Human Resources Director, Canada / Directeur(-trice) Des Ressources Humaines, Canada

Microsoft•Toronto, ON

6d•CA$165,000 - CA$313,300•Hybrid

About The Position

The Human Resources (HR) Director leads the end-to-end People strategy and execution for Microsoft Canada, integrating strategic HR Business Partnership with hands-on, in-country HR Generalist leadership to drive business performance, organizational effectiveness, and a great employee experience. This role acts as a trusted advisor to the Canada Leadership Team and other Senior Business executives with Operations in Canada, while owning strong local execution — balancing long-term talent and organization strategy with operational excellence, statutory compliance, and scalable solutions across a multi-jurisdiction Canadian environment. The HR Director owns the holistic People agenda across talent, culture, organization design, compliance, and country delivery, leads the Canada HR team, and partners across OneHR to deliver impact at scale.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources,(HR) Legal, Business, Psychology, or related field AND 9+ years experience with HR or related experience (e.g., hiring, training, performance management) involving applicable employment laws and policies OR equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in Human Resources (HR), Legal, Business, Psychology, or related field.
5+ years people management experience.
Significant HR experience, including employee relations, performance management, and HR program delivery
Knowledge of labor laws, regulations, and HR compliance practices
Proven ability to influence leadership and operate effectively in a matrixed environment
Experience leading HR governance, policy development, and complex employee matters
Demonstrated ability to drive employee engagement and culture initiativesTrack record of managing large-scale HR projects or organizational change
Ability to partner across HR functions (e.g., COEs, Legal, Finance) to deliver integrated solutions
Strategic Thinking & Business Acumen — Connect business strategy with talent, organization, and culture; anticipates future needs and translates them into actionable plans.
Stakeholder Partnership & Influence — Build deep trust with senior leaders; coaches, challenge, and influence decisions at the executive level.
HR Expertise & Judgment — Strong command of HR disciplines (talent, org design, ER, compliance); balance business needs, risk, and employee experience.
Execution Agility & Operational Leadership — Drive disciplined, end-to-end in-country delivery; navigate complexity with speed and quality.
Data & Digital Fluency — Use data, insight, and technology to diagnose, decide, and scale; embrace AI-enabled HR transformation.

Responsibilities

Shape and drive the People strategy aligned to business priorities in Canada.
Act as coach and advisor to senior leaders, improving leadership effectiveness and team performance.
Lead organizational diagnostics (attrition, engagement, talent movement, productivity) to anticipate risks and opportunities.
Translate business strategy into holistic people plans across talent, org design, culture, and capability.
Lead strategic talent planning — succession, pipeline development, and critical-role readiness.
Drive organizational design and transformation, aligning structure, roles, and capabilities to business needs.
Build high-performing, diverse leadership teams and drive measurable inclusion outcomes.
Enable talent movement, development, and performance interventions.
Own end-to-end HR delivery for Canada across the full employee lifecycle, in partnership with COEs.
Provide country-level orchestration across HR functions (People Operations shared services, HR Consulting, Payroll, Corporate External & Legal Affairs (CELA)/Legal, Employee Relations (ER), etc).
Lead the geography/client HR governance committee; establish and manage local policies and governance.
Ensure HR information is accurate and current (immigration, mobility, offer governance) and lead contracting with Finance, Payroll, Procurement, and CELA so the work lands.
Lead resolution of complex employee and organizational issues with balanced judgment.
Maintain in-country expertise on federal and provincial employment law and emerging regulation; translate requirements into localized policy and practice.
Ensure compliance across multiple provincial regimes
Represent HR in compliance governance, in service to the Microsoft brand, values, and image.
Champion the lived experience of employees, managers, and leaders — beyond process implementation.
Lead engagement strategy and planning; partner with internal communications on aligned messaging.
Champion programs that create a positive, inclusive workplace (e.g., Employee Resource Groups).
Lead change design and execution for business and organizational transformations.
Drive culture evolution aligned with Microsoft leadership principles and local Canadian context.
Ensure clear, inclusive, and empathetic communication during change.
Partner with the leadership team on crisis management — emergency response, disaster recovery, risk, communications, and business continuity.
Ensure activation of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and well-being support during and after a crisis.
Champion Microsoft's image with communities, professional networks, and external HR leaders.
Represent the company at relevant Canadian forums
Model the culture, values, and leadership principles.
Define team objectives and outcomes; enable success across boundaries; help the team adapt and learn.
Attract and retain great people; know each individual's capabilities and aspirations; invest in others' growth.
Drive simplification and scalability of HR processes.
Leverage data, insights, and digital/AI tools to improve decisions and execution.
Partner across OneHR for integrated, efficient, consistent, high-quality delivery.