Vice President, People Strategy

PLATFORM Insurance is a national, privately owned Canadian brokerage specializing in insurance, surety, group retirement & benefits, and life & estate solutions. We are driven by industry at the heart of everything we do. Our team blends sophisticated expertise with strategic thinking, ensuring that our tailored solutions exceed client expectations. PLATFORM operates through focused industry groups that own their client relationships, their revenue, and their teams end-to-end. Rather than building a large, centralized bureaucracy, we've bet on smaller, high-performing teams supported by strong systems and smart use of technology. It's a model that produces better outcomes for clients – and better careers for the people who join us. We're growing nationally, and we're building the institutional infrastructure to match.

The Opportunity

This is a builder role. PLATFORM is seeking a Vice President, People Strategy to design and scale the people architecture that enables our next stage of growth. You'll partner directly with executive leadership to build the systems, frameworks, and leadership infrastructure that allow us to attract exceptional talent, maintain a high-performance culture and grow without losing what makes us effective. This role blends strategy with hands-on execution. You won't be inheriting a mature HR function – you'll be shaping one. If you thrive in environments where the work is meaningful, the mandate is real and the organizational chart is still being written, this is the role for you.

What You'll Own

Talent Strategy & Acquisition

• Develop and execute PLATFORM's enterprise talent strategy in alignment with industry group growth and national expansion plans
• Build proactive pipelines for senior account executives, industry specialists, and enterprise leaders
• Standardize hiring workflows and evaluation frameworks to maintain consistent talent quality across the firm
• Lead recruiting for strategic hires, team and acquisition integrations
• Strengthen PLATFORM's employer brand and candidate experience in competitive markets

Performance Management & Leadership Development

• Implement structured performance management processes tied to productivity, accountability and cultural expectations
• Build career progression frameworks and promotion criteria that create clarity and motivation
• Design leadership development programs for emerging and senior leaders across the firm
• Reinforce a culture of direct feedback, high standards, and continuous improvement

Organizational Effectiveness

• Partner with executive leadership on organizational design as the firm scales nationally
• Establish onboarding frameworks that accelerate cultural integration and productivity
• Support integration of new teams and acquisitions
• Maintain clarity around roles, decision rights and leadership accountability as the organization grows

Compensation & Total Rewards

• Manage compensation benchmarking, salary bands and incentive alignment
• Partner with Finance to ensure compensation structures reflect industry group economics and long-term retention goals
• Support evolution of incentive structures, equity participation and performance-based rewards
• Help ensure that top performers feel the firm's rewards match their contribution

People Systems & Analytics

• Implement scalable HR systems and reporting infrastructure
• Track key workforce metrics: hiring velocity, top performer retention, leadership pipeline health, and productivity per employee
• Leverage modern HR technology and automation across recruiting, onboarding and performance management
• Partner with PLATFORM's executive leadership to ensure people systems evolve alongside AI and workflow tools

Experience

• 10–15+ years of progressive People or HR leadership, with meaningful time in a senior or VP-level role
• Background in professional services, financial services, insurance or similarly performance-driven environments is strongly preferred
• Demonstrated track record building scalable people processes in a growing organization
• Experience supporting growth through acquisitions or rapid hiring cycles is a significant asset
• Exposure to incentive design, performance management systems and organizational development

How You Work

• High agency – you take ownership of problems and drive them to resolution without waiting for permission
• Strong commercial instincts; you understand how the business makes money and you build people strategies that support it
• Executive presence and genuine ability to influence senior leaders
• Equally comfortable with strategic design and hands‑on execution
• Curious about how AI and technology are reshaping workforce productivity in professional services
• Discreet, sound in judgment and trusted by the leaders you partner with

Why PLATFORM

Real mandate. This isn't a seat at the table – it's a role where you design the table. You'll have direct access to executive leadership and genuine influence over how this firm grows. A model that works. PLATFORM's industry group structure attracts serious professionals who want to own their book and build their practice. The people you'll be recruiting and developing are high performers – and they expect the firm's people infrastructure to match. The right moment. PLATFORM is at an inflection point – scaling nationally, integrating new teams, and professionalizing its enterprise capabilities. The VP, People Strategy will help set the foundation for what this firm becomes over the next decade. Competitive package. Base salary commensurate with experience, performance-based incentives allowing meaningful participation in the firm's long-term success.

Salary Range

$180,000 to $200,000