Chief People Officer

The Chief People Officer (CPO), as a member of the executive leadership team, is responsible for guiding the development and overseeing the execution of UWEO’s people strategy.

As a key member of the leadership team, the CPO proactively fosters trust, consistently embodies the organization’s core values and principles, and demonstrates a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all interactions and decision-making.

The CPO provides strategic leadership in planning, policy, organizational development, and transformative change, holding oversight for all People and Culture (P&C) related activities including volunteer management and engagement. The role demands a blend of strategic thinking, people management, and operational efficiency, with a strong focus on leadership, culture, and alignment of HR with the overall business strategy.

This includes implementation of high impact human resources strategies, systems and programs that support the vision and mission of United Way East Ontario, including supporting the Board of Directors in governance and the Board talent strategy.

This hybrid position is based in Ottawa and serves the regions of Prescott-Russell, Ottawa, Lanark and Renfrew counties. You are expected to work from the office two days per week.

People and Culture Leadership

• Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO, Board of Directors, and senior management on people and culture topics, including talent strategy and workforce planning.
• Advise on budget allocation, risk management, and resource optimization to ensure people and culture efforts align with both immediate and long-term goals.
• Ensure the organization has the right talent through workforce forecasting, succession planning, and recruitment frameworks for staff, volunteers, and board members.
• Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to foster a respectful and inclusive workplace culture.
• Oversee employee engagement, satisfaction, and well-being programs, including mental health and wellness initiatives.
• Strategically manage the employee lifecycle from recruitment to offboarding, supporting career development and performance management.
• Lead initiatives to engage, develop, retain, and acquire volunteers across various roles as an integral part of the talent strategy.
• Collaborate with the Board on projects such as board recruitment, retention, governance, and strategic planning.
• Guide the Board on CEO performance evaluations and compensation processes.
• Oversee the development and implementation of organizational culture initiatives and internal communications frameworks.
• Supports HR costing and budgeting for organizational workforce planning.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with all relevant labor laws, including Ontario’s ESA, OHSA, Human Rights Code, and workplace safety regulations, by developing and implementing compliant HR policies and procedures.
• Lead risk management efforts by contributing to the Risk Management Matrix, proactively addressing HR-related risks, resolving conflicts, and handling legal disputes and employee grievances professionally and legally.
• Oversee the administration and continuous improvement of recruitment, payroll, documentation, orientation, and benefits processes, ensuring operational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Develop, implement, and monitor competitive and equitable compensation and benefits programs, aligning with market trends to attract and retain top talent while ensuring pay equity across all roles.
• Manage corporate learning and development frameworks, including training, orientation, and career development, and establish evaluation systems to measure training impact and support talent planning.

Team Leadership and Management

• Provide management leadership to HR team, including coaching, mentoring, setting performance goals and ensuring capable management succession.
• Provide staff with professional development opportunities, ensuring the team’s skill set remains current with evolving standards.
• Lead and motivate the staff team to ensure effective training, management, evaluation, and support for professional development and job satisfaction.
• Ensure all HR Team efforts are appropriately culturally competent, and development of staff and volunteers reflect the diversity of the community.
• Promotes diversity within the HR team and fosters an inclusive work environment that values different perspectives.
• Promote and exemplify the use of project and change management principles and tools to support all work.
• Facilitate collaboration across departments, ensuring that solutions meet the diverse needs of various business units and are aligned with organizational priorities. This role is essential in fostering cross-functional collaboration to support operational excellence in managing employee experience, performance, safety, and overall compliance of the organization.

Job Qualifications -

We recognize that great candidates come from diverse experiences. If you don’t meet every requirement but bring strong skills, experience, and vision to this role, we encourage you to apply.

Education

• University Degree in a related field, or a combination of education, continuous learning and applied experience
• Registration with the HRPA, or equivalent, in good standing
• CHRL or CHRE is considered an asset

Experience

• At least 10 years’ progressive experience in Human Resources Management.
• Experience in leading the implementation of strategic initiatives.
• Experience working with Executives and Senior Level Volunteers.
• A minimum of 5 years leading a team of HR professionals

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to align organizational development strategies with business goals.
• Strong understanding of long-term workforce planning and organizational growth.
• Adept and trusted in dealing with issues and subject matter in ways that require considerable sensitivity, discretion, judgment, or negotiation.
• Expertise in leading and managing organizational change initiatives.
• A leader with the integrity, stature and credibility to earn the respect, trust and confidence of all parties
• Demonstrated ability and commitment to inclusive practices and leadership
• Proficiency in designing and delivering leadership and management development programs.
• Knowledge of talent development frameworks and coaching skills.
• Expertise organizational structure design and optimize workflows for efficiency.
• Knowledge of restructuring processes and tools for aligning teams with business objectives.
• Ability to foster a high-performance culture and drive employee engagement initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of employee engagement metrics and culture transformation strategies.
• Skills in developing performance management systems, goal-setting frameworks, and evaluation methods.
• Knowledge of talent assessment tools and succession planning processes.
• Strong understanding of HR analytics and the ability to interpret data to drive decision-making.
• Experience in promoting and embedding DEI strategies within organizational development initiatives.
• Sound knowledge and experience in employment laws and practices, compensation, benefits, recruitment, payroll, organizational planning, organization development, health and safety, performance management and learning and development.
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office software.
• Familiarity with HR software management systems.
• Bilingualism, French and English, is a significant asset

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to submit a resume and a detailed cover letter indicating their interest in the role in confidence by April 20th, 2026, to View email address on click.appcast.io.

Please quote competition number #2026-01 when submitting your resume.

The United Way East Ontario is actively committed to increasing its representation of the diversity of the communities we serve. Applicants are encouraged to self-identify.

As part of this commitment, we strive to reduce barriers to participation and have a wide range of accommodations available to applicants. Please advise if you require accommodation throughout the recruitment process.

While bilingualism is not a requirement for this position, candidates are encouraged to highlight their language proficiency.

United Way East Ontario does not use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants for the position.

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.