Managing Director, People Experience

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Chief People Officer(CPO), and as part of the Senior Leadership Team, the Managing Director, People Experience (MD), will be responsible for the leading and driving the design, development and execution of the organization’s People Experience (PX) strategies and programs. The MD, will provide strategic and visionary leadership across a broad range of PX programs.

The mandate for UPP’s MD will require close collaboration across the People team, in addition to cross-functional divisions and senior leadership team. The MD will also be responsible for attracting, motivating, leading, and retaining a diverse and integrated team for UPP.

This role is based in downtown Toronto under a hybrid work policy, allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely and in-office (approximately two days per week in-office).

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES:

People Experience Strategic Alignment

The MD will:

• Collaborate closely with the CPO, to develop the enterprise PX vision, strategy, and priorities to ensure alignment to UPP’s organizational strategy
• Lead the development and implementation of fit for purpose PX strategic programs by integrating with Total Rewards, and Talent Acquisition teams to establish and monitor a key initiatives roadmap
• Act as a Senior Business Partner to Executive Leadership and People team

Leadership

The MD will:

• Lead the strategic direction of UPP’s PX to establish, nurture, and embed into the organization’s PX programs

• Work closely with CPO, to prepare and deliver updates to the Executive Leadership Team, Human Capital Committee and providing support for Board of Trustees’ meetings
• Integrate closely across Senior Leadership Team to help promote UPP’s intentional culture programs
• Lead a team of People professionals to partner with the business by striking the right balance on risk and process allowing for optimal agility
• Champion diversity by overseeing the development and implementation of programs and practices throughout
• Foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performance team culture
• Exemplify UPP’s value and contributing positively to UPP’s intentional culture

People Experience Culture Programs, Practices and Policies

Additionally, the MD will be responsible for leading, amplifying and embedding UPP’s PX programs, practices and policies to foster UPP’s intentional culture. They will include:

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Reconciliation

• Lead UPP’s EDI&R strategy and roadmap, and support the execution of EDI&R programs and practices
• Ensure EDI&R practices are embedded in all PX strategies, programs and practices
• Develop strong relationships with key stakeholders across UPP in order to support and promote UPP’s EDI&R commitments

Talent Management and Development

• Lead and execute UPP’s Talent Management and Development strategy and philosophy
• Lead UPP’s formal Performance Review process: Strive & Thrive
• Drive effective performance management practices to create and sustain a high-performance culture that improves organizational capability
• Development and implementation of UPP’s organizational learning and development roadmap

Workforce and Succession Planning

• Evolve the workforce strategy to meet UPP’s current and future People needs
• Lead the execution of UPP’s formal succession planning process, ensuring an effective long-term pipeline of talent
• Provide proactive and strategic guidance to Senior and Executive Leadership on organizational planning, while ensuring alignment to the businesses’ strategies and initiatives

People Experience Operations

• Oversee the PX operations function ensuring PX technology is optimized, integrated, and reflects needs of business practice and intentional culture
• Develop and implement processes that enables team and business to act with ease and accountability
• Design fit-for-purpose practices in collaboration with TR, TA, Business and employees
• Provide guidance related to company policies and programs (i.e., Time-off, sick days, parental leave)
• Deliver data driven insights to functional leads which identify opportunities to improve existing processes
• Support HR Business Partners to ensure effective delivery of HR services to the business

Employee Relations

• Counsel and direct Senior and Executive Leaders on complex employment-related matters
• Lead and manage the investigation of formal complaints, disciplinary actions, and separation processes to ensure full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations
• Design and foster an effective employee relations framework and process in order to reduce turnover, and promote and maintain employee morale and a harmonious culture

Employee Engagement

• Lead external stakeholders and vendors to drive UPP’s People culture and promote initiatives that that support and drive employee engagement
• Establish and implement practices to monitor organizational engagement and provide recommendations to address findings (i.e., UPP’s Listening Strategy)
• Design and write policy that reflects the intentional culture
• Draft and deliver communications to announce changes to employee programs and practices

Health, Safety and Wellness

• Establish and embed the effective uptake and application of UPP’s Occupational Health & Safety, Accessibility, and Respectful Workplace policy and programs
• Develop and implement wellness practice and programs that reflect UPP’s intentional culture, and needs of UPP’s employees
• Develop an effective business continuity plan 

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 15+ years of Human Resources leadership experience, leading diverse and multi-functional teams including:
  • Successful business partnership experience at the Divisional/Executive level, with proven success in aligning PX strategies to overarching Business strategies and initiatives
  • In depth expertise across PX programs, including (EDI&R); Talent Management & Development; Workforce & Succession Planning; Labour Relations; Employee Engagement; and Health and Safety.
• Undergraduate or Masters degree with course work in Human Resources Management, Business Administration or related field
• CHRL/CHRE designation or equivalent professional designation is an asset
• Extensive knowledge in Human Resources and comprehensive understanding of critical issues in other related areas, including employment law, Employment Standards Act and Regulations, and Human Rights legislation
• Able to work in a multi-faceted stakeholder environment and aspire confidence in a broad range of constituencies through a proactive, respectful, and accessible communication style
• Ability to foster an open dialogue by bringing a track record of establishing a partnership mindset and culture that embraces healthy challenges, influencing collaboratively and constructively with leaders across the organization to make the best possible decisions for UPP
• Experience advising and providing support to Executive Leadership and presenting to Board/Committees

LIFE AT UPP

Do work that matters. We are duty-bound to serve our members’ interests, and it’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly. That’s why we’ve ingrained sustainability in our work from day one—to ensure our members have a resilient future to retire into, both today and for generations to come.

Stronger together. Collaboration is how UPP was born, and it’s how we work with each other and our partners day in, day out. No one at UPP is just a number (even if they are excellent at math) and every win is a shared win.

Grow every day. You’ll have the opportunity to work on unique, once-in-a-career projects that maximize your skill set and probably teach you some new ones—at any stage in your career.

Prioritize wellness. At UPP, wellness takes many forms. Ultimately, it’s about ensuring our people are cared for in the ways that matter to them. Check out some highlights of our inclusive employee-focused benefits program including:

• Defined benefit pension plan
• Flexible hybrid work model
• Work from abroad up to eight weeks/year
• Comprehensive group benefits including medical, dental, vision etc.
• Extended paramedical and mental health service coverage
• Health care and lifestyle spending accounts
• Fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and gender affirmation coverage
• Education Assistance program

UPP enthusiastically welcomes applications from all qualified applicants and especially invites people with lived experience as an Indigenous person, a person with a disability or as a member of another Human Rights Code protected group that faces barriers to employment to apply. Our goal is to create a barrier-free experience for every candidate throughout the recruitment process, so if you require accommodation at any point during the process, please let us know so that we can make the appropriate arrangements.  It would be our honor to work with you to adapt our processes to ensure that you can meaningfully participate.