People & Culture Director (Hamilton LRT)

People & Culture Director (Hamilton LRT)

Location: Hamilton, ON, CA

Operating Sector: Human Resources

The Opportunity

The People & Culture Director is accountable for shaping and leading the integrated people, performance, and culture strategy for a large, complex, multi-partner infrastructure project – the Hamilton LRT (Light Rail Transit). This is not a traditional HR leadership role. The position operates within a project-based, multi-partner delivery environment, where success depends on aligning diverse organizations under a shared set of behaviours, expectations, and performance standards.

The role works across a joint venture/alliance structure, influencing outcomes across multiple delivery partners. The People & Culture Director is responsible for ensuring the project has the leadership capability, culture, and performance discipline required to deliver on contractual commitments and “best-for-project” objectives.

Key Accountabilities

• Develop and lead the project’s People, Performance & Culture strategy
• Establish clear people governance, decision rights, and escalation pathways
• Ensure people practices support collaboration, transparency, and best for project decision‑making
• Advise senior leadership on people risks, capability needs, and organisational health
• Organisational Readiness
• Ensure leaders, teams, and systems are prepared for mobilisation, phase transitions, and changes in scale or delivery intensity
• Align workforce planning to upcoming milestones, contractual obligations, and delivery risks
• Drive early identification of capability gaps, resourcing risks, and role clarity issues
• Ensure onboarding, performance expectations, ways of working, and governance are in place before they are needed, not after
• Provide clear readiness assessments and recommendations to senior leadership to support informed decision‑making
• Leadership & Resourcing
• Provide project level input to leadership selection and critical role appointments
• Ensure leadership resourcing follows agreed project principles and governance models
• Support onboarding and integration of senior leaders and key roles
• Actively challenge resourcing decisions that undermine collaboration or project outcomes
• Performance Management
• Own the project performance management framework, aligned to contractual commitments and project objectives
• Ensure performance is measured against project KPIs.
• Partner with Participant HR teams to ensure performance actions are consistent, fair, and compliant
• Support leadership teams in addressing systemic performance or behavioural issues
• Culture, Values & Behaviour
• Embed the project Charter, values, and behaviours into day‑to‑day operations
• Act as a visible culture leader across leadership forums and integrated teams
• Address behaviour misalignment early, constructively, and consistently
• Promote trust, psychological safety, and respectful challenge
• Employee Relations & Risk Management
• Provide strategic guidance on sensitive or high‑risk people matters
• Support Participant HR teams on complex employee relations issues
• Ensure compliance with employment legislation and contractual obligations
• Identify and mitigate people‑related risks to safety, cost, schedule, or reputation

Requirements

• Senior HR leadership experience in major projects, infrastructure, or complex matrix organisations
• Strong stakeholder leadership capability, with a pragmatic, collaborative, and outcomes focused approach
• Solid understanding of multi‑partner, joint‑venture, or alliance delivery models
• Proven ability to influence and advise senior leaders without direct line authority
• Deep expertise in performance management, leadership selection, and change management
• High personal credibility, sound judgement, and executive‑level presence

This role follows a hybrid work model, combining in‑office collaboration and flexibility, with an expectation of four days per week in the office.

The expected pay range for this role is $140,000 - $150,000 per year.

Aecon fosters diversity, inclusion and belonging within and across our organization. We welcome all to apply including, women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity.

We are committed to adhering to the objectives and requirements outlined in the Accessible Canada Act (ACA), and to meeting the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities in a timely manner. Through the implementation of the requirements of the ACA and its applicable regulations, appropriate accommodations will be provided upon request throughout the interview and hiring process.

As part of our commitment to fair and transparent hiring practices, Aecon may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in screening and reviewing candidates. These tools are applied responsibly and in accordance with applicable privacy laws and Aecon’s AI Usage Policy. All final decisions are made by qualified Aecon team members.