Senior Director, Human Resources

2 days ago

Canada Waterstone Human Capital Full-time

Reports To: Chief Human Resources Officer

Direct Reports: Regional HR Leaders, HR Managers, HR Business Partners

Location: Mississauga, ON — national travel required 10-20%

Workplace type: Hybrid - 3 days a week on site from any hub near your home.

About the Organization

Our client is a large, well-established Canadian organization with a national operational footprint spanning every province. With a workforce of thousands of frontline employees and a long-standing presence in communities across the country, the organization combines deep operational scale with a strong, people-first culture. They are known for long-tenured teams, institutional knowledge, and a genuine commitment to their employees.

Having recently completed a significant strategic acquisition and continuing to grow, the organization is in an exciting moment of transformation — modernizing its people practices, investing in technology and infrastructure, and standardizing HR operations to support its expanding national mandate. This is an opportunity to join a respected Canadian employer at an inflection point, where your work will have meaningful, lasting impact.

The Opportunity

This is a newly elevated, senior leadership role created to unify oversight of the field HR function under a single national leader. Reporting to the CHRO and serving as a member of the HR Leadership Team, the Senior Director, Human Resources will be the senior HR partner to national Operations leadership — bridging the gap between field and corporate, and driving consistency, standardization, and modernization across a large, complex, geographically dispersed organization.

This role is ideal for an experienced HR leader who is energized by complexity, thrives in demanding, unionized operational environments, and is ready to make a visible impact at the national level.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic HR Leadership & Business Partnership

  • Serve as the senior HR partner to national Operations leadership, translating business priorities into practical, measurable people strategies.
  • Provide strategic advice and coaching on organizational effectiveness, talent management, workforce planning, and change management.
  • Partner closely with the CHRO, providing proactive updates in a trust-based, autonomy-rewarding environment.
  • Represent the field HR perspective as a member of the HR Leadership Team.

National Field HR Team Leadership

  • Lead a national field HR team across Western Canada, Ontario/Central, and Quebec/Eastern Canada.
  • Build trusted relationships with regional directors and senior managers across the operational network.
  • Ensure consistent application of HR policies, programs, and labour relations practices across all regions.
  • Support operational leaders in managing employee relations matters: performance management, attendance management, investigations, accommodation, and workplace conflict resolution.

Labour Relations & Unionized Workforce Support

  • Own the day-to-day, operational side of labour relations across multiple bargaining units and jurisdictions.
  • Apply strong LR knowledge to collective agreement administration, interpretation, grievance management, arbitration preparation, and dispute resolution.
  • Support collective bargaining-related activities including preparation, operational planning, implementation, and contingency planning.
  • Monitor evolving labour trends, legislation, and legal developments; maintain constructive relationships with union stakeholders.
  • Drive a culture of continuous improvement across field HR and operational people practices.
  • Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, and modernize HR processes and practices nationally.
  • Leverage data and analytics to identify workforce trends and support evidence-based decision-making.
  • Champion technology adoption and partner with Centres of Excellence to enhance HR programs and tools.
  • Lead complex organizational change initiatives impacting field operations nationally.
  • Ensure regional leaders are equipped to successfully implement new programs, structures, and ways of working.
  • Provide stakeholder management and change leadership through transformational projects.
  • Assess organizational capability and build succession plans for critical operational roles.
  • Support talent reviews, leadership development, and workforce planning activities.
  • Coach senior operational leaders on performance management, employee engagement, and leadership effectiveness.

Compliance & Risk Management

  • Ensure compliance with employment standards, labour legislation, human rights obligations, health and s