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Opportunities

Chief People and Culture Officer

YMCA of Northern Alberta

Status: Open Location: Edmonton, AB

The Organization

Established in 1907, the YMCA of Northern Alberta serves community members from Red Deer to Fort Chipewyan across three key service areas: community programming; health, fitness, and aquatic services; and childcare. We aim to create and support thriving communities across the province, leveraging our broad reach and the support of YMCA’s international network to create places where everyone belongs and can shine.

Our mission and core values are brought to life by our culture. In the Y, we strive to live our cause of strengthening communities with purpose and intentionality every day. We are welcoming: we are open to all. We are a place where you can belong and become. We are genuine: we value you and embrace your individuality. We are hopeful: we believe in you and your potential to become a catalyst in the world. We are nurturing: we support you in your journey to develop your full potential. We are determined: above all else, we are on a relentless quest to make our community stronger, beginning with you.

For more information about the YMCA of Northern Alberta, please visit their website.

The Opportunity

Reports to:Chief Executive Officer
Direct Reports:4: Vice President, Technology & Innovation; Director, People & Culture; Director, Total Rewards & HR Technology; and Manager, Health, Safety, and Child Protection
Location:Edmonton, AB (Hybrid workstyle with some travel required)

Mandate

Be the Spark that ignites the potential in people! This key position supports the work of the YMCA of Northern Alberta, a leading nonprofit, charitable organization committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The Chief People and Culture Officer (CPCO) at YMCA is a senior executive responsible for leading the organization’s people, culture, technology, and health & safety strategy. The CPCO ensures the organization attracts, develops, and retains talent while providing a safe, inclusive, and digitally enabled workplace. The CPCO will play a critical role in supporting organizational transformation, strengthening leadership accountability, and ensuring people strategies are fully aligned with the YMCA’s strategic ambitions.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Leadership

  • Serve as an enterprise leader who contributes beyond functional responsibilities to support organization-wide priorities, operational effectiveness, and strategic decision-making
  • Develop and execute an integrated people, culture, technology, and health & safety strategy aligned with the Association’s goals
  • Act as a strategic advisor to the CEO and executive team while leading organizational design, workforce planning, workplace safety, and enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, champion innovation, wellbeing, and safety as core organizational priorities

HR Transformation & Infrastructure

  • Assess and modernize the People & Culture function, establishing clear priorities, service standards, and operating practices
  • Develop foundational people programs including onboarding, performance management, compensation architecture, policy governance, and workforce planning
  • Strengthen organizational accountability through consistent leadership practices, metrics, and performance expectations
  • Build trust and credibility in the HR function through transparency, collaboration, and proactive partnership

Talent Acquisition & Development

  • Oversee talent acquisition strategies, including building capability in safety, technology, and leadership
  • Design leadership development, succession planning, and workforce capability programs
  • Embed health, safety, and wellbeing principles into leadership development and training

Culture, Engagement, & Employee Experience

  • Foster a high-performance, inclusive, and safety-first culture
  • Lead employee engagement, wellbeing, and psychological safety initiatives
  • Ensure strong employee experience through both physical and digital workplace environments
  • Champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB)
  • Support the development and implementation of the Association’s Truth and Reconciliation Action Plan, advancing meaningful commitments to equity, inclusion, and reconciliation with Indigenous communities

Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Leadership

  • Oversee the Association’s occupational health and safety (OHS) strategy and programs
  • Promote a proactive safety culture focused on prevention, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  • Oversee incident prevention, reporting, investigation, and corrective action processes
  • Oversee key safety metrics (e.g., incidents, child protection, certification compliance, near misses, etc.)
  • Champion psychological health, wellness programs, and mental health supports

HR Operations & Governance

  • Lead the continued optimization of UKG and related people systems, ensuring the organization leverages technology to improve employee experience, reporting, workforce planning, and decision-making
  • Ensure integration across HR systems, IT platforms, and safety reporting systems
  • Establish meaningful people metrics, dashboards, and reporting capabilities to support executive and Board-level decision-making

Performance & Rewards

  • Design performance management systems that incorporate safety, culture, and business outcomes
  • Align compensation and recognition programs with performance, safety, and organizational values
  • Promote accountability for leadership behaviours, including safety and inclusion

Leadership & Team Management

  • Lead and integrate People & Culture, IT, and Health & Safety teams
  • Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement
  • Develop future leaders across all functional areas

First-Year Deliverables / Measures of Success

Success in the first year will be determined by the candidate’s ability to:

  • Build trust, credibility and genuine relationships with ELT, SLT, and teams in all four regions covered by YMCA of Northern Alberta (Edmonton, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, and Wood Buffalo)
  • Support the development and operationalization of the YMCA Northern Alberta’s new strategic plan, in collaboration with other senior leaders
  • Develop a compensation philosophy and framework that supports attraction, retention, and internal equity
  • Position People & Culture as a trusted strategic business partner across the organization
  • Build and implement enterprise-wide onboarding and performance management programs
  • Produce usable HR data insights to support decision-making across the organization
  • Begin evaluating the organization’s work model and position it for future success

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will have the following:

Education:

  • A university degree is required
  • CPHR or similar designation is welcomed

Experience:

  • 10+ years of progressive senior leadership experience in Human Resources, People & Culture, or related functions, including responsibility for organizational strategy, workforce planning, culture, and talent development
  • Leading HR transformation, organizational redesign, or large-scale culture change initiatives
  • Demonstrated success building foundational people programs and infrastructure within complex organizations
  • Supporting multi-site, geographically dispersed workforces
  • Presenting to and partnering with Boards of Directors and executive leadership teams
  • Leading organizational change involving technology, systems implementation, or digital transformation
  • Strong knowledge of labour law, human rights, and provincial employment standards legislation

Competencies and Attributes:

  • High degree of curiosity and learning agility
  • Strong political acuity and sound judgment
  • Ability to navigate ambiguity and organizational complexity
  • Proven ability to influence without authority
  • Resilient, optimistic, and solutions-oriented
  • Excellent communication skills and a transparent communication style
  • Excellent collaboration skills, coaching skills, and conflict resolution skills
  • A proactive and data-driven approach to HR strategy, anticipating emerging trends and taking a forward-thinking approach to policies and procedures
  • A mission-driven and community-centered mindset

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The YMCA of Northern Alberta is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognizes that a diverse team benefits and is essential to service excellence.  In accordance with provincial legislation, accommodation will be provided by Mullen and YMCA of Northern Alberta throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Application Instructions

If this opportunity excites you, please send an application package, including your resume and cover letter, to connect@mullenleadership.com. In the subject line of your email, please include the organization’s name and the position title.

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