Senior People Operations Manager

Senior, People Operations Manager

Toronto, Canada | Human Resources | Remote | Full-time

About Blue J

Blue J is growing fast, and we're building the People infrastructure to enable our team to do their best work in a best in class work environment! We recently closed our $122M Series D, we're scaling from 150 to 300+ employees over the next two years, and we want every part of our employee journey to feel as intentional and human as it does today.

That's where you come in. As Senior, People Operations Manager, you'll own the systems, workflows, and operational backbone that make our People team run. This is a role for someone who is energized by building efficient, scalable infrastructure, and who will use design thinking to create best-in-class experiences and systems for our amazing team.

You’ll report to the Director, People & Culture, and work closely with our Manager, People Operations to make sure the operational systems enabling Blue J's team are scalable and user-friendly.

A Note on Location

We are excited to meet with qualified candidates and are grateful for everyone’s interest. Please note that this is a hybrid position requiring applicants to be within driving distance of Toronto.

What You’ll Do

Build and Scale People Operations Infrastructure

• Apply design thinking principles to build People Operations infrastructure, starting with a deep understanding of the employee and manager experience before designing solutions.
• Design scalable workflows, processes, and systems that are efficient, intuitive, and reflect Blue J's high bar for quality.
• Own and manage the full employee lifecycle through preboarding, onboarding, offboarding, contracts, and documentation.
• Establish clear policies, maintain and evolve the employee handbook, and build internal processes that scale with the company.
• Create operational rigor through clear documentation, standard operating procedures, and process governance, without sacrificing the warmth and humanity that makes Blue J special.
• Identify operational bottlenecks and lead the redesign of processes to improve both efficiency and experience, setting the strategy and direction that you and the Manager, People Operations executes against.
• Build infrastructure that supports Blue J's growth to 300+ employees.

Own People Systems & Technology

• Serve as the strategic owner of Blue J's People technology ecosystem, including BambooHR, Lattice, Enboarder, and future tools.
• Evaluate, select, and lead the implementation of new People systems and integrations, bringing the right framework and questions to ensure we choose tools that work for us long-term.
• Own significant system reconfigurations, upgrades, and migrations, partnering with the Manager, People Operations on day-to-day administration.
• Actively explore and implement AI tools that reduce administrative burden, surface insights, and elevate the employee experience.
• Stay current on emerging HR technology and AI capabilities and bring forward-thinking recommendations on where and how to adopt them at Blue J.
• Design and expand self-service solutions so employees and managers can get what they need quickly, easily, and without friction.

Drive Process Improvement & Automation

• Use AI and automation tools to eliminate manual touches, reduce friction, and free the People team to focus on higher-value, more human work.
• Leverage automation, AI, and system integrations to reduce friction across the employee lifecycle, making every interaction with People processes as smooth and low-effort as possible.
• Establish repeatable operational frameworks that enable the People team to operate consistently and effectively.
• Build approval workflows, communication workflows, and employee lifecycle workflows that reduce operational complexity while maintaining a high-quality employee experience.
• Create operational leverage by ensuring work is designed once, documented once, and repeatable at scale.

Own People Data, Reporting & Analytics

• Establish and maintain accurate People data and reporting infrastructure.
• Identify data needed to solve a problem and surface insights proactively.
• Develop dashboards and reporting that provide meaningful insights into workforce trends, engagement, retention, hiring, and organizational health.
• Ensure data integrity across People systems.
• Track and analyze people metrics to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.

Lead Employee Lifecycle Operations Strategy

• Own the strategy and design behind onboarding, off boarding, employee changes, promotions, transfers, leaves, and other lifecycle events, partnering with the Manager, People Operations on process improvement and execution.
• Systematize and document processes to ensure continuity, scalability, and resilience across the team.
• Hold a high bar for the quality of every touchpoint employees and managers have with People processes, ensuring experiences that feel premium, not just functional.
• Build scalable lifecycle processes that support a growing global workforce and evolving employment models.
• Identify and prioritize lifecycle improvements in partnership with the Director, People & Culture, and collaborate with the Manager, People Operations on implementation.

