Competition Number: REQ 7265
TITLE: Executive Director, People Systems, Technology and Total Rewards
DIVISION: People & Culture
SALARY: Payband 14, $146,200 to $171,995
HOURS PER WEEK: 37.5
LOCATION: 230 Richmond Street East
WORK MODALITY: Hybrid
STATUS: Full Time Admin
VACANCY: Replacement
EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately
CLOSING DATE: Open until filled.
Land Acknowledgement
George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work, and live in the community with each other.
Equity Statement
George Brown Polytechnic is committed to creating and sustaining an equitable and inclusive learning and working environment. We encourage and actively seek applications from Indigenous, Black, racialized people, visible minorities, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons, all genders, and persons with disabilities.
GBP Vision
To be a polytechnic renowned for its inclusion, excellence, relevance, impact, and leadership.
Position Description:
Reporting to the Vice-President, People & Culture, the Executive Director, People Systems, Technology and Total Rewards provides strategic and operational leadership for George Brown Polytechnic’s people systems, HR technology, employee lifecycle processes, service delivery enablement, and total rewards portfolio.
The role leads the modernization of People & Culture (P&C) systems and workflows by improving data integrity, simplifying processes, enabling automation and self-service, and strengthening the employee and manager experience. Working with P&C, Information Technology Services, Finance, and other partners, the Executive Director connects people, process, technology, data, and service delivery across the employee lifecycle.
The role also provides strategic oversight of Total Rewards, including compensation, benefits, pension, job evaluation, pay equity, payroll operations, and related governance, ensuring programs and processes are compliant, equitable, transparent, efficient, and aligned with Polytechnic priorities.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead people systems, HR technology, and service transformation
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Provide strategic leadership for P&C systems, HR technology, digital tools, and related service delivery processes.
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Develop and advance a people systems and technology roadmap that supports the employee lifecycle, operational efficiency, data integrity, and user experience.
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Partner with Information Technology Services, Finance, and P&C leaders to strengthen system integration, workflow design, reporting, and service outcomes.
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Lead HR technology optimization, system enhancements, release adoption, vendor coordination, and continuous improvement.
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Identify opportunities to better use existing platforms and introduce practical digital solutions that simplify work for employees, managers, and P&C teams.
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Optimize employee lifecycle workflows and HR service delivery
- Lead the review, redesign, and standardization of employee lifecycle processes, including recruitment, onboarding, employee changes, leaves, compensation, payroll, benefits, reporting, and offboarding.
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Design user-friendly, accessible, and inclusive HR processes, tools, and resources that make it easier for employees and managers to understand requirements, complete transactions, and access support.
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Support shared services enablement by strengthening intake, triage, knowledge management, self-service tools, service standards, and reporting.
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Apply change management, communication, and training practices to support adoption of new systems, workflows, and service delivery approaches.
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Advance HR automation, AI, data, and analytics
- Explore and lead opportunities to responsibly apply HR AI, automation, and digital workflow tools to improve service delivery, reduce manual work, and strengthen decision-making.
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Establish appropriate privacy, security, accessibility, and human oversight practices when assessing automation or AI-enabled HR solutions.
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Strengthen HR data governance, data quality, reporting, dashboards, and analytics capabilities.
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Use people data and service metrics to identify trends, assess service performance, support planning, and inform continuous improvement.
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Provide strategic oversight of Total Rewards and Payroll
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Provide strategic oversight of compensation, benefits, pension, job evaluation, pay equity, salary administration, and related Total Rewards governance.
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Ensure Total Rewards programs and processes are equitable, compliant, financially responsible, and aligned with legislation, collective agreements, institutional policies, and sector practices.
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Oversee compensation governance, market benchmarking, job evaluation, and executive and administrator compensation review processes.
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Guide the payroll operating environment, including systems, controls, reporting, and service standards, to support accurate, timely, and compliant pay for full-time and non-full-time employees.
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Partner with internal and external stakeholders on benefits, pension, payroll, reporting, and compliance obligations.
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Provide People & Culture leadership
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Lead, coach, and develop a multi-disciplinary team across people systems, payroll, HR administration, Total Rewards, HR technology, and related service functions.
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Foster an inclusive, service-oriented, and continuous improvement culture with clear priorities, performance expectations, service standards, and measures of success.
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Contribute to broader P&C planning, governance, risk management, and institutional priorities.
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Demonstrate a commitment to equity, accessibility, inclusion, Indigenization, and anti-racism in leadership, service design, and decision-making.
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Other related duties as assigned.
Educational and Experience Requirements:
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Four-year degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in Human Resources, Business Administration, Information Systems, Organizational Development, Public Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
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Minimum of eleven (11) years of progressive leadership experience in human resources, people systems, HR technology, HR operations, Total Rewards, payroll, service delivery, process optimization, or a related area.
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Senior-level experience leading HR technology, HRIS/HCM systems, people systems, process improvement, service transformation, workflow redesign, automation, reporting, or digital HR initiatives.
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Experience leading employee lifecycle process optimization, including HR workflow redesign, standardization, automation, knowledge management, employee/manager self-service, case management, service-centre practices, HR shared services, or tiered service delivery models.
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Experience working with HR systems, payroll systems, ERP platforms, service management tools, reporting tools, dashboards, or related integrations.
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Experience using data, reporting, metrics, and analytics to support decision-making, service improvement, compliance, and operational planning.
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Experience providing strategic oversight for Total Rewards, compensation, benefits, pension, job evaluation, pay equity, payroll, or related HR governance functions.
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Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams, managing complex projects, and working with senior leaders and cross-functional partners in a complex organization.
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Preferred:
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Experience in a unionized, public sector, broader public sector, post-secondary, or similarly complex environment.
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CHRP, CHRL, compensation, payroll, HR technology, project management, process improvement, Lean/Six Sigma, change management, data analytics, or service management certification.
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Experience with HR, payroll, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), service delivery, automation, or reporting platforms such as Workday, Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP SuccessFactors, Ellucian Banner, Cornerstone, ServiceNow, Microsoft Power Platform, or similar systems.
Skills and Attributes:
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Strong understanding of HR technology, people systems, HR operations, employee lifecycle processes, service delivery models, and digital transformation.
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Demonstrated ability to lead system optimization, workflow redesign, process standardization, automation, reporting, analytics, and continuous improvement initiatives.
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Ability to translate business needs into practical system, process, data, and service delivery improvements.
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Strong project leadership, change management, communication, stakeholder engagement, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
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Ability to work effectively with People & Culture, Information Technology Services, Finance, senior leaders, vendors, and other institutional partners.
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Knowledge of Total Rewards, payroll, compensation, benefits, pension, job evaluation, pay equity, and related governance practices.
Interview process may consist of a practical skills component.
Notes:
- The Polytechnic requires proof of degrees, credentials, or equivalencies from accredited regional or federal post-secondary institutions and/or their international equivalents. Credentials may require validation at the time of interviews or offer.
About Us:
George Brown Polytechnic prides itself on educating students through real-world learning, in the heart of Toronto. Our faculty and employees make this vision a reality, and we support them by making George Brown a great place to work. See why we are consistently ranked as one of GTA’s top employers.
Why work here?
George Brown Polytechnic offers hybrid work opportunities, a competitive pension plan, generous holiday and vacation time, a tuition assistance program, discounted rates for employees taking Continuing Education courses, and an equitable work environment where everyone matters.
George Brown Polytechnic is committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Candidates who require accommodation in the hiring process may contact [email protected] confidentially.
Notice Regarding Employment Postings and Recruitment Fraud
If you become aware of any job postings or employment opportunities advertised on external websites that are not currently listed on George Brown Polytechnic employment website, please report them to [email protected].
Please note that George Brown Polytechnic maintains a no-fee recruitment policy. At no time will George Brown request payment, fees, or financial information from applicants as part of the recruitment or hiring process.
Applicants are advised to remain vigilant of recruitment-related scams and to rely only on official George Brown communications and postings published on our official employment website.
