Associate vice-president (people and culture)

Associate vice-president (people and culture), Memorial University
St. John’s, NL

Memorial University invites accomplished people and culture executives to help shape an inclusive, people-first workplace while leading bold transformation at Newfoundland and Labrador’s only university.

The Organization

Memorial University respectfully acknowledges that the lands on which our campuses are situated are in the traditional territories of diverse Indigenous groups, and we acknowledge with respect the diverse histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu and Inuit of this province. Memorial University is deeply committed to truth and reconciliation and to building relationships based on mutual understanding and respect.

Memorial plays a unique and vital role in Newfoundland and Labrador. With a deep commitment to advancing award winning research, creative scholarship and entrepreneurialism that reflects the evolving needs of communities, Memorial is home to over 17,000 students and over 3,500 faculty and staff across multiple campuses in St. John’s, Corner Brook, and Labrador. Founded in 1925 as a living memorial to those who lost their lives in the First World War, the university has grown into a comprehensive institution with global impact and local relevance.

Rooted in the province’s resilient spirit, Memorial is an institution with a powerful sense of place, belonging, and purpose. The university has begun an exciting new journey with a clear focus on academic excellence, financial sustainability, reconciliation, and the experience of Memorial students.


The Role

The Associate vice-president (people and culture) is a pan-university leadership role and a key partner to Memorial’s senior leadership team. The Associate vice-president (AVP) will provide strategic leadership for all people and culture functions across a complex multi-campus environment. This role presents a rare opportunity to reposition the human resource function, leading transformative change that supports Memorial’s academic, research, and public engagement missions. The AVP will work collaboratively with senior leaders, unions, and campus partners to build a unified, inclusive, and service-oriented organizational culture.

Key Areas of Leadership and Oversight:

• People and Culture Strategy: Lead the co-creation and implementation of a university-wide people and culture strategy aligned with Memorial’s priorities and values.
   
• Organizational Culture and Employee Engagement: Foster a unified, inclusive culture where employees feel valued, respected, recognized, safe, engaged, and connected across all campuses.
   
• Environmental Health and Safety: Provide leadership and oversight in the areas of psychological safety, employee wellness and well-being, ergonomics, and environmental health and safety.
   
• Service-Oriented Human Resources Leadership: Oversee human resources services across the employee life cycle, including recruitment and retention efforts, staff labour and employee relations, total rewards, compensation, benefits, payroll, wellness, and associated systems. Position People and Culture as a trusted, high-performing strategic partner.
   
• Transformation and Continuous Improvement: Support a bold, institution-wide set of transformation initiatives, modernizing and optimizing processes, technologies, tools, and delivery models.
   
• Indigenization, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism: Embed and champion Indigenization and EDI-AR principles into strategy, policy, programs, and daily practice.

The Ideal Candidate

You are a strategic, values-driven leader who inspires trust, empowers teams, and delivers results in complex environments. You bring a proven ability to navigate transformation and balance strategic vision with operational excellence. You are equally comfortable advising executive leadership and engaging with employees, unions, and community partners. You can build and communicate clear, compelling narratives during times of change. You are skilled at navigating strong perspectives, fostering trust, and aligning diverse stakeholders around shared goals. You are energized by the opportunity to lead people and culture work at scale and view change as an opportunity to strengthen organizational capacity, improve employee experience, and deliver meaningful impact.

Qualifications and Experience:
While the Search Committee recognizes that no one candidate is likely to meet all qualifications in equal measure, those listed below are desirable and will be used to compare candidates.

• Graduate degree in human resources, employee relations, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Senior-level human resources leadership experience, preferably within a similarly complex, unionized environment.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in the context of culture renewal, organizational transformation, change management, and client services.
• Experience in the areas of psychological safety, employee wellness and well-being, ergonomics, and environmental health and safety.
• Deep knowledge of core HR functions including staff labour and employee relations, compensation and total rewards, organizational development and effectiveness, policy development, payroll, and HR information systems.
• Strong understanding of collective agreements, employment legislation, and public-sector governance requirements.
• Experience navigating shared governance structures within a post-secondary or public-sector environment, including engagement with boards, senates, or other governing bodies is an asset.
• Ability to work effectively in English (additional language skills considered an asset).

Skills and Attributes:

• Strategic and visionary leadership with a strong people-first orientation.
• Proven change leader with a continuous improvement and innovation mindset.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across academic, administrative, and unionized environments.
• Excellent communicator and trust-builder with cross-functional influence in a tight-knit community.

To Apply
If you are interested in this opportunity, submit your full application package by clicking "Apply Now" below.

Memorial University is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences. We will provide support and accommodations to applicants with disabilities, upon request. If you need accommodation in order to participate as a candidate in the recruitment process, please contact accommodate@kbrs.ca or communicate your needs to the recruitment professional named in the job description. For all other queries, contact Michelle Doyle at mdoyle@kbrs.ca, or Dr. Jennie Massey at  jmassey@kbrs.ca