Ottawa (Downtown), ON, CA
Director, Workforce Strategy and Capability
Take a central role
The Bank of Canada has a vision to be a leading central bank—dynamic, engaged and trusted—committed to a better Canada. No other employer in the country offers you the unique opportunity to work at the very center of Canada’s economy, in an organization with significant impact on the economic and financial well-being of all Canadians. You will be challenged, energized and motivated to excel in our environment.
Building on the principles that have always guided us – excellence, integrity and respect – we strive to be forward-looking and innovative, to welcome people with diverse perspectives and talents, and to earn trust by living up to our commitments and by clearly explaining the intent of our policies and actions.
With our defined-benefit pension plan, benefits, and high flexibility for work life balance - find out more about why we are annually ranked as one of Canada's top employers: Working Here - Bank of Canada
Find out more about the next steps in our Recruitment process.
What you need to know
The Director, Workforce Capability and Learning translates the strategic vision of the Senior Leadership team of HR into executable capability-building strategies across the organization. This role leads a team of subject matter experts — in employee and leadership development, facilitation, digital and AI learning, and is responsible for directing their focus, coordinating their efforts, and driving measurable results with pace and discipline.
Reporting to the Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of HR, the Director is responsible for taking this strategic direction and moving quickly to translate it into a focused plan, mobilizing their team, and delivering outcomes.
What you will do
- Design a streamlined, repeatable, and future-oriented workforce skills planning approach, that is focused on identifying the enterprise wide, and department specific capabilities the Bank needs to deliver on its strategic priorities.
- Effectively support or lead workforce planning discussions in partnership with the Deputy Managing Director and with HR Business Partners. Establish credible working relationships with key stakeholders including executives and business leaders across the Bank.
- Translate the output of this work into a concrete learning and upskilling strategy for the Bank, to be delivered by the learning team. Ensure the Leadership and Employee Development team sis continuously aligned to the institution's highest-priority workforce capability needs.
- As a member of the HR Leadership team, work in a collaborative fashion to integrate the output of the workforce planning approach into HR’s broader talent management approaches – including the HR Business Partners, Recruitment, and HR Programs.
- Lead, coach, and direct a team of specialists in the day-to-day operations of the Bank’s core learning programs. Maintain standards for design and delivery quality across all learning interventions.
- In partnership with HR’s Technology and People Analytics teams, provide direction and leadership in evolving the Bank’s learning strategies, platform, program content and resources in a digital environment.
- Play a key role in maintaining the culture of bilingualism at the Bank through leading the second language learning approach and programs.
What you need to succeed
To successfully strive in this role, we are looking for someone with the following skills and competencies:
- brings broad experience across multiple HR domains, including HR strategic workforce planning, talent management, and leadership development, with a proven track record of strategic HR partnership with business leaders.
- able to quickly and effectively take direction from Senior leadership and translate it into grounded, practical plans, setting ambitious timelines and holding yourself and your team accountable for focused action.
- takes a diverse team of specialists and unifies them around a clear plan, with strong focus-setting, removing obstacles, and driving accountability.
- comfortable changing course when organizational priorities shift, and when information is limited, clearly and effectively develops options and communicate risks and trade offs.
- skilled at effective business communication, adjusting tone, messaging, and materials appropriately for