Human Resources Business Partner

The City of Markham is proud to be recognized for the 4th consecutive year as one of Canada’s Best Employers by Forbes and Statista Inc. In 2024, the City of Markham is ranked the top city in Ontario and in the top 10 for Government Services. The recipient of multiple environmental awards, we are recognized for our innovative sustainability and urban planning initiatives as well as our fiscal accountability. More than 357,000 residents call Markham home and benefit from our rich heritage, culturally diverse environment, vibrant local economy and focus on quality of life.

Applications are now being accepted for the regular full-time position of Human Resources Business Partner in the People Services Department within the Office of the CAO. To apply for this position, please submit your resume and cover letter online by March 10, 2024.

Join a purpose driven team, committed to results and excellent customer service, in an inclusive and high-performing culture!

JOB SUMMARY
The People Services Department at the City of Markham is seeking a full time Human Resources Business Partner (‘HRBP’) to support leaders in delivering strategic and effective people management practices and capabilities.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Employee and Labour Relations & Health and Safety, the HRBP will develop trusted relationships with assigned client groups to understand their business and people priorities. Acting as a key advisor to the Commission Leadership team, the HRBP will provide strategic HR solutions to address complex issues and changing needs in a dynamic work environment. Key areas of responsibility include talent management, workforce and succession planning, HR metrics and reporting, and employee and labour relations.

This position is an exciting opportunity for an innovative, motivated and dynamic HR professional with a continuous improvement mindset, who is looking to drive projects and initiatives that champion a high-performance environment and implement a people strategy that attracts, retains, develops and motivates staff in support of organizational goals and priorities!

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide proactive HR advice and counsel to Commissioners and Directors in the areas of talent and HR strategy to help meet their business needs by leveraging Centres of Excellence (CoE’s) for overall strategies and guidelines; and HR Services for reporting and support.
• Facilitate and embed performance management discipline across client group(s), ensuring consistency of approach and alignment to City-wide programs.
• Provide customized people solutions in alignment with City-wide and departmental workforce goals and priorities, proactively sharing relevant business insights from client groups.
• Analyze and present workforce data and analytics to formulate insights and recommendations, and to integrate solutions that meet business needs.
• Lead initiatives that increase trust, employee engagement, leadership effectiveness and workforce productivity.
• Promote and demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, ensuring a respectful work environment that is psychologically safe and free of discrimination and harassment
• Lead and manage organizational redesign, effectiveness, change and workforce initiatives in concert with the Organizational Development team and in alignment with departmental goals.
• Coach and develop leaders to deliver effective people management capabilities and practices, with the support of the Organizational Development team.
• Working closely with the Human Resources Specialists, support Directors in workforce planning to identify talent gaps and pipeline requirements to enable efficient recruitment and resourcing processes.
• Participate and represent the People Services Department in strategic business plan development and ongoing Commission meetings with Commissioners and Directors.
• Implement a people strategy that attracts, retains, develops and motivates staff while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement of people systems, processes and practices, shaping and driving projects to address any gaps or risks.
• Working closely with the Human Resources Specialists and subject matter experts, manage complex employee and labour relations matters, ensuring compliance with Collective Agreements, relevant employment legislation and policies.
• Lead workplace investigations, including harassment investigations, and make related recommendations for resolution/outcomes.
• Support complex absence management, accommodation, disability and return to work cases in conjunction with the Senior Health, Safety and Wellness Specialist.
• Lead and/or participate in HR projects, including the execution of various components of the People Services Business Plan, to enhance service delivery within the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• You have strong Human Resources experience, working in a complex, preferably unionized, environment, in a Business Partner capacity. Post-secondary education in Human Resources complemented by your CHRL designation is an asset.
• A minimum of 8 years of relevant and progressive industry experience in a unionized environment.
• To be successful in this role, you will have functional experience working across multiple human resource disciplines, including compensation/total rewards, organizational design, talent management, employee relations, talent acquisition, performance management, paired with advanced knowledge of employment legislation and labour relations practices.
• You bring a strong consulting approach to this role, with demonstrated experience recommending and implementing strategies to enable the successful delivery of progressive and proactive Human Resources programs and solutions.
• Your experience leading and managing change, process redesign and continuous improvement will be instrumental in this pivotal role.
• Key to your success is demonstration of strong judgement, influencing and coaching skills, paired with a proven ability to build and nurture strong business relationships.
• You are strategic, flexible and solutions focused, with the ability to communicate with confidence at all organizational levels, both verbally and in writing. You actively listen and seek to understand needs with genuine curiosity.
• You have a demonstrated ability to effectively perform in a complex, high change environment while being a positive steward for the People Services team. You are results oriented and able to effectively execute in a fast-paced environment.
• Your strong strategic capabilities allow you to assess issues and their potential impact on the City’s operations, image and reputation.
• You have excellent project management skills to oversee execution of complex strategies and initiatives while ensuring effective collaboration.
• You understand the value of and how data relates to actions and results.
• You are well-versed in technological tools that support the Human Resources functions and will enthusiastically work to integrate innovation and technology wherever possible.

CORE BEHAVIOURS

• Service Excellence: You place a high value on delivering customer service excellence, and managing service delivery to achieve organizational performance and quality standards and expectations, ensuring that construction conforms to Departmental requirements. You meet or exceed service standards when interacting with customers in the community and in the organization.
• Change & Innovation: Responds positively and professionally to change and helps others through change, ensuring high standards of work quality and organizational performance, supporting continuous learning and encouraging innovation
• Teamwork & Relationship Building: Interactand effectively convey complex technical information verbally and in writing to a full range of stakeholders including the public, internal and external agencies, government regulatory officials, Councillors and elected officials, and others. Your personal style lends itself to easily establishing effective and mutually beneficial relationships in support of the successful delivery of the Capital Program.
• Communication: You are an articulate communicator, known for your excellent written communication skills and ability to interact and effectively convey complex technical information verbally and in writing to a full range of stakeholders including the public, internal and external agencies, government regulatory officials, Councillors and elected officials, and others. Your personal style lends itself to easily establishing effective and mutually beneficial relationships in support of the successful delivery of the Capital Program.
• Accountable & Results Oriented: Demonstrates ethical behaviour and accountability, aligns with City values, and abides by relevant policies and legislation.
• Management & Leadership: You will be actively mentoring a talented team of engineering staff by recognizing the unique capabilities of individuals, promoting individual strengths and enabling the team to function effectively in an evolving work environment by fostering teamwork, ensuring high standards of work quality and organizational performance, supporting continuous learning and encouraging innovation.

The City of Markham is committed to inclusive, accessible and barrier free employment practices and to creating a workplace that reflects and supports the diversity of the community we serve. Please let us know if you require an accommodation and we will work with you to ensure a barrier free hiring process.

We thank all applicants who have applied. However, only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.