Director, Business Partnering and Leadership Advisory

Payments Canada•Toronto, ON

1d•CA$126,750 - CA$211,250•Hybrid

About The Position

Payments Canada is seeking a Director, Business Partnering and Strategic Advisory to co-lead the HR Business Partnering function. This role reports to the Vice President, People and involves shared responsibilities for decisions, strategy development, and functional leadership. The individual will provide high-level advisory and strategic support to executives and senior leaders, acting as a hands-on strategic partner. Key responsibilities include advising leaders, driving initiatives, delivering work, and influencing decisions. The role focuses on informing, advising, and communicating HR strategy to internal client groups while addressing complex business challenges. It also emphasizes the "human" aspect of business strategy, including shaping company culture, driving employee engagement, and supporting organizational evolution. The Director will stay updated on industry best practices and offer expert advice on advanced human resources solutions to achieve organizational strategic goals and drive business outcomes. As part of the People Leadership Team (PLT), the Director will collaborate with other members to ensure strategy and priority alignment and inform decision-making. This role co-leads HR partnership for designated client groups, ensuring consistent strategy, practices, and high-level advisory capabilities across business units.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Human Resources, Social Science or related field.
Approximately seven to ten (7–10) years of strong HRBP or strategic partnering experience, including five (5) years of experience in a leadership capacity, with over five (5) years’ experience in strategic HR planning and experience working with senior executives.
Demonstrated ability to consult, influence and partner with VPs and Executives in development and execution of people strategies that drive business performance.
Ability to proactively identify potential issues and/or areas of opportunity within the business and work to action solutions.
Excellent organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail.
In-depth knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, legislation, and industry trends.
Ability to effectively influence and communicate with senior leadership.
Analytical mindset with the ability to use data to drive decision-making and measure the effectiveness of HR programs.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office and/or Google Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)
Expert knowledge of HR practices, trends, and strategic HR management
Comprehensive understanding of relevant employment legislation
Exceptional written, verbal communication and presentation skills
Ability to manage multiple high-priority deadlines simultaneously, resolve complex issues with minimal oversight, and prioritize effectively
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to maintain professional and diplomatic relations with employees, candidates, and external contacts at all levels
Exceptional attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and thoroughness in all tasks
Highly energetic, self-motivated, quick learner, capable of assuming responsibility with minimal supervision
Maintains composure and delivers high-quality work in a fast-paced environment
Team-oriented with a proactive "can-do" attitude
Demonstrates initiative and is results-oriented

Nice To Haves

Financial services industry experience is considered an asset.
Bilingualism (English and French) is considered an asset.
CHRL designation or equivalent HR certification preferred.
Eligibility to successfully complete background checks that will be carried out by Payments Canada, including criminal, credit, identity, employment, and education checks.

