Position Overview:
The Manager of People & Culture leads a team in delivering core human resources (HR) functions (disability management, employee and labour relations, employee records, HR information and health & safety management systems, learning and development, leaves and accommodations, onboarding, payroll, performance management, reconciliation, equity, diversity and inclusion, recruitment, recognition, total rewards), while driving evidence-based people and culture strategies for the Town of Canmore.
Reporting to the General Manager (GM) of Corporate Services, the Manager of People & Culture provides strategic leadership for the Town’s workforce functions, ensuring the capability, capacity, and culture required to deliver high quality services.
As a trusted advisor to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) and senior leaders, the Manager aligns people, culture, and workforce strategies with organizational priorities, values, and legislative requirements.
Core Accountabilities:
Human Resources (HR) Core Functions
- Provides strategic leadership to the People & Culture team ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery of core HR functions
- Fosters operational agility across processes, technologies, and operations to meet changing organizational needs
- Ensures HR practices, decisions, and documentation comply with applicable legislation, policies, and collective agreements
- Provides expert guidance on complex employee relations matters, including investigations, grievances, and progressive discipline, ensuring fair, consistent, and defensible processes, with escalation for high-risk, precedent-setting, or organization-wide issues in accordance with corporate governance expectations
- Manages the People & Culture budget and oversees vendor and consultant relationships to deliver value and results
Strategic Leadership
- With guidance from ELT, establishes and stewards an integrated People & Culture strategy aligned with organizational priorities, legislative requirements, and long-term needs
- Provides corporate-level oversight and strategic advice to the CAO and ELT on workforce risks, and opportunities, supported by evidence-based analysis and scenario planning, aligned with corporate priorities and risk direction
- Leads and develops the People & Culture team to deliver high quality, client-focused services, and strategic outcomes
- Provides recommendations, reports, and strategic materials to Administration and Council
- Maintains effective working relationships with unions, external partners, and regulatory bodies to support organizational outcomes and compliance
Culture and Employee Experience
- Fosters a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement with a strong emphasis on providing high quality services at scale
- Champions a values-based culture by partnering with ELT to strengthen behaviours, practices, and systems that reinforce the Town’s desired culture
- Using data from employee engagement surveys and other organizational feedback sources, designs and implements initiatives to strengthen employee experience, wellbeing, and psychological safety
- Leads organization leadership development and performance management frameworks that build accountability, capability, and continuous improvement
- Integrates equity, inclusion, and belonging considerations into workforce planning, people policies, and leadership practices
Talent
- Leads a multi-year workforce and succession planning approach, including critical role identification, talent pipelines, and capacity planning to ensure continuity of leadership and operations
- Oversees inclusive recruitment and selection strategies that strengthen the Town’s ability to attract and retain a skilled and diverse workforce
- Oversees learning and development programs that build technical capability, career pathways, and organizational bench strength
- Strengthens internal talent mobility and knowledge transfer to support retention and organizational resilience
- Supports organizational design initiatives to ensure structure, roles, and capabilities are aligned to current and future service needs
Total Rewards
- Leads the Town’s total rewards strategy, balancing attraction and retention needs with stewardship of public resources
- Ensures pay and benefit programs are internally equitable, externally competitive, and responsive to Canmore’s labour-market and cost-of-living realities
- Provides oversight for job evaluation, classification, and reclassification processes to ensure roles are appropriately valued and consistently applied
- Leads compensation benchmarking, including external market review and participation in annual municipal surveys, translating findings into recommendations
People Analytics
- Leverages, expands, and improves people-based data
- Oversees HR systems, reporting, and analytics by establishing organizational direction, standards, and priorities in partnership with Information Technology
- Provides leaders with evidence-based insights on workforce trends by monitoring and analyzing key metrics (e.g., turnover, recruitment outcomes, labour market movement, and benefit cost drivers) to inform strategic adjustments
- Integrates workforce analytics into strategic planning, budget development, and service delivery decision-making
Organizational Wellness, Health & Safety
- Provides strategic oversight to ensure health and safety programs are compliant and effective
- Ensures effective oversight of the health and safety management system
