People & Culture Manager - 14 Month Contract

Here at DIALOG, we are passionate about design and believe it can and should meaningfully improve the wellbeing of our communities and the environment we all share.

We are a multi-disciplinary collaborative of architects, interior designers, urban designers and planners, structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, and landscape architects who design for community wellbeing and urban vibrancy. We are a fun-loving bunch of big thinkers and do-gooders, who are collaborative in our approach, diverse in our perspectives, aspirational in our pursuits, and optimistic about what’s next. We’re always looking for passionate people who share our values and care as much about our communities as we do.

Explore the Toronto Studio and join us!

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced People & Culture Manager to work from our Toronto studio who can thrive in a fast paced, people-and performance-driven environment to provide strategic human resource business partner services and cultivate an amazing employee experience.

Our People & Culture team is an essential partner to our business leaders to help DIALOG practice at the leading edge in our design work on buildings, civic infrastructure, and urban spaces across North America and beyond. You’ll work closely with our Partners (business owners) and our coaches to clearly understand our business, drivers of success, and strategic goals. You’ll be a catalyst to enable an engaging and high performing culture by tapping into the unlimited potential, inspiration, creativity, passion, and drive of our DIALOGers. Working with a small yet impactful geographically-dispersed People & Culture practice team, you’ll be responsible for specific talent management programs for unique discipline-based client groups to support our practice-wide strategies, while also having scope for being the prime people partner to the local studio. To be successful, you’ll rely on your business partner experiences in a senior role, coupled with deep expertise in talent management practices.

This is a contract role: September 2023 - October 2024.

How you'll make a difference:

• At the local level, you’ll partner with the Studio Chair and Studio Operations Manager to ensure people-related priorities are aligned and focused, and that there is an engaging, flexible, and community-oriented culture, to ensure our people can perform at their best
• You’ll collaborate with the People & Culture team and leaders across our studios to ensure we continuously build an integrated interdisciplinary practice, with a strong local and national purpose-driven presence and employer brand
• You’ll contribute to our supportive culture and exceptional employee experience by providing guidance and support to DIALOGers related to people matters, and in partnership with our People Services and Studio operations teams
• At the practice-wide level, you’ll build strong trusting relationships with our Partners (our business leaders) and coaches to be an advisor, partner and catalyst to achieve our strategic goals, through development and delivery of people strategies and programs that embody our values of diversity, aspiration, optimism, and collaboration
• You’ll be prime on the delivery of firm-wide people strategies, programs, and metrics to a specific discipline-based client group to attract, reward, and retain the best talent we need to get to our future state through excellence in talent acquisition, talent management, performance development and succession planning

Who you are:

• You are a seasoned, strategic, and high-performing HR business partner, with broad generalist experience in a similar capacity along with ownership for HR delivery and people program development
• You are results-oriented and proactive, and can operate successfully with both a high level of autonomy and as a member of a collaborative and connected practice-wide team
• You’ve a track record of building strong trusting relationships with senior leaders, and demonstrated ability as a business partner, coach, and in developing, engaging, and inspiring people to act with a purpose
• You’re confident in your communication and facilitation skills with teams or large group workshops, focus groups, working teams, or training sessions
• You have a post-secondary education with business administration or human resources specialization. Preference will be given to candidates with a CPHR or similar designation
• You’re able to multitask in a fast-paced environment, coordinating a broad range of stakeholders from senior-level partners to early career professionals and external collaborators

Perks & Benefits

Parental leave top-up programs for all parents upon the birth or adoption of a child, continued growth through Learning & Development support, RRSP matching and competitive medical and dental benefits coverage upon the first day of employment are just a few of the benefits that DIALOGers enjoy.

Equal Opportunity

DIALOG celebrates diversity and is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to an inclusive environment for all, free of discrimination and harassment. Employment-related decisions are made without regard to sex, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, age and race. In accordance with DIALOG’s Accommodation Policy, accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request for candidates throughout the selection process.