Responsibilities

Translate corporate objectives into actionable workforce initiatives by blending long-term workforce planning with immediate leadership coaching to build high-performing, resilient teams.
Develop a comprehensive understanding of key business priorities and proactively challenge senior leaders on their organizational structure and talent differentiation to ensure they can meet their business goals.
Diagnose organizational barriers to success through consultative partnership with senior leadership, driving proactive solutions that enhance efficiency and foster a high-performance environment.
Act as the primary strategic interface for Executives, collaborating closely with the Vice President, People to identify, map, and address long-term people priorities and risks.
Collaborate on high-level business conversations that promote workforce evolution, addressing future capability gaps and contributing to a future-focused workforce plan that aligns with the corporate vision.
Co-lead and mentor the HR Business Partner team, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality consultative services and strategic alignment across all business units.
Guide senior people leaders on the philosophy, strategy, and application of critical talent management practices, specifically Organizational Design, High-Potential Identification, Strategic Workforce Planning, and Succession Planning.
Collaborate with the People Leadership Team to define the strategic requirements for talent programs, providing the architectural blueprint that enables the HR Ops team and Talent Management team to execute effectively.
Act as a Culture Ambassador and steward; lead by example to support a positive work environment and coach executives on their specific accountability in driving culture and engagement.
Bring a deep understanding of best practices in complex environments, providing expert counsel on leadership behaviors, total rewards philosophy, and cultural integration.
Operate as a strategic thought leader, conceptualizing innovative ideas and championing change management plans while remaining agile and open to stakeholder feedback.
Provide high-level strategic counsel on high-risk employee relation matters, advising executives on legal, financial, and reputational risks to determine the optimal course of action.
Interpret employment standards and applicable employment legislation (including the Canada Labour Code) to guide executive decision-making and policy direction.
Serve as a senior advisor to the VP, People, Executives, and Vice Presidents on sensitive, confidential, and reputational people issues, determining the strategic approach to regulatory compliance and risk mitigation.
Guide the interpretation and evolution of organizational policies, ensuring frameworks support business flexibility while adhering to cultural goals and legal requirements.
Develop trusted partnerships to advise leaders on complex performance calibration, executive leadership disputes, and organization-wide policy adherence strategies.
Act as the strategic lead for escalated employee relations cases, determining the desired outcome and legal approach, while delegating the investigative process, documentation, and file management to HR Operations.
Act as a true partner to senior leaders, empowering internal clients with the insights, coaching, and strategic frameworks required to independently meet business goals.
Prioritize building and nurturing high-trust relationships, effectively influencing senior stakeholders and navigating organizational politics without relying on formal authority.
Apply a data-driven mindset to synthesize deep insights from workforce analytics, making evidence-based recommendations on future workforce trends and risks.
Demonstrate outstanding professional communication skills to navigate conflict, manage stressful situations, and mediate discussions at the executive level with diplomacy.
Offer innovative, forward-looking solutions to meet long-term organizational business objectives by identifying critical gaps in current capability versus future business needs.
Develop and maintain relationships internally and externally to benchmark enterprise-wide Human Resources strategies against industry peers and market trends.
Partner with the Director, HR Operations and Continuous Improvement and Director, Talent Management to ensure business requirements are clearly defined and communicated, enabling the other teams to execute effectively and ensuring alignment with Payments Canada’s overall goals.
Represent the Strategic Advisory function at senior leadership forums, steering committees, and cross-functional projects to ensure integration across all People pillars.
Co-lead and mentor the HR Business Partner team, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality consultative services and strategic alignment across all business units.
Collaboratively develop, implement, and maintain a divisional strategy in line with the organizational strategy, designed to enhance or reliably sustain existing services over the longer term, and to proactively identify opportunities for new or amended services.
Collaboratively provide strong leadership to the divisional team, ensuring the necessary tools and support are in place to enable the team to be successful.
Jointly monitor and measure performance of divisional goals against Payments Canada’s strategic goals, as well as plans in support of the corporate scorecard.
Collaboratively attract and retain professionals with the skill sets and competencies needed to deliver Payments Canada’s strategic priorities.
Share responsibility and accountability for all aspects of the talent management cycle (i.e., workforce planning, recruitment, performance management, staff development, succession) for the team, including developing group and individual development plans for team members to support a culture of continuous learning and development.
Provide dependable and articulate consultancy to the executive team and key internal/external stakeholders.

Benefits

Flexible, hybrid (remote/office) environment.
Competitive compensation package, including annual variable bonus and defined contribution pension plan with employer matching percentage (if eligible).
Comprehensive health and dental benefit coverage, including mental health coverage, life insurance and a health spending account for you and your dependents (Permanent and temporary employees with contracts 12 months and over).
Paid time off: minimum four weeks paid vacation, sick and personal days, December holiday shutdown and cultural holiday observance days.
26 weeks of paid maternity and parental leave top-up (if eligible)
Rewards and recognition program.
Access to office gym facilities.
Internal and external professional development opportunities.
Fun team and organizational events.
Monthly all staff forums led by our Executive Leadership Team.