Position Summary
Reporting to the Vice President, People Strategy & CHRO, the Director, People Services & Operations provides strategic and operational leadership across People Services, Staffing & Scheduling, and Occupational Health, Safety & Wellbeing. The Director leads the development and delivery of integrated people and workforce strategies that support a high-performing, engaged, healthy, and sustainable workforce and enable the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care.
As a trusted advisor and collaborative business partner, the Director provides leadership across labour and employee relations, workforce planning, talent acquisition and retention, performance engagement, staffing and scheduling, attendance and disability management, occupational health and safety, workplace wellbeing, and people operations. The Director works collaboratively with senior leaders, managers, union partners, physicians, team members, and internal and external partners to proactively identify and manage workforce risks, strengthen organizational culture, and support effective, consistent, and compliant people practices.
The Director balances operational excellence with longer-term workforce transformation, leveraging data, technology, continuous improvement, and evidence-informed practices to strengthen workforce capacity, service delivery, team member experience, and organizational performance.
Key Responsibilities
- Provides strategic and operational leadership across People Services, Staffing & Scheduling, and Occupational Health, Safety & Wellbeing, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and the Hospital's People Strategy.
- Serves as a trusted advisor to the Vice President, People Strategy & CHRO and senior leaders on complex workforce matters, organizational design, workforce planning, people-related risk, restructuring, and transformational change.
- Leads and develops a high-performing, collaborative People team, fostering accountability, engagement, professional growth, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
- Establishes portfolio priorities, service standards, performance measures, and accountabilities and advances opportunities to strengthen People operations through technology, data, standardization, and continuous improvement.
- Provides strategic leadership and oversight for labour and employee relations within a complex, multi-union environment, including collective agreement interpretation, grievances, investigations, performance management, corrective action, accommodation, attendance management, and workplace conflict.
- Develops constructive relationships with union partners and leads or supports collective bargaining, grievance resolution, arbitration, mediation, and other formal labour relations processes.
- Identifies and mitigates labour and employee relations risks and promotes consistent application of collective agreements, policies, employment legislation, and organizational practices.
- Provides strategic and operational leadership for Staffing & Scheduling and workforce planning to support safe, reliable, and efficient hospital operations.
- Leads strategies that align workforce capacity, skill mix, scheduling practices, collective agreement requirements, operational needs, and models of care, partnering with clinical and operational leaders to address workforce pressures.
- Monitors workforce indicators including vacancies, overtime, sick time, premium utilization, staffing gaps, and other workforce trends and uses workforce analytics to inform recommendations and organizational decision-making.
- Leads the modernization and optimization of staffing and scheduling practices, workforce management technology, processes, reporting, and service delivery.
- Provides strategic leadership for talent attraction, recruitment, onboarding, retention, succession planning, performance engagement, recognition, workforce development, and other People programs and practices.
- Leads organizational workforce planning in partnership with senior leaders, supporting organizational design, succession planning, internal mobility, leadership capability, and workforce sustainability.
- Provides strategic and operational leadership for Occupational Health, Safety & Wellbeing, including occupational health services, workplace injury and illness prevention, disability and accommodation, attendance support, return-to-work, workplace violence prevention, and wellbeing.
- Ensures effective systems and practices are in place to support compliance with applicable occupational health and safety legislation, regulations, standards, and reporting requirements and proactively identifies and mitigates organizational health and safety risks.
- Monitors occupational health, safety, disability, attendance, claims, incidents, and wellbeing trends and uses findings to inform prevention strategies, organizational priorities, and continuous improvement.
- Supports the effective functioning of the Joint Health & Safety Committee and collaborates with leaders, union partners, physicians, insurers, regulatory bodies, and other partners to advance physical and psychological health and safety.
- Develops and manages portfolio operating plans and budgets and ensures responsible stewardship of financial, human, and organizational resources.
- Uses workforce data, metrics, benchmarking, and team member feedback to evaluate portfolio performance, identify emerging risks, and inform strategic and operational priorities.
- Leads significant People-related projects, system implementations, process improvements, and organizational change initiatives and represents the People portfolio on organizational committees, working groups, and external partnerships.
- Fosters an inclusive, respectful, psychologically safe, and high-performing workplace aligned with the Hospital's mission, vision, and values.
- Performs other duties as assigned by the Vice President, People Strategy & CHRO or designate.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business Administration, Health Administration, Occupational Health & Safety, or a related field is required.
- Professional designation relevant to the role, such as Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL), Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), or equivalent, is required.
- Master's degree in Human Resources, Industrial Relations, Business Administration, Health Administration, or a related field is preferred.
- Leadership, change management, project management, Lean/Six Sigma, occupational health and safety, or workforce management education or certification is considered an asset.
Experience
- Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive Human Resources/People leadership experience, including significant leadership experience within a complex, unionized environment.
- Demonstrated senior-level experience in labour and employee relations, including collective agreement administration, grievance resolution, investigations, performance management, and complex workplace matters.
- Demonstrated experience leading or partnering closely with staffing, scheduling, workforce management, or workforce planning functions within a complex operational environment.
- Demonstrated experience providing leadership or oversight for occupational health, safety, disability and attendance management, workplace wellbeing, or related programs.
- Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams and significant organizational change, transformation, process improvement, or system implementation.
- Demonstrated experience using workforce data and analytics to inform strategy, operational decision-making, and continuous improvement.
- Healthcare or broader public-sector leadership experience is strongly preferred
Skills and Traits
- Must be able to meet the physical and emotional responsibilities of the role, including standing and walking for extended periods, frequent and repetitive pushing, pulling, bending, and lifting up to 50 pounds, as well as safely operating equipment.
- Ability to meet the physical demands of the position, as outlined in the Physical Demands Analysis (PDA).
- Demonstrates proficiency in written and verbal communication, with strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
- Provides excellent customer service and contributes positively to teamwork and collaborative working relationships.
- Effectively prioritizes workload, adapts to changing priorities, and remains composed in fast-paced or stressful environments.
- Works independently with sound judgment, while remaining flexible to meet departmental and organizational needs.
- Demonstrates understanding of, and commitment to, equity, diversity, inclusion, and psychological safety.
- Upholds professionalism, ethical conduct, confidentiality, and respectful interactions.
- Models behaviour aligned with OSMH’s mission, vision, and values.
- Uses required technology and digital tools effectively and demonstrates a willingness to learn new systems.
- Contributes to a culture of safety and continuous improvement by identifying risks, following safe work practices, and supporting quality initiatives.
- Demonstrates a commitment to ongoing professional and personal development through continuous learning and reflective practice.
- Leads with integrity, accountability, and alignment to OSMH’s values
- Builds and supports high-performing, inclusive teams that foster engagement, growth, and wellbeing.
- Communicates clearly, respectfully, and transparently to build trust and collaboration.
- Drives results through strategic thinking, effective decision-making, and continuous improvement.
- Champions change, innovation, and a culture of safety, quality, learning, and psychological safety.
Our Team Members Enjoy
- a professional practice environment
- a collaborative atmosphere with emphasis on teamwork
- wellness initiatives
- continuing education grants
- employee recognition and assistance programs
- a competitive salary and benefits package
- equal opportunities for growth and development
Employment Equity
OSMH is committed to diversity and equity in the workplace and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, including women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S persons and others who may contribute to a diverse workplace.
Accommodation in the Workplace
Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital is a respectful, caring, and inclusive workplace. We are committed to championing accessibility, diversity, equal opportunity and maintaining a barrier-free selection process for job applicants. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process providing the applicant has met the requirements for the open position. Applicants need to make their requirements known to the Human Resources department when contacted. All requests are handled confidentially.
Health & Safety Responsibilities
OSMH is committed to providing a safe, healthy and supportive working environment by treating team members and patients with compassion accountability respect and engagement.
All team members must adhere to OSMH’s Occupational Health and Safety policies, procedures and protocols, as well as the duties of workers as stipulated in the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Team members must be able to perform all bona fide and essential duties of the position which may include cognitive and physical demands.
As a condition of employment, new team members are required to complete an employment health assessment and must be cleared by the Occupational Health and Safety Team prior to orientation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use in Hiring at OSMH:
Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital’s (OSMH) may utilize automated screening tools (i.e. questionnaires) to highlight candidates' qualifications; however, OSMH does not involve the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to screen, assess or select applicants. We recommend applying directly through our website as all applications are reviewed by our recruitment team.
Closing Statement
OSMH is a minimal fragrance workplace. We kindly ask all applicants to refrain from using scented products should they have the occasion to interview with the hospital.
As a condition of employment OSMH requires professional references, verification of academic training, professional accreditation and evidence of course completion. It is also a condition of employment that all new team members will be required to present an original vulnerable sector check within 90 days of commencing employment and must sign an Offense Declaration upon receipt of an offer of employment.
If you are interested in joining our team, please apply online before 11:59 pm on the posting close date. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. We thank all applicants, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
