AVP, People and Culture

Our Client

Our client is a leading independent asset management firm with approximately $60 billion in assets under management and a long-standing track record of investment excellence across both public and private markets. Headquartered in Toronto, the firm serves a diverse global client base, including financial advisors, high-net-worth individuals, institutional investors, pension plans, endowments, and foundations. With a collaborative culture, established market presence, and broad investment capabilities spanning fundamental, quantitative, and private market strategies, the organization is well-positioned for continued growth and success.

Position Overview

As the organization continues to evolve and grow, the firm is seeking an experienced and collaborative AVP, People & Culture to drive its people strategy and support the development of a high-performing and growth-oriented team. Reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer, the AVP, People & Culture will play a key leadership role in shaping and executing talent initiatives that support the business objectives, culture, and long-term growth. Working closely with business leaders across the organization, this individual will lead several critical People & Culture functions, including Talent Acquisition, the Human Resources Business Partner function, Leadership Development, Performance Management and Talent Mapping.

This role is responsible for translating the firm's talent strategy into practical, high-impact programs and initiatives that strengthen leadership capability, support business growth, and foster a high-performance culture. The successful candidate will be an experienced people leader who can balance strategic thinking with operational excellence and who is passionate about developing talent within a performance-driven, values-based environment.

Role Responsibilities

Human Resources Business Partner Leadership

• Lead and develop a team of Human Resources Business Partners, providing coaching, direction, and oversight to ensure consistent, high-quality HRBP support across the organization.
• Establish a strong HRBP model that enables effective partnership with business leaders and supports the achievement of strategic business objectives.
• Build team capability and drive continuous improvement within the HRBP function.

Performance Management & Talent Development

• Lead and evaluate the firm's annual performance management process, ensuring alignment with business objectives and talent priorities while driving effective outcomes across performance, development, engagement, and leadership capabilities.
• Design and continuously enhance the firm's competency-based performance management framework, equipping leaders with the tools and guidance to assess performance, deliver feedback, recognize achievement, address gaps, and support employee development.
• Leverage performance management insights to inform succession and workforce planning, leadership development, and broader organizational effectiveness initiatives.

Talent Acquisition

• Oversee the firm's Talent Acquisition strategy and function to attract, assess, and secure high-caliber talent across the organization.
• Monitor talent market trends and develop proactive sourcing strategies for critical and hard-to-fill roles.

Leadership Development, Talent Management & Succession

• Lead the design and execution of leadership development strategies and programs that build organizational capability and strengthen leadership effectiveness at all levels of the firm.
• Partner with the CHRO and business leaders to identify future leadership needs with succession planning initiatives that strengthen the organization's leadership pipeline.

Organizational Effectiveness & Culture

• Working with the CHRO and business leaders to strengthen organizational effectiveness and leadership capability across the firm, supporting workforce planning, organizational change, and other initiatives aligned with the firm's strategic objectives.
• Lead initiatives that enhance employee engagement, leadership effectiveness, and organizational capability.
• Establish a robust People & Culture measurement framework that tracks key talent and organizational effectiveness metrics, evaluates the impact and return on investment of leadership development and talent programs.

Desired Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years of progressive Human Resources experience, including leadership responsibility within sophisticated, talent-focused organizations.
• Demonstrated experience and capability leading the Talent Acquisition and Human Resources Business Partner functions.
• Proven success designing and implementing leadership development, performance management, talent review, and talent mapping programs.
• Successful track record operating in fast-paced and performance-oriented environments.
• Strong business and commercial acumen with the ability to align people strategies to organizational objectives.
• Excellent influencing, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills.
• Exceptional communication, coaching, and consulting capabilities.
• Highly organized with a strong operational mindset. A demonstrated ability to design and implement effective, scalable processes, and a proven track record of identifying opportunities to leverage technology and implement process improvements.
• A collaborative, values-based leader with a style that fosters engagement and accountability and is committed to continuous learning.

Please note that at present, legal eligibility to work in Canada is a prerequisite for this role.