Senior Director of People and Shared Sevices

Who We Are

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is a registered charity and has been operating for 150 years. The Society provides care, comfort and compassion to animals in need in communities across Ontario; we value all animals and advocate to treat them with respect and kindness. We strive to keep pets and families together and do so through a variety of community support services.

Our Values

Our core values include having compassion for the people and animals we serve. Being transparent with the individuals we interact with every day and the team members we work with. Each day striving for excellence in relation to animal welfare. Collaborating with one another to ensure a team spirit in caring for the animals. We take accountability for our actions and the impact we are making in pet-related care. All our values add up to ensure the upmost care, comfort and compassion and to treat the animals and the communities we serve with respect and kindness.

• Compassion
• Transparency
• Excellence
• Collaboration
• Accountability

Why You Should Join Our Team

• Be part of an energetic team environment with others who share your passion for animal wellbeing!
• Competitive compensation package including medical, dental and vision benefits, RRSP
• Hybrid-Remote work opportunity!
• Employee Family Assistance Program
• Paid sick time
• 4 weeks of vacation to start!
• Predictable daytime hours
• Free onsite parking
• Discount on Ontario SPCA apparel, Paws & Give merchandise, Virtual pet care, and pet food too!
• Opportunities for professional development

Opportunity

The Senior Director, People and Shared Services is accountable for the effectiveness, consistency, and continuous improvement of the organization’s people practices and assigned shared services. The role provides senior-level direction, governance, coaching and escalation support to a capable Human Resources team, while leading a significant redesign of volunteer and foster services into a coordinated, high-performing provincial program.

Human Resources

• Provide strategic direction, advice, coaching and senior-level support, while the HR team remains responsible for day-to-day administration, implementation, and service delivery.
• Mentor HRBP’s on handling of complex employee relations, accommodation, performance, discipline, termination, workplace investigation and organizational risk matters, and support the team in engaging legal counsel or specialists when needed.
• Oversee the consistent application of people policies and practices, while enabling the HR team to develop, maintain and administer the required processes and documentation.
• Support the HR team to implement and maintain the compensation and job evaluation framework, including salary ranges, market reviews, internal and external equity and the ongoing maintenance of pay equity.
• Monitor compliance with applicable Ontario legislation and ensure the HR team has the tools, expertise and support needed to address requirements and emerging risks.
• Oversee the performance management framework and support HR and leaders in maintaining clear goals, regular feedback, development planning, documentation and accountability.
• Monitor recruitment, selection, onboarding, probation, leave, return-to-work and offboarding practices, and support the HR team in making improvements where needed.
• Support HR-led work related to succession planning, leadership development, employee engagement, organizational culture and change readiness.
• Work with Operations, Finance and program leaders to ensure staffing plans and workforce budgets reflect service needs, operating requirements and available resources.
• Review and advise on major staffing requests, vacancies, role changes, organization structure, workload, overtime and turnover. HR and operational leaders will prepare the analysis and recommendations.

Volunteer and Foster Services Transformation

• Provide strategic direction, coaching and support to the two existing volunteer and foster leads, while they remain responsible for day-to-day program work.
• Develop an organization-wide strategy to grow, engage and retain volunteers and to significantly increase foster capacity based on the needs of centres, clinics and programs.
• Assess whether the current model, systems and tools can support future growth, and recommend what should be improved, replaced, or expanded across the organization.
• Clarify the roles of the central team and local leaders so central staff provide strategy, standards and support, while centres and programs take ownership of their local volunteers and foster homes.
• Work with Operations, Outreach, Communications and other teams to strengthen recruitment, community partnerships, engagement, recognition and retention.
• Ensure the foster growth plan addresses recruitment, placement capacity, foster support, medical coordination and the needs of animals requiring short-term, emergency or specialized care.
• Set clear organization-wide goals and measures for volunteer participation, retention, volunteer contribution, foster capacity and participant experience.
• Use results from pilots, reports and local experience to guide a practical, phased rollout of the strongest approaches across the organization, ensuring the organization continues to meet its duty of care and established volunteer standards.
• Oversee consistent standards for screening, training, health and safety, privacy, accessibility, insurance and animal care, while enabling the program leads and local teams to carry out the work.

Shared Services Leadership

• Provide strategic oversight to additional shared-service functions assigned by the CEO as organizational needs evolve.
• Establish clear mandates, service catalogues, decision rights, service standards and escalation paths for assigned functions.
• Simplify processes, clarify handoffs and use fit-for-purpose technology and data to improve service quality, response time and administrative efficiency.
• Develop annual plans, budgets, resource priorities, risk controls and performance measures for the portfolio.
• Build a service-oriented culture in which central teams understand and respond to the needs of centres, clinics, mobile services and provincial programs.
• Provide direction on payroll and benefit related processes and policies.
• Portfolio expansion related to Shared Services as organizational demands change.

Set up for Success!

• Eight or more years of progressively senior experience in human resources, organizational effectiveness, volunteer services or a related field, including at least three years leading a team or major organizational portfolio.
• Demonstrated success leading across a complex, multi-site service organization; experience in the charitable, community-service, health, social-service or animal-welfare sector is an asset.
• Strong experience providing senior oversight of employee relations, compensation, job evaluation, pay equity, performance management and workforce planning.
• Demonstrated experience redesigning a decentralized volunteer, foster or comparable distributed-workforce program and leading adoption across multiple locations.
• Strong working knowledge of Ontario employment, human rights, accessibility, health and safety, privacy, and pay equity requirements.
• Experience leading enterprise change, operating-model design, process improvement, systems implementation and data-informed decision-making.
• Post-secondary education in human resources, business, public administration, organizational development or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Professional designations (preferred): CVA, CHRP, CHRL, PCP

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic judgment and the ability to distinguish governance from day-to-day management.
• Calm, fair and confidential handling of complex, sensitive and high-risk matters.
• Systems thinking and the ability to turn a fragmented model into clear, practical and scalable ways of working.
• Strong change leadership, influence and communication across executive, professional, frontline and volunteer audiences.
• A collaborative and service-oriented approach, paired with clear expectations and accountability for results.
• Data-informed decision-making, disciplined execution and a focus on measurable outcomes.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, accessibility, respectful workplaces and the purpose and values of the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society.

We Can’t Wait to Meet You!

• Click Apply Now and upload your resume and cover letter.

We wish to thank all applicants for their interest in the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace. Accommodation is available throughout the recruitment process upon request. For any questions, suggestions or required documents regarding accessibility in a different format, please contact us at 888-668-7722.

Our Commitment to a Human-Centered Hiring Process

Our organization complies with Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000, and relevant privacy legislation. While we use technology to help manage applications efficiently, resumes are personally reviewed by a member of our recruitment team. From screening to interviews and final decisions, our process is rooted in a human-centered approach.