People & Culture Manager (Waterloo)

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY We are seeking an experienced, hands-on People & Culture Manager who brings both strategic thinking and strong execution capability. This role is ideal for someone who has successfully defined and driven HR priorities within growing organizations and who thrives in environments where thoughtful planning, organization, communication, and follow-through are essential. The successful candidate will be a proactive leader who can assess organizational needs, establish clear people priorities, and execute against them in a practical and sustainable way. They will bring demonstrated experience designing and implementing HR programs, processes, and initiatives that positively impact employee experience, organizational effectiveness, and business performance. This is not a purely strategic or advisory role — we are looking for someone who is equally comfortable developing the plan and rolling up their sleeves to execute it. The ideal candidate is collaborative, communicative, detail-oriented, and highly accountable, with a natural ability to build trust and momentum across teams. A key focus of this role will be helping to intentionally shape and strengthen organizational culture through thoughtful leadership, consistent people practices, strong manager partnership, and ongoing employee engagement efforts. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES - Develop and execute practical People & Culture priorities aligned with organizational goals and evolving business needs - Independently lead HR initiatives from concept through implementation, including planning, communication, execution, and follow-through - Evolve, design and implement scalable HR programs, processes, tools, and employee experience initiatives - Build structured and organized approaches to people operations, ensuring strong prioritization, documentation, and project management - Provide regular, proactive communication and status updates to management regarding HR priorities, progress, risks, and recommendations - Partner closely with leadership to support workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, employee relations, performance management, and team development - Champion a positive, intentional, and values-aligned organizational culture through consistent leadership and people practices - Support managers in strengthening leadership capability, accountability, communication, and employee experience - Continuously assess and improve HR processes, workflows, and employee experiences to drive greater efficiency, consistency, and organizational effectiveness - Evaluate and recommend HR systems, tools, and emerging technologies — including AI-enabled solutions where appropriate — to enhance productivity, reporting, communication, recruitment, employee experience, and overall people operations - Operate as a trusted and credible partner who can balance strategic thinking with practical execution and day-to-day support - Bring a solutions-oriented and resourceful mindset, with the ability to work independently while maintaining strong collaboration across the organization SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED - 8+ years of progressive HR experience, including prior leadership at an HR (People & Culture) Manager level - Post-secondary education in Human Resources or related field; CHRL designation strongly preferred - Demonstrated experience shaping and executing a people strategy within a growing or entrepreneurial organization - Demonstrated ability to build structure and move priorities forward independently - Excellent communication skills with a proactive, transparent approach to updates and stakeholder partnership - A builder mindset — someone who enjoys creating, improving, and implementing practical people solutions - Comfortable balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution - Experience influencing culture, leadership practices, and employee experience in a meaningful way - Solid comfort level leveraging HR technology and exploring modern tools, automation, and AI-enabled solutions to improve efficiency and employee experience - Professionally mature, polished, and collaborative approach with a strong sense of accountability and ownership - Deep knowledge of employment legislation and best practices - Broad, end-to-end HR expertise across compensation, performance management, employee relations, engagement, talent acquisition, and development - Strong business acumen, with the ability to connect people strategies to operational and financial outcomes - Comfortable operating in a hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves environment, balancing design and planning with execution - Highly adaptable, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and evolving business needs Apply on Kit Job: kitjob.ca/job/2o0032