Director of Human Resources
Location: Kenora, ON
Maxwell Management Group Ltd. is proud to partner with Kenora Association for Community Living (KACL) in search of a Director of Human Resources to join their team.
About:
Kenora Association for Community Living (KACL) is a respected, community-based organization dedicated to supporting individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health needs to live meaningful, inclusive, and fulfilling lives. As one of Kenora’s largest employers, KACL delivers a broad range of person-centred services rooted in dignity, independence, and community connection.
Guided by its four core fundamentals: Safety, Courtesy, Teamwork, and Inclusion, KACL is committed to fostering a culture where employees and the people they support feel valued, respected, and empowered.
As KACL continues to strengthen its organizational structure and prepare for the future, this newly created senior leadership role represents an important investment in people, culture, and long-term organizational sustainability. Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director of Human Resources will play a key role in shaping workforce strategy, advancing leadership development, strengthening labour relations, and driving IDEAL (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Leadership) initiatives across the organization.
Position Summary:
Reporting directly to the CEO, the Director of Human Resources is a key member of the senior leadership team and provides strategic leadership for Human Resources and Organizational Learning across the organization. This role is responsible for developing and advancing people strategies that support organizational sustainability, workforce effectiveness, employee engagement, and service excellence.
The Director oversees a broad portfolio that includes workforce planning, labour relations, recruitment and retention, compensation and benefits, performance management, leadership development, and organizational learning. Working collaboratively with senior leaders and managers, the Director ensures that people-related programs, policies, and practices are aligned with organizational priorities, legislative requirements, and KACL’s values.
As a trusted advisor to the CEO and leadership team, the Director plays an important role in strengthening organizational culture, supporting leadership capacity, managing people-related risk, and fostering an inclusive, respectful, and high-performing workplace. This position offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on both the employee experience and the long-term success of one of Northwestern Ontario’s most respected community-based organizations.
Responsibilities:
- HR Strategy & Governance: Lead the development and oversight of KACL’s human resources strategy, workforce planning, and HR policy frameworks to support organizational goals, compliance, and long-term sustainability.
- Labour Relations & Employee Risk: Provide leadership on collective agreement interpretation, grievance management, investigations, progressive discipline, and people-related risk management within a unionized environment.
- Talent, Structure & Succession: Oversee organizational design, job architecture, recruitment frameworks, onboarding, and succession planning to strengthen workforce continuity and leadership capacity.
- Compensation, Benefits & Performance: Govern salary structures, benefits, pension oversight, pay equity compliance, and performance management frameworks to ensure fairness, consistency, and accountability.
- Organizational Learning & IDEAL Advancement: Lead learning and development strategies while advancing KACL’s IDEAL framework to foster leadership growth, inclusion, accessibility, and workforce engagement.
- HR Operations & Systems: Oversee HR workflows, records management, service delivery processes, HR communications, and HR data analytics to improve operational efficiency and support organizational decision-making.
Why This Role Stands Out?
KACL offers a rare opportunity to step into a newly created senior leadership HR role at a pivotal moment of organizational growth and transformation. This is a chance to build, shape, and influence the future of people strategy within one of Kenora’s largest and most respected community-based organizations.
- Lead Meaningful Change: Play a central role in advancing KACL’s future-focused priorities, including leadership development, workforce sustainability, and IDEAL initiatives.
- A Seat at the Senior Leadership Table: Reporting directly to the CEO, this role offers significant visibility, influence, and the ability to shape organizational decisions at the highest level.
- A Well-Built Foundation: Unlike many transformation roles, you’ll inherit an established HR and Organizational Learning team and existing infrastructure, allowing you to focus on strengthening and elevating the function rather than building from scratch.
- Lifestyle & Location: Live and lead in Kenora, a vibrant community where career opportunities meet an exceptional outdoor lifestyle on the shores of Lake of the Woods.
Qualifications:
- A university degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field, combined with a recognized Human Resources designation (CHRL or CHRP).
- Minimum five (5) years of progressive senior Human Resources leadership experience, ideally within a unionized, compliance-driven environment.
- Strong experience in collective agreement interpretation, grievance management, workplace investigations, progressive discipline, and employee relations.
- Exceptional leadership, emotional intelligence, and communication skills, with the ability to influence, collaborate, and build trust across senior leadership teams, employees, and stakeholders.
Compensation:
- The role offers a competitive annual salary of $135,000, complemented by a comprehensive benefits package and participation in a defined contribution pension plan, creating a strong total rewards package for experienced HR leaders.
Leaders Helping Leaders … We Welcome Your Valued Referrals!
If this opportunity is not aligned with your experience or career interests, we encourage you to share it with members of your professional network who may be interested.
We welcome applications from qualified candidates and invite you to submit your resume in confidence. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.
Maxwell Management Group Ltd. is committed to building an inclusive and accessible workplace. We respect and celebrate diversity and are dedicated to providing a barrier-free recruitment experience.
Accommodation is available upon request for candidates participating in all stages of the selection process.
Pay: $135,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Application question(s):
- 1. How many years of experience do you have in a senior Human Resources leadership role?
- Less than 3 years
- 3–5 years
- 5–10 years
- More than 10 years
- 2. Do you have Human Resources leadership experience in a unionized environment?
- Yes
- No
- 3. Which of the following labour relations activities have you personally led? (Select all that apply.)
- Collective agreement interpretation
- Grievance management
- Workplace investigations
- Progressive discipline
- Terminations
- Collective bargaining
- None of the above
- 4. Do you currently hold a CHRP or CHRL designation?
- CHRL
- CHRP
- In progress
- No designation
- 5. This position is based in Kenora, Ontario and requires regular in-person leadership presence. Are you willing to relocate or commute to Kenora?
- Yes
- No
- Already reside in the area
Work Location: In person
