Director, People Operations & Health, Safety & Environment (HSE)

Operations Full Time Markham, ON $115,000 - $130,000 CAD per year

NordSpace ( is a Canadian startup with the mission to advance life on Earth, from space. NordSpace is committed to extremely rapid innovation and development of the most ambitious aerospace projects with the most ambitious team. With divisions spanning everything from space robotics to satellites to rockets, NordSpace is driven to bring space closer to Earth and inspire generations of space explorers.

About the Role

This is a hands-on individual contributor role that owns two of the functions NordSpace depends on as it scales: the Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) programme across all facilities, and People Operations across the full employee lifecycle.

Operating in a demanding space-systems R&D; and manufacturing environment — with energetics, cryogenics, high-pressure systems, and reactive metal powders — this role sets HSE strategy, builds and matures the management system, and holds accountability for regulatory compliance, workplace risk reduction, and the protection of NordSpace’s people. It also owns how people join, grow, and leave the company: candidate experience, onboarding, culture, motivation and performance, and offboarding.

The person in this role brings the experience to advise senior leadership, drives a proactive safety culture and a fast-moving, innovative working culture in equal measure, and is hands-on enough to be on the floor making sure safety measures are always active and followed.

HSE Management

- Own the enterprise HSE management system and set the multi-year HSE strategy, objectives, and roadmap in alignment with company growth.
- Develop, maintain,



and mature formal management systems; establish and report on HSE KPIs (leading and lagging indicators) to senior leadership and the board; drive continuous improvement against targets.
- Build, lead, and mentor staff on HSE culture as the organization grows; coach and hold accountable managers and supervisors across the internal responsibility system.
- Serve as the primary HSE point of contact for regulators, insurers, and auditors.
- Direct the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of H&S; policies and programs in accordance with OHSA and its regulations (e.g., O. Reg. 851 – Industrial Establishments, O. Reg. 297/13 – JHSC, WHMIS 2015).
- Establish the framework for workplace inspections, job hazard analyses (JHAs), and risk assessments, and oversee their execution.
- Own the incident-management process, leading serious and complex investigations and ensuring OHSA reporting requirements are met, including critical-injury reporting to the MLITSD.
- Oversee injury and illness recordkeeping and WSIB claims management (Form 7 submissions, return-to-work planning) and manage the relationship with WSIB.
- Chair and support the Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC), ensuring certified-member requirements are met.
- Own emergency preparedness: response planning, fire drills, evacuation procedures, and spill response,



including scenarios specific to energetics, cryogenics, and high-pressure systems.
- Direct the handling, storage, labelling, and disposal of hazardous materials and waste per federal and provincial regulations. Maintain the integrity of SDS libraries, permits, and compliance documentation.
- Own the HSE training program aligned with Ontario requirements: WHMIS, Lockout/Tagout, Confined Space, Forklift, Health & Safety Awareness training, and others as required.
- Drive a proactive, accountable safety culture through leadership engagement, toolbox talks, JHSC involvement, and visible executive sponsorship.
- Stay ahead of OHSA, MLITSD, MECP, and WSIB regulatory change and ensure organizational readiness. Lead internal audits and manage external MLITSD and MECP inspections and any regulatory findings to closure.

People Operations

- Onboarding — Own the new-hire experience through the first 90 days: pre-start logistics, workspace, equipment and systems readiness in partnership with IT and Operations, safety and WHMIS induction, and structured ramp plans agreed with hiring managers, so new employees are contributing quickly and working safely from day one.
- Culture — Build and protect a rapid-paced, innovative culture as headcount grows: company rituals, all-hands and internal communications, recognition, and the working norms that keep a scaling team moving at startup pace. Act as a deliberate check on the process load that growth tends to add.
- Motivation and performance management — Run the performance framework, including goal setting, review cycles, feedback, and calibration, and coach managers through recognition, progression, difficult conversa

📌 Director, People Operations (Markham)
🏢 NordSpace
📍 Markham