setting strategic direction for our people and performance systems, while personally executing the processes that bring them to life. You'll guide leadership on organizational design and workforce planning, and also ensure that every employee has clarity, feedback, and accountability for results.

Your Impact Will Be Immediate and Visible:

• Strategic Leadership: Partner directly with executives to align people strategies with business goals and drive organizational design decisions that enables speed, clarity and accountability
• Performance & Ownership: own the full performance management cycle from goal setting to calibration reviews. Equip managers to give meaningful feedback and drive continuous improvement. Champion a performance first culture where expectations are clear and excellence is recognized.
• Hands-On Recruitment: Lead end-to-end talent acquisition, from sourcing candidates on LinkedIn to closing offers for key hires
• Culture Champion: Lead engagement initiatives that drive a high-performance culture ensuring that recognition, development and accountability ladder up to measurable business outcomes.
• Business Partner: Translate complex HR challenges into strategic solutions that drive measurable business results

Perfect For Leaders Who:

• Love variety and want to avoid the bureaucracy of large corporations
• Want direct access to senior leadership and real influence on business direction aligning performance to business outcomes
• Believes accountability and clarity are the cornerstones of culture
• Enjoy building relationships with candidates and seeing the immediate impact of great hires
• Thrive in fast-paced, growth-oriented environments where agility matters
• Are energized by building scalable, high-performance HR infrastructure from the ground up

This is your chance to be both the architect and the builder of an exceptional workplace culture. You'll lead strategically, execute tactically, and make a direct impact on every aspect of our people experience.

Ready to roll up your sleeves and think big? Let's talk.

This is a hybrid role, working 2 days a week in our corporate headquarters in the vibrant Gastown area of Vancouver, BC.

Our Values

Our core values are the compass that guides our actions, unites our team, and shapes the future of our company:

• Grit & Agility: Forge Ahead, Pivot Fast
• Accountability: Bring It, Own It, Commit
• Go the Extra Mile: We Go Above & Beyond
• Understand the Map & the Terrain: Master the Details & the Big Picture
• Data Drives Decisions: Absorb Complexity & Transmit Clarity
• Think Beyond Today: Tomorrow's Vision, Today's Action

Compensation & Benefits

We are committed to transparency in our hiring process. The expected salary range for this role is between $110,000 to $130,000 depending on various factors including experience, skills, training and certifications, market demands, and organizational needs. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level and location.

We offer a comprehensive range of benefits which includes:

• Health and wellness support for our team members and their families including an employee assistance program
• 100% paid health and dental benefits in Canada
• Paid time off
• Easy access to online and phone-based counselling services
• And a remote-first flexible work environment.

Join Our AI Journey at Cymax Group

At Cymax Group, we thrive on innovation and entrepreneurship. As an AI-first organization, we are on an exciting journey to continuously grow and evolve our focus on AI, empowering our people at all levels. Our fast-paced environment encourages agility and nimbleness, enabling our team to adapt swiftly to changing market dynamics. We're passionate about continuous learning and growth, offering opportunities for professional development. Our data-driven decision-making ensures we make informed choices that lead to success. If you're excited about making an impact and being part of a dynamic, AI-empowered team, you'll feel right at home here.

Accessibility

We can provide accessibility accommodations during the recruitment process. Should you require any accommodation, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

Detailed Job Description - Director, People & Culture

Role Summary:

The Director, People & Culture is a strategic HR leader who partners directly with Cymax Group's executive team to develop and execute people strategies that drive measurable business results. In this dual-faceted role, you will provide strategic counsel on organizational design, workforce planning, and culture initiatives while personally leading hands-on talent acquisition to build our growing 100+ person team. Reporting to the VP Finance and managing two direct reports, you will balance high-level strategy with tactical execution—from presenting workforce analytics to the C-suite to running end-to-end recruitment and implementing performance and engagement programs. This role is ideal for an HR leader who thrives where strategic vision meets practical implementation, and who believes clarity, speed, accountability, and performance should translate into tangible business outcomes.

Strategic Leadership & HR Strategy

• Partners with senior leaders to align people strategies with business goals, enabling speed, clarity, and accountability across teams.
• Acts as a trusted advisor to Cymax Group's executive team, offering data-driven insights and strategic recommendations on all people matters
• Leads organizational design initiatives to build high-performing teams with the right people in the right roles
• Participates actively in leadership meetings, providing counsel on the people impact of strategic decisions and organizational planning
• Directly manages the P&C team, providing leadership, coaching, and development opportunities

Performance & Ownership

• Owns the full performance management cycle (goal setting, mid-year/quarterly check-ins, year-end reviews, and calibration).
• Embeds a performance-first culture: ensures expectations are clear, outcomes are defined, and excellence is recognized.
• Equips and coaches managers to give meaningful, timely feedback and drive continuous improvement; provide toolkits and training.
• Links recognition, development, and performance decisions (promotions, rewards, PIPs) to clear, measurable results.
• Establishes and maintains performance governance (timelines, calibration standards, documentation quality) and partner with leaders to address underperformance swiftly and fairly.

Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding (Hands-On Execution)

• Directly leads end-to-end recruitment processes for all levels, from sourcing and screening candidates to conducting interviews and making hiring recommendations
• Actively sources candidates through multiple channels including LinkedIn, job boards, networking events, and employee referrals to build robust talent pipelines
• Conducts interviews and assessments for key positions, partnering with hiring managers to evaluate cultural fit and technical capabilities
• Develops and executes employer branding initiatives to position Cymax Group as an employer of choice, managing social media presence, career page content, and industry networking
• Builds strategic partnerships with universities, professional associations, and industry groups to enhance talent pipeline and organizational visibility
• Manages candidate experience from first contact through onboarding, ensuring positive interactions that strengthen Cymax Group's reputation in the market
• Tracks recruitment metrics and optimizes processes to improve time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and candidate quality

Culture & Communication

• Champions alignment with Cymax Group's core values through visible leadership, consistent communication, and active engagement with teams
• Directly supports employee engagement initiatives, performance management processes, and talent development programs
• Fosters cross-functional cultural connection through team-building events, wellness initiatives, and corporate programs that promote a high-performing, inclusive workplace

People Analytics, Metrics & Reporting

• Manages HRIS system administration and ensures comprehensive integration of employee data, compensation, benefits, and performance metrics
• Provides regular reporting and analysis to executive leadership on staffing, recruitment activity, compensation trends, leave management, and other key HR metrics
• Collaborates with Finance on People & Culture budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis
• Identifies and reports on workforce trends, recommending proactive strategies to enhance engagement, retention, and organizational effectiveness

People Operations & Program Development

• Hands-on management of HR infrastructure including career pathing, compensation frameworks, and performance assessment tools
• Directly implements programs across the full talent lifecycle—from hiring and onboarding to succession planning and offboarding
• Executes total rewards and recognition programs, ensuring alignment with performance outcomes and employee needs
• Personally handles complex employee relations issues with speed and sensitivity, conducting investigations and determining appropriate outcomes
• Works with in-house and/or external Counsel on employment law matters
• Ensures employment policies are current, compliant, and effectively communicated across the organization
• Directly coaches leaders on people-related matters including performance management, conflict resolution, organizational design, and employment law

Qualifications

Experience

• 6+ years of progressive HR experience with 3+ years in leadership roles, including hands-on recruitment experience
• Proven track record personally executing talent acquisition and employer branding initiatives
• Experience with workforce planning and organizational design in smaller, growing companies
• Background scaling teams and building HR infrastructure from the ground up

Strategic & Business Skills

• Strong business acumen with understanding of financial metrics and growth company dynamics
• Ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment
• Experience partnering with senior leadership as both advisor and implementer

Leadership & Communication

• Exceptional communication and influencing skills across all organizational levels
• Proven ability to lead and develop small, high-performing teams
• Strong coaching, mentoring, and relationship-building capabilities

Technical Knowledge

• Deep knowledge of employment law and compliance requirements
• Proficiency in HRIS, ATS, and recruitment tools (LinkedIn Recruiter, job boards, etc.)
• Experience with HR budget management and recruitment metrics analysis

Cultural Fit

• Passion for building inclusive, high-performance cultures in growing organizations
• Hands-on leadership style with willingness to "roll up sleeves" and execute tactical work
• Entrepreneurial mindset with experience in small to mid-size company environments

Education

• Bachelor's degree in human resources management and business, and/or equivalent education and experience
• Professional HR certifications (CHRP, CHRL, SHRM)