Manager, People Operations

If you’re excited about building systems that empower others to lead and want to help shape Canada’s next generation of entrepreneurial, AI-ready talent for the future of work, we’d love to hear from you!

Venture for Canada is a national registered charity equipping talent across Canada with the entrepreneurial skills, mindset, and opportunities to succeed in a 21st-century economy increasingly shaped by rapid change and emerging technology. We believe that to be entrepreneurial is to act upon opportunities to create value for others. The resourcefulness and creativity of people across Canada are essential to addressing our country’s greatest challenges. Venture for Canada serves as a catalyst by empowering individuals to create a more prosperous, inclusive, and innovative society.

Since 2013, Venture for Canada has grown in meaningful ways, and we’re excited to expand our team with values-aligned individuals who can contribute to what we’re building. To learn more about our hiring process and workplace philosophy, visit our Careers page.

Role Overview

The People Operations Manager is responsible for the consistent, timely, and effective delivery of the organization’s day-to-day People Operations activities. The role serves as the primary operational point of contact for employees and managers and ensures that established People practices, policies, programs, and employment processes are executed accurately and consistently.

Working within established frameworks and in partnership with the Senior Manager, People Operations, the role exercises independent judgment across routine People Operations matters while escalating complex, high-risk, or precedent-setting issues as appropriate.

The role is highly execution-focused and employee-facing, with responsibility spanning employee relations, recruitment and hiring, onboarding, leaves and accommodations, payroll inputs and benefits administration, performance-cycle administration, compliance, HR systems, and offboarding.

Working closely with the People Operations Team, managers, Finance, Operations, and other internal and external partners, the People Operations Manager translates people-focused strategies, frameworks, and programs into reliable day-to-day practice while bringing forward operational insights that inform ongoing improvements to the People Operations function.

Key Role Responsibilities

Employee Relations & Employee Lifecycle

• Serve as the primary point of contact for day-to-day employee and manager People Operations matters
• Manage day-to-day employee relations matters, including issue resolution, documentation, and follow-up; support investigations and escalate complex, high-risk, or precedent-setting matters as appropriate
• Support managers in applying policies, addressing performance and conduct concerns, and navigating established People Operations processes
• Manage leaves of absence, accommodations, return-to-work processes, resignations, terminations, and offboarding, and escalate where appropriate
• Escalate complex, high-risk, precedent-setting, or systemic matters as appropriate

Talent Acquisition, Hiring & Onboarding

• Manage end-to-end recruitment execution, including job descriptions, postings, sourcing, screening, interviews, references, candidate management, offers, and hiring administration
• Partner with hiring managers to deliver timely, equitable, and consistent recruitment processes
• Prepare employment offers and contracts and manage routine negotiations within approved compensation and contract parameters
• Coordinate onboarding from accepted offer through successful integration, including documentation, payroll and benefits enrolment, systems access, orientation, and manager follow-through
• Administer new-hire check-ins, probationary milestones, and success processes

People Programs, Performance & Employee Experience

• Administer the annual performance review cycle, interim performance check-ins, and related employee and manager processes
• Coordinate communications, deadlines, documentation, reminders, completion tracking, and process support
• Support execution of employee engagement, recognition, culture, belonging, and DEI initiatives
• Administer employee surveys and pulse checks and support related communications and follow-up
• Coordinate operational delivery of organization-wide People Operations initiatives, including the annual team offsite
  
  

Payroll, Benefits, HR Systems & Administration

• Manage employee payroll inputs and changes in coordination with Finance
• Administer benefits and RRSP enrolment, changes, employee inquiries, and vendor processes
• Own day-to-day HRIS administration, employee records, data changes, workflows, permissions, and routine reporting
• Maintain accurate and complete People documentation and employee records
• Resolve operational payroll, benefits, HRIS, and employee-data issues and identify opportunities to improve workflows and system use
  
  

Policies, Compliance & Operational Excellence

• Support consistent application of People policies, procedures, and employment practices
• Maintain required employment documentation, records, deadlines, and compliance processes
• Administer required and mandatory training, including enrolment, tracking, reminders, renewals, and record keeping
• Identify and escalate compliance concerns, policy gaps, recurring issues, and operational risks
• Contribute practical recommendations to improve the clarity, consistency, and efficiency of People Operations processes
  
  

Who You Are

• A clear, positive, and curious communicator, who approaches questions and challenges with a helpful mindset, asks thoughtful questions, and makes People Operations information easy to understand and act on
• Growth-minded and entrepreneurial, energized by learning, evolving, and building alongside a mission-driven organization as its needs, systems, and ways of working continue to develop
• Employee-centred and practical, with the judgment to balance individual needs, organizational requirements, and policy
• Highly organized and dependable, with strong follow-through across competing priorities and time-sensitive work
• Calm and thoughtful under pressure, particularly when navigating sensitive employee situations
• Clear and approachable, with the ability to communicate policies, decisions, and processes in a straightforward and respectful way
• Solutions-oriented and adaptable, comfortable improving processes while working in an evolving environment
  
  

What You Bring

• 4-6 years progressive HR/generalist experience across employee relations, recruitment, HR operations, and the employee lifecycle
• Experience supporting and managing People Operations for organizations or teams of approximately 50 employees
• Strong practical knowledge of employment legislation, compliance, and manager support
• Experience managing end-to-end recruitment, onboarding, leaves/accommodations, performance processes, and offboarding
• Experience with payroll inputs, benefits/RRSP administration, HRIS platforms, employee data, and reporting
• AI-enabled and curious, comfortable using emerging tools to improve efficiency, quality, decision-making, and the employee experience while applying sound judgment around privacy, accuracy, and appropriate use
• Strong communication, judgment, organization, and process-management skills
• HR education or professional certification is an asset
  
  

Job Details

The purpose of this job posting is to fill a current vacancy. The anticipated start date is January 13, 2027.

Arrangement

Venture for Canada is a remote-first organization with offices based in Toronto and Vancouver. This is a remote position open to candidates across Canada. While all qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, preference may be given to candidates based in the Toronto, Ontario area to support occasional in-person collaboration. Light in-person attendance of program-related events during evenings and weekends is required from time to time.

Language Requirement

As a national organization serving communities across Canada, professional proficiency in written and spoken English is required. Proficiency in both English and French is considered a strong asset for this role.

Commitment to Diversity and Accessibility

Venture for Canada is dedicated to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates participating in all stages of the recruitment and selection process. If you require an accommodation, please contact hiring@ventureforcanada.ca.

Applicant Notice

Venture for Canada may use artificial intelligence-enabled tools to support certain aspects of the recruitment process; all hiring decisions are made by our talent acquisition stakeholders. Only selected applicants will be contacted for an interview. In accordance with applicable laws, candidates who are interviewed will be notified of the hiring decision within 45 days of their final interview. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Canada at the time of application; we are unable to provide employment sponsorship or support work permit applications for this position.