Reports To: Chief Human Resources Officer

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

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

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.

Continuous Improvement & HR Modernization
- 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.

Change Leadership

- 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.

Talent & Leadership Development
- 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 safety requirements, and collective agreements across multiple provinces.
- Provide oversight and guidance on high-risk employee and labour relations matters.
- Minimize organizational risk through proactive management of ER and LR issues.

Qualifications & Experience

Experience

- 12+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, including significant experience supporting large, unionized workforces.
- Demonstrated experience leading multi-regional HR teams across Canada.
- Strong labour relations knowledge: collective agreement administration, grievance management, arbitration, and dispute resolution.
- Experience supporting collective bargaining processes — preparation, operational planning, implementation, and leader readiness.
- Background in operational, frontline environments such as manufacturing, distribution, transportation, or other large, complex, unionized sectors.
- Proven success leading organizational transformation, change management, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Strong working knowledge of federal and provincial employment and labour legislation.

Education

- Post-secondary education in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business Administration, or a related field.
- CHRL, CHRE, CPHR, or equivalent skilled designation is an asset.
- Additional studies in labour relations, employment law, organizational development, or change management are an asset.
- Bilingualism (French/English) is a strong asset given the national scope of the role.

What Makes You Right for This Role
- You are hands-on and field-present — you believe the best HR leaders are close to the business, not removed from it.
- You are energized by complexity, not overwhelmed by it. You thrive when things are moving fast and the stakes are high.
- You lead with low ego and high accountability — you get things done without needing the spotlight.
- You are a relationship builder who earns trust quickly across union counterparts, field leaders, and executive teams.
- You bring strong executive presence and can partner credibly at the most senior levels of the organization.
- You are data-driven, tech-forward, and always looking for smarter ways to work.

This search is being conducted on an exclusive, retained basis by Waterstone Human Capital. Applications and referrals should be directed in confidence to the Waterstone search team.

📌 Senior Director, Human Resources (Unionized) (Etobicoke)
🏢 Waterstone Human Capital
📍 Etobicoke