Vice President, Talent & Diversity

Job Description

Job Description

Who we are

Heart & Stroke is one of Canada’s most respected health charities, championing life-saving research, public awareness, and support for people affected by heart disease and stroke. With a mission that reaches communities across the country, the Foundation is committed to fostering a workplace where people feel respected, supported, and able to do their best work.

The opportunity

As we continue to strengthen its people practices and build on its caring and high-performance culture, we are seeking a skilled and collaborative Vice President, Talent and Diversity to help lead this work.

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Talent, Governance and General Counsel, the Vice President plays a key role in implementing and operationalizing Heart & Stroke’s talent strategy. The VP oversees the full HR portfolio, including total rewards, compensation and benefits, employee relations, talent acquisition, performance management, and workforce planning, and leads the ongoing integration of the Foundation’s internal EDI strategy across people practices. The VP ensures people systems, policies, and processes are effective, equitable, and consistently applied, while providing practical guidance to leaders and managers. Working closely with Learning and Development, Internal Communications, Operations, and other partners, the VP helps align talent, engagement, culture, and organizational priorities to support day-to-day operations and longer-term workforce needs.

As an ideal candidate, you are an experienced HR practitioner with strong operational depth and sound judgment. You have led the day-to-day delivery of HR in complex organizations and bring hands-on experience across core disciplines, including total rewards, talent processes, and EDI.

Comfortable advising leaders and navigating complex employee matters, you ensure compliance with employment legislation and organizational policy. You are steady, pragmatic, and collaborative in your approach, hold a university education in a related field and a professional HR designation, and take pride in seeing well-designed people processes work effectively in practice while contributing to a workplace where people feel supported, included, and connected to Heart & Stroke’s mission.

How you will make an impact every day

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Talent Strategy

Serve as a trusted advisor to the SVP, CEO, and Leadership Team on talent strategy, workforce planning, and future capability needs.

Support the ongoing implementation of Heart & Stroke’s forward-looking Talent & Diversity strategy that reflects its mission, values, and strategic priorities.

Monitor and leverage emerging trends, including AI, demographic shifts, hybrid work, and legislative compliance, to inform talent strategy and organizational capability.

Continue to foster and support a culture grounded in care, inclusiveness, wellness, and high performance.

Human Resources, Talent Systems, and Employee Experience

Lead all HR functions including talent acquisition, employee relations, and performance management.

Strengthen the employee lifecycle through equitable, human-centered, and values-aligned policies and practices.

Provide leadership on employee relations, conflict resolution, and sensitive workplace investigations.

Champion the use of people analytics, data, and dashboards within HR to support strategic decision-making and workforce insights.

Partner closely with Internal Communications to align messages related to engagement, culture, and people programs.

Work in strong partnership with Learning & Development to ensure that organizational capability-building aligns with talent needs and broader organizational strategic priorities.

Total Rewards and Workforce Wellbeing

Lead Heart & Stroke’s total rewards programs, including compensation, pension, benefits, wellness, and recognition.

Ensure programs are competitive, equitable, and aligned with the Foundation’s total rewards philosophy.

Guide benchmarking, compensation reviews, pay equity measures, and the design of total rewards programs that attract and retain top talent.

Strengthen integration between wellness initiatives, mental health supports, and Heart & Stroke’s culture of care.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Leadership

Continue to build and lead the Foundation’s internal HR EDI strategy, and work to coordinate and embed equitable practices and inclusive leadership throughout the organization in collaboration with leaders across other units.

Partner with leaders to foster a culture of belonging, psychological safety, and respect.

Champion anti-racism, accessibility, reconciliation, and equity across all people systems and organizational practices.

Ensure EDI principles inform hiring, promotion, leadership development, and talent processes.

Partnership, Collaboration, and Organizational Alignment

Collaborate with Learning & Development and the Project Management team to align capability-building, organizational learning, and future skills development.

Partner with Internal Communications to ensure consistent and aligned messaging on culture, talent, strategy, and engagement.

Support cross-functional work that strengthens culture, team cohesion, and organizational effectiveness.

Team Leadership

Lead and inspire a team of professionals to foster excellence, collaboration, and accountability.

Contribute to a culture where employees feel supported, engaged, and connected to Heart & Stroke’s mission.

Maintain high standards of service delivery, operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and employment law alignment (in partnership with the SVP).

Coach, mentor, and develop team members to build organizational capability and talent bench strength.

Who we need

Education

University degree required, ideally in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field.

Professional HR designation (e.g., CHRL, CHRE) required

Experience

Significant and progressive inclusive HR leadership experience, including direct oversight of HR and total rewards in a mid-sized and complex organization.

Experience leading talent strategies or people system transformations.

Experience in nonprofit, public sector, health charity, or values-driven environments is an asset.

Skills

Strategic thinker with the ability to anticipate workforce trends and future capability needs.

Strong understanding of Canadian employment legislation, HR best practices, and organizational risk.

Demonstrated experience integrating talent, HR, culture, and EDI strategies in a complex organizational environment.

Deep commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, reconciliation, and belonging.

High emotional intelligence, cultural humility, and exceptional judgment.

Skilled communicator with excellent written and verbal communication abilities, and exceptional attention to detail.

Passion for and experience with creating and driving process with an understanding of organizational change.

Sophisticated understanding of digital tools, HRIS systems, data analytics, and technology-enabled HR practices.

Ability to build trust, influence without authority, and navigate sensitive or complex issues with diplomacy.

Strong project management, organizational development, and change-leadership skills.

Ability to thrive in a values-driven, mission-oriented, and collaborative environment.

Apply now

If you are a passionate people leader committed to strengthening HR practices, supporting leaders, and helping build a cohesive and inclusive workplace where employees can thrive, we would be pleased to hear from you. Please submit your CV and Cover Letter via the portal at boyden.thriveapp.ly / job / 3081. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact John Caminiti or Mike Young at ().

Heart & Stroke believes in equity, diversity and inclusion and is committed to applying this principle to cultivate a welcoming environment that embraces diversity among its employees. Candidates from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to, Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, women, and people living with disabilities are encouraged to apply. To learn more about their mission, values, commitment to EDI, please  visit their website .

Heart & Stroke is committed to fostering an inclusive, barrier-free and accessible environment. If you have been contacted for an interview and require accommodation to participate in the recruitment and selection process, please advise and we will work with you. Please contact Mike Young with any requests that will allow you to participate in this process fully and equitably.

Heart & Stroke is a hybrid workplace with employees working across Canada. There will be a requirement that the role comes into the Toronto office on occasion.

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