Senior Director, Workforce Strategy and Innovation Programs

Opportunity

As Senior Director, Early Talent & Experience for Technology & Operations, you will lead the strategic design and execution of integrated Talent and Experience programs that establish RBC T&O as a competitive leader in attracting, developing, and retaining world‑class technology talent. This role combines strategic talent planning with operational program delivery excellence, requiring you to translate T&O’s talent imperatives into measurable business outcomes and organizational capability. You will lead and develop a substantial multidisciplinary team providing strategic vision, mentorship, and accountability structures that drive organisational excellence and career advancement. You will execute programs across early talent acquisition, technical capability development, retention, and organisational culture – all strategically aligned to T&O’s roadmap and Talent Strategy while serving as a key strategic advisor to senior leadership on talent priorities and organisational transformation.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Advisory

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner and advisor to T&O executives on talent priorities, organisational transformation, and people‑related business outcomes, directly influencing strategic decision‑making on early talent investments and learning.
• Shape T&O’s enterprise early talent strategy, translating organisational imperatives into integrated programmes that drive competitive advantage and support long‑term business objectives.
• Drive organisational transformation initiatives through early talent strategy, leadership development pathways, and capability‑building programmes that advance enterprise goals.
• Partner strategically with HR, Recruitment, and Corporate Communications leadership to establish differentiated employer brand positioning and value proposition that attracts and retains competitive technical talent in high‑demand markets; strengthen the brand in the market through university partnerships, industry engagement and early talent community presence.
• Foster cross‑functional partnerships with enterprise stakeholders to ensure talent strategy coherence across T&O and RBC, amplifying programme impact and organisational reach.

Talent & Experience Program Strategy

• Shape and execute a comprehensive, enterprise‑wide early talent and experience strategy that positions Tech@RBC as a premier destination for world‑class technology talent, directly supporting organisational capability and competitive advantage.
• Direct strategic talent and experience programme portfolio aligned to T&O’s and AI Group’s technology roadmap and critical capability requirements (AI/ML, cloud, data engineering, cybersecurity).
• Design and oversee T&O’s early talent pipeline strategy, including co‑op and New Grad programmes with measurable business outcomes tied to talent conversion, retention, and organisational capability development.
• Drive enterprise‑level workforce planning and capability forecasting that informs long‑term talent strategy and organisational transformation initiatives.

Employee Experience, Engagement & Retention

• Design strategic employee experience programmes that differentiate RBC T&O and AI Group as an employer of choice, embedding career acceleration, innovation culture, and continuous growth opportunity into organisational programmes.
• Direct the development and execution of enterprise‑scale employee recognition programmes that reinforce organisational culture, drive engagement, and strengthen retention of high‑performing talent.
• Build and deploy strategic initiatives that enhance employee experience, strengthen organisational culture, and position RBC T&O and AI Group as a destination employer for technology talent.

Analytics & Business Impact

• Establish advanced talent analytics and workforce intelligence capabilities delivering predictive insights on early talent attraction, retention, capability development, and experience, informing strategic decision‑making across the enterprise.
• Implement metrics‑driven governance around critical talent KPIs with real‑time insights and executive reporting that demonstrates programme performance, business impact, and return on investment.
• Drive continuous optimisation of talent programmes through advanced analytics, data‑driven insights, and strategic experimentation, translating findings into enterprise‑wide capability enhancements.

Large‑Scale Team Leadership

• Lead and develop a substantial multidisciplinary team establishing clear strategic vision, accountability structures, and performance expectations.
• Build high‑performance organisational culture characterised by strategic orientation, operational excellence, and measurable accountability, fostering an environment that attracts and develops emerging leaders.
• Provide strategic mentorship and leadership development to team members, identifying and cultivating emerging talent leaders and building organisational bench strength for future enterprise leadership.

Requirements

Must‑have

• 5+ years proven experience collaborating and advising senior executives while leading and executing strategic projects/programs, including matrix/dotted‑line reporting structures.
• Proven track record in building and leading diverse teams.
• Experience managing multi‑million‑dollar portfolios, including funding/budget management.
• Experience in strategy translation—converting enterprise objectives into actionable programmes/initiatives.
• Strategic acumen in talent management, organisational design, or innovation ecosystems.

Nice to have

• Experience leading innovation centres, labs, or hub‑based organisational models through different maturity phases.
• Deep knowledge of Canadian tech ecosystem and academic partnerships.
• Background in fintech, technology, or transformation‑focused environments.
• Track record of building employer brand and driving organisational culture change.
• Experience serving as a culture carrier and embedding organisational values across distributed teams.

Benefits

• A comprehensive Total Rewards Programme including bonuses and flexible benefits, competitive compensation and stock where applicable.
• Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities.
• Ability to make a difference and lasting impact.
• Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high‑performing team.
• A world‑class training programme in financial services.
• Flexible work/life balance options.
• Opportunities to do challenging work.

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