Manager, People Development & Retention

At Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), our purpose is our why - our commitment to “Making life better with the care you need, close to home.” Serving the communities of Simcoe Muskoka and surrounding regions, RVH is advancing a bold future through our Vitally You strategy, grounded in our values: Team Up, Be Kind, Do Great Things, Inspire Trust, and Be Bold.

To support this future, we recognize that exceptional patient care begins with exceptional people experiences. As healthcare continues to evolve, creating an environment where people feel connected, valued, supported, and inspired to stay and grow is essential to our success.

Reporting to The Director, People Experience and Talent, The Manager, People Development and Retention provides strategic leadership for organizational development, leadership development, learning and capability building, employee engagement, recognition, and retention initiatives that support RVH's workforce and strategic priorities.

Leading a team of organizational development and learning professionals, this role is responsible for strengthening organizational effectiveness by building leadership capability, supporting employee growth and development, enabling successful organizational change, fostering an engaged workforce, and advancing strategies that enhance employee recognition, retention, and long-term workforce sustainability.

The Manager Will Be Accountable For:

• Leading and developing a high-performing team of Organizational Development and Learning professionals to build leadership capability, strengthen organizational effectiveness, and enhance the employee experience across Team RVH.
• Leading the design and implementation of organizational development strategies that support RVH's strategic priorities, culture, workforce capability, and organizational effectiveness.
• Advancing a culture strategy aligned with RVH's Vitally You priorities and values by partnering with leaders to cultivate engagement, inclusion, accountability, wellbeing, and high performance across Team RVH.
• Designing and delivering leadership development programs, coaching, and talent development initiatives that strengthen leadership capability at all levels of the organization.
• Leading succession planning processes and developing leadership pathways aligned with RVH's values and future workforce needs.
• Providing strategic leadership for enterprise learning and development programs that support organizational priorities, professional growth, and workforce capability.
• Advancing innovative learning approaches that foster continuous learning, career development, and organizational performance.
• Providing strategic oversight of the Learning Management System (LMS), including governance, optimization, reporting, user experience, compliance education, and the advancement of digital learning capabilities.
• Leveraging LMS and workforce data to evaluate participation, compliance, learning effectiveness, and organizational impact.
• Leading change management strategies and providing leaders with the tools, consultation, and coaching required to successfully implement and sustain organizational initiatives, strengthening organizational readiness, resilience and adaptability.
• Leading RVH's Team Engagement Survey program, including implementation, administration, reporting, analysis, action planning, and the translation of insights into meaningful improvements in employee experience, culture and retention.
• Developing and implementing retention strategies that address workforce trends, engagement drivers, career development opportunities, and employee feedback.
• Providing strategic oversight of employee recognition programs, including service awards and enterprise-wide recognition initiatives that reinforce organizational values and celebrate contributions.
• Monitoring engagement, retention, and workforce metrics to identify risks, opportunities, and targeted interventions.
• Building strong partnerships across the People team and with Communications, clinical leaders, and operational leaders to deliver integrated people strategies and programs.
• Monitoring emerging trends and leading practices in organizational development, leadership development, learning, talent management, employee engagement, recognition, and retention.

The Leader We Are Looking For

You are a strategic and relationship-focused leader who understands that exceptional patient care begins with exceptional people experiences.

You bring expertise in organizational development, leadership development, learning and development, change management, talent management, and employee engagement. You are passionate about helping people and teams thrive and understand the critical role that recognition, growth, and meaningful work play in attracting and retaining talent.

You are equally comfortable facilitating leadership development programs, consulting on complex organizational challenges, leading enterprise change initiatives, and developing strategies that strengthen engagement and workforce retention.

You are a trusted advisor, skilled coach, and collaborative partner who can translate business priorities into people strategies that support Team RVH and advance the goals of the Vitally You strategy.

Qualifications

• University degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, Psychology, Adult Education, or a related field.
• Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) or Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation preferred.
• Prosci Change Management certification, coaching certification, or equivalent professional credentials considered an asset.
• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive experience in Organizational Development, Employee Experience, Leadership Development, Talent Management, Learning and Development, Employee Engagement, and/or Human Resources required.
• Minimum 3–5 years of leadership experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in employee engagement, recognition, retention, leadership development, succession planning, and culture transformation.
• Experience leading employee survey programs, engagement strategies, and action-planning processes.
• Experience designing and implementing employee recognition and retention initiatives.
• Strong facilitation, coaching, consulting, and partner engagement skills.
• Demonstrated ability to use workforce and engagement data to identify trends and guide decision-making.
• Experience leading complex organizational change initiatives.
• Experience working within a large, complex, unionized environment; healthcare experience preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading teams through change, growth, and transformation.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and relationship management skills.
• Commitment to equitable, inclusive, and transparent people practices.
• Ability to work effectively in a hybrid environment.

Equity & Inclusion
RVH is committed to recruitment and selection practices anchored in principles of equity and inclusion that contribute to an anti-oppressive, respectful, and culturally safe workplace.

We invite applications from individuals who belong to groups that have been historically marginalized on the grounds identified by the Ontario Human Right Code, including but not limited to race, disability, age, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, family or marital status, and status as a First Nation, Métis, or Inuk person.

To learn about how RVH is taking steps to create and sustain an equitable, inclusive, accessible and culturally-safe environment, please visit:

Accommodations
RVH is dedicated to ensuring every applicant has a fair and equitable opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities throughout our recruitment and selection process. We are continuously working to create an accessible, barrier-free process, and recognize each applicant’s needs are different.

We encourage applicants with a disability or circumstance that could be supported with an accommodation to contact People Recruitment at Recruitment@rvh.on.ca.

RVH does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to screen, assess, or select applicants.

If you are interested in this position, please apply online before 11:00 p.m. EST on the Requisition Close Date. If there is no close date listed above, the requisition will remain open until filled.