Director, People & Culture

Are you the kind of HR leader who sees culture as a competitive advantage and wants a seat where you can actually shape it

Were looking for a strategic hands-on Director People & Culture to lead our growing People & Culture function through the next chapter of EBTs growth. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer and leading a small team youll own the people pillar of our EBT Strategic Plan. Youll set direction on talent culture and capability coach principals through complex people decisions and build a P&C function that other firms want to poach from.
This isnt a traditional HR Director role. Youll sit at the leadership table as a peer not a support function. Youll partner with the C Suite and Principal group to shape the firms future while your team runs the day-to-day HR operations under your direction. If youre ready to lead the people strategy of a firm where culture matters and be trusted to own the outcome youll thrive here.

Who We Are

EBT is a full-service accounting firm with locations in Medicine Hat Alberta and Swift Current Saskatchewan. EBT has been in public accounting for more than 50 years! Our commitment to client service has contributed to substantial growth from a staff of 8 in 2000 to a complement of over 140 staff today.
Youll be joining an established well-respected and growing practice with an energetic fast-paced positive work environment that supports you to learn grow and achieve your full potential.

Position Details

Reports to: Chief Operating OfficerDirect Reports: People & Culture teamLocation: Medicine Hat ABType: Permanent FT

What You Own

Six clear areas of accountability. Each is yours end-to-end.
HR Strategy & Alignment

• Own the People pillar of EBTs Strategic Plan including talent culture and capability
• Translate firm strategy into a rolling three-year people plan with clear milestones and measurable outcomes
• Bring quarterly people insights and trend analysis to the COO
• Represent P&C on the leadership team as a peer
• Set compensation philosophy own market benchmarking and lead firm-wide compensation reviews

Talent Strategy & Workforce Planning

• Design and lead EBTs talent acquisition strategy across both offices including CPA candidate pipeline planning and principal-track development
• Build succession plans for critical roles and coach principals through candidate development
• Approve final compensation offers for senior roles and framework changes across the firm
• Partner with principals on principal-track candidate development and progression

Final Authority on High-Risk Decisions

• Approve all separations severance packages and legal-risk communications
• Review PIPs written warnings and complex employee relations matters for legal defensibility before delivery
• Own the relationship with external employment counsel and other HR legal vendors
• Ensure firm-wide compliance with Alberta Employment Standards Code Saskatchewan Employment Standards Act Human Rights Occupational Health & Safety and privacy legislation

Principal Group Liaison & Executive Reporting

• Be the bridge between P&C and the Principal group. Translate Principal feedback into P&C action items
• Present HR data (turnover capacity engagement comp) at leadership meetings with insight and recommendations
• Coach principals through people decisions and act as trusted advisor on complex team matters
• Own firm-level people communications that require executive-level relationship management

Culture Engagement & Employee Experience

• Steward EBT to the CORE values across everything from performance management to promotion decisions
• Drive an intentional employee experience across the full lifecycle: attract hire develop promote offboard
• Own the employee engagement survey act on the results and hold leaders accountable for their team scores
• Champion firm-wide culture initiatives and set the direction for staff events recognition programs and community engagement

People & Culture Team Leadership

• Coach and develop the People & Culture team
• Set clear KPIs and accountabilities for the P&C team
• Hold weekly 1:1s focused on outcomes not task-level check-ins

What Success Looks Like (12 Months)

The metrics that matter and the outcomes behind them:People-First Outcomes

• The C-Suite and Principal group view P&C as a strategic function that adds real value not a compliance one
• Zero surprises at the leadership table. You always know the people risks and the plan
• Every critical role has a documented successor
• Culture is measurably strong. Engagement retention and staff sentiment reflect a firm people actively choose to join and stay with
• Your team operates with clarity and confidence.

By the Numbers

• Voluntary turnover held below industry benchmark
• Employee engagement scores in the top quartile of professional services
• CPA candidate pipeline consistently full and on track for principal development
• Open positions across the firm filled within 30 days on average
• Performance management framework fully embedded with EBT to the CORE
• Time on HR execution (not strategy) below 10% of your week

Who You Are

• Strategic - You lead with data three-year thinking and firm-level impact
• Confident you excel in the hard conversations. You coach principals through complex decisions and take the tough calls yourself when they land at your desk
• Trusted - Principals rely on you. Staff trust you. Youve earned a reputation for telling the truth and following through
• Legally sharp You know employment law and use it to protect the firm and support employees
• Culture-forward - You believe culture is the competitive edge and lead like it
• Culturally aligned - You live and steward EBT to the CORE: Client First Craft Excellence Credibility Counts Continuous Growth Culture Champions

Skills & Qualifications

Required

• Post-secondary education in Human Resources Business or a related field
• Minimum 10 years of progressive HR experience with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role
• Demonstrated experience building or transforming an HR function
• Deep working knowledge of the employment law
• Proven experience leading complex employee relations PIPs separations and legal risk mitigation
• Experience with modern HRIS platforms and AI tools

Preferred

• CPHR designation or actively working toward it
• Experience in professional services public practice or another regulated environment
• Experience in a multi-office firm
• Experience with Karbon SharePoint and AI-enabled HR tools

The EBT DifferenceCall us a show-off but were proud of our unbeatable employee culture. From casual water cooler chats to one of our three major employee events per year we have a tight-knit outgoing and inclusive group of people. We offer regular opportunities for staff to interact including paid lunches in tax season staff intramurals social committee and more. If we havent impressed you yet we also offer a comprehensive benefits program RRSP matching and annual salary and bonus reviews.

Required Experience:

Director

Employment Type : Full-Time
Experience: years
Vacancy: 1