- Promotes employee wellness initiatives that strengthen mental health, resilience, engagement, and sustained performance
- Understands and carries out responsibilities outlined for Senior Leaders, Supervisors and Workers in the Health and Safety Corporate Directive
- Demonstrates commitment to a healthy and safe workplace for employees, visitors, other workers, and stakeholders
- Participates in safety inspections, audits, and incident analyses to ensure compliance with the Town’s Health and Safety Management System
Key Competencies
- Strategic leadership: Builds and stewards a multi-year People & Culture strategy aligned to corporate priorities and measurable outcomes
- Executive advisory & influence: Trusted counsel to ELT; frames risk, options, and recommendations clearly
- Labour & employee relations expertise: Sound judgment on complex matters; effective in non-union and union contexts (IAFF/CUPE)
- People leadership: Creates honest, trusting, and successful working relationships with others; coaches and develops team members; sets clear expectations and accountability; models inclusive leadership
- Culture & engagement leadership: Champions values-based culture, inclusion, psychological safety, and leadership effectiveness; uses engagement data to drive action
- REDI leadership: Advances Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) across HR programs and practices, including policy development, talent processes, workplace culture initiatives, and compliance with applicable legislation and organizational commitments
- Operational excellence & governance: Establishes consistent HR practices, standards, and service delivery; ensures compliance and quality documentation
- Business acumen & stewardship: Manages budgets, vendors, and resources responsibly in a public-sector context
- Data-driven decision-making: Uses workforce analytics and trends to inform planning, prioritization, and continuous improvement
- Change leadership: Leads change with structured planning, stakeholder engagement, and clear communication
- Health, safety & wellness governance: Demonstrates due diligence and promotes a healthy and safe workplace through risk-based oversight
Education, Experience & Certifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Labour Relations, Organizational Development, or a related discipline
- CPHR designation (Chartered Professional in Human Resources) in good standing
- A minimum of 10 years of progressive HR experience across core HR functions, including employee relations, total rewards, learning and development, workforce planning, HR systems/records, and leaves/accommodations
- Demonstrated experience providing strategic, evidence-based advice to senior leaders on workforce risk, organizational culture, and people strategies
- Proven ability to lead and develop a high-performing HR team, including establishing priorities, service standards, and accountability measures
- Strong working knowledge of applicable employment legislation (Alberta Employment Standards Code, OHS Act, Regulation & Code, WCB Act, Human Rights Act, Labour Relations Code, POPA, ATIA, federal payroll legislation) to deliver compliant HR governance and risk-informed advice
- Experience operating in a primarily non-union environment, with demonstrated ability to support and advise unionized groups (collective agreement interpretation/application, grievance processes, and complex employee relations)
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including preparing executive-level briefings, reports, recommendations, and presentations
Preferred / Assets
- Graduate education (e.g., MBA, MPA, Master’s in HR/Industrial Relations/Organizational Development) or equivalent advanced training
- Public sector and/or municipal experience, including preparing materials for senior leadership and Council
- Formal training in workplace investigations and conflict resolution (e.g., investigations certificate, mediation training)
- Change management certification or demonstrated experience leading organizational change (e.g., HRIS modernization, culture initiatives)
- Compensation/classification expertise (job evaluation, market benchmarking, total rewards strategy, governance for reclassifications)
- Health & Safety leadership training and experience providing governance for a corporate H&S management system (due diligence, audits/inspections, incident analysis)
- Demonstrated capability in people analytics, workforce dashboards, and HR data governance to support evidence-based decision-making
Closing Date for Applications: This posting will remain open until April 12th, 2026.
How to Apply: To apply, please combine your cover letter and resume into a single document (PDF or Word) and click on the "APPLY NOW" link below. To help us learn more about you, in your cover letter please clearly detail the following:
- Why do you want to be Manager of People & Culture for the Town of Canmore? Why Canmore?
- What interpersonal and leadership skills do you have that would make you a great addition to our team?
Salary & Benefits:
- Pay Range- $143,907.40 - $151,915.40 annually. Compensation will be calculated based on the successful candidate’s related work experience and education
- This is a full -time permanent position
- Competitive benefits package, & health spending account
- Generous RRSP matching plan
- Personal development & learning opportunities
- Positive work culture
- Work-Life Balance