Own Compliance & Operational Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with employment laws and HR best practices across Canada and the US.
• Oversee Canadian and US benefits and compensation administration, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and a smooth employee experience.
• Maintain documentation, policies, and compliance processes, in collaboration with the Manager, People Operations.
• Ensure People Operations practices are compliant, auditable, and scalable.
• Build operational controls that reduce risk while maintaining a positive employee experience.
• Support audits, reporting requirements, and compliance-related initiatives.
• Ensure sensitive employee information is handled accurately and securely.

What Success Looks Like

• Core People processes are documented, consistently executed, and designed to function independently of any single person's knowledge or presence.
• AI tools are actively reducing administrative work and surfacing meaningful insights for the People team.
• The employee lifecycle feels premium: polished, intuitive, and reflective of Blue J's values at every touchpoint.
• The People tech stack is optimized, well-integrated, and positioned to scale.
• People reporting is reliable, accessible, and trusted across the organization.
• The People team spends significantly less time on administration and more time on strategic work.
• Blue J's operational foundation is ready to support 300+ employees.

What You Offer Blue J

• 7+ years of progressive experience in People Operations, HR Operations, Business Operations, or a similarly systems-oriented function.
• Demonstrated success building scalable operational infrastructure in a high-growth environment.
• Solid understanding of Canadian employment law and HR best practices; US experience is a valuable asset.
• Global experience is an asset.
• Deep experience with HRIS systems, workflow design, process automation, and systems selection and implementation.
• Familiarity with HR tools such as BambooHR, Lattice, Pave, or similar.
• Familiarity with AI tools such as Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT, or similar.
• Enthusiasm for AI and a track record of using emerging tools to improve how work gets done.
• Proven analytical capability and comfort working with People data, reporting, and operational metrics.
• Proven ability to identify inefficiencies, design practical and well-considered solutions, and direct others on execution.
• Proven project management capability with the ability to manage multiple operational priorities simultaneously.
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
• A builder mindset with a bias toward simplification, efficiency, and scale and a high bar for quality.
• A design thinking mindset — you start with the human experience and work backward to the system, not the other way around.

What We Offer You

• We are flexible! A lot of the time, you’ll be able to work remotely, however, during onboarding sessions, we’d like you on site likely a couple times a month. We have an office in downtown Toronto.
• We’re well-funded and offer competitive base salaries and stock options. You’ll play a crucial role in our growth, and it’s important to us that you share in our long-term success.
• We care about you as a whole person. You’ll have a healthy work/life balance and colleagues who respect it. We’ve mindfully put together a great benefits package that covers you and your family.
• We’ve got an amazing team. We’re mission-driven and motivated by success, but we’re friendly, we’re collaborative, and we care about each other.
• We’ve got all the start‑up perks you’d expect, and are intentionally building a culture where you can pickleball if you want, feel safe to be yourself at work, and watch your career grow because your team has invested in you.

The Core Values that Define Our Culture

• We are customer-focused
• We put the team interest before self-interest
• We are pleasant and playful
• We are open to better ideas
• We deliver on our promises
• We solve the toughest problems

Equal Opportunity Statement

We believe our strength is built on diversity of thought, and encourage candidates from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. We value inclusiveness and are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We strive to create an inclusive and accessible hiring experience for all candidates. If you need any accommodations during the interview process, please let us know in your application. Our team is dedicated to providing the necessary support and making reasonable adjustments to ensure a smooth process for everyone.

Compensation

The base pay range for this role is CA$125,000-$150,000 per year. This is a Level 5 in Blue J’s career level framework. We use levels to define the expected scope, autonomy, impact, decision‑making, and experience for each role. Final compensation will be set fairly and thoughtfully based on experience, expertise, and alignment with the role’s responsibilities. While all candidates are expected to bring directly relevant experience, the top of the range is typically reserved for individuals who demonstrate exceptional depth in the role’s core competencies, a strong track record of impact in similar environments, and the ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy from day one.