Program Manager - Workforce Ramp & Readiness

Johnson Controls • Nisku, AB

10d • Onsite

About The Position

The Program Manager/Project Manager is accountable for end-to-end program delivery of a high-volume workforce ramp-up—scaling Talent Acquisition, HR Operations, and Training/Onboarding to enable the successful hiring, readiness, and retention of 2,000+ employees within an 8‑month timeframe. This role owns the integrated master plan, governance, cross-functional execution, risk management, and performance reporting across all “people” workstreams required to meet production readiness milestones. This leader connects workforce demand to execution through capacity planning, process design, stakeholder alignment, and operational cadence—ensuring the organization can recruit, onboard, and train at scale without compromising safety, quality, compliance, or candidate/employee experience.

Requirements

• 5+ years program/project management experience delivering complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience scaling high-volume hiring, onboarding, and/or training in a fast-paced environment (manufacturing/operations preferred).
• Strong knowledge of core HR/TA processes (recruiting funnel, onboarding, HR operations workflows, training throughput).
• Proven ability to lead without formal authority; exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication.
• Strong analytical capability: building plans, capacity models, dashboards, and data-driven decision-making.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and building structure quickly (standard work, governance, controls).

Nice To Haves

• Experience delivering workforce ramp-ups of 1,000+ hires or similarly scaled operational programs.
• Experience with ATS/HRIS/LMS ecosystems and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI or similar).
• Lean/continuous improvement mindset (process design, waste removal, operational cadence).
• Formal PM training/certification (PMP, PRINCE2, Agile/Scrum, Prosci change management).

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end program plan: scope, milestones, dependencies, resourcing, and critical path.
• Establish governance: steering committee rhythm, decision logs, RAID (risks/actions/issues/decisions), and escalation model.
• Drive cross-functional execution across HR, TA, Training, Operations, Finance, IT, Facilities, and EHS.
• Translate workforce demand into a wave-based hiring plan (by role, shift, start date, and training pathway).
• Build capacity models across recruiting, HR operations, orientation, and training to identify constraints and trigger mitigation plans.
• Maintain a single integrated roadmap connecting hiring plan → onboarding plan → training readiness → production readiness.
• Lead the scaling strategy for sourcing, selection, interviewing, and offers to meet ramp volumes.
• Standardize hiring process flow, assessment steps, scheduling, and service-level expectations across stakeholders.
• Coordinate vendor support as needed (agencies, job boards, background checks, onboarding vendors).
• Monitor funnel health: applicants → screens → interviews → offers → start dates → show rates.
• Ensure HR operational readiness for high-volume start dates (documentation, policies, employee records, payroll/benefits handoffs, case management).
• Implement scalable onboarding controls: pre-boarding completion tracking, day-1 readiness checklists, badge/access provisioning coordination.
• Partner on compensation/offer levers and ensure alignment to internal guardrails and approvals.
• Design and scale orientation and training throughput (class size, frequency, trainer staffing, facilities, materials, scheduling).
• Partner with Training to build/expand hands-on manufacturing training capability to support ramp needs (including “dojo”/floor-based training models where applicable).
• Coordinate training content readiness, trainer onboarding, competency verification approach, and transition-to-floor processes.
• Build and maintain weekly dashboards covering hiring and training performance, readiness indicators, and bottlenecks.
• Facilitate weekly execution cadence (e.g., standups/war room/Obeya-style reviews) to drive actions and resolve blockers.
• Provide concise leadership reporting on progress, risks, decisions required, and forecast-to-plan.
• Create and execute a stakeholder communication plan (leaders, hiring teams, trainers, support departments).
• Ensure candidate and employee communications are clear, consistent, and timed to reduce churn and improve show rates.
• Support change adoption: new processes, new roles, new training pathways, and operational controls.
• Manage program budget (labor, vendor costs, training equipment/materials, facilities support as scoped).
• Negotiate and manage vendor deliverables, contracts/SOWs, and performance SLAs.

Benefits

• Reasonable accommodation for applicants, candidates and employees with disabilities, in accordance with applicable human rights legislation, and in Ontario, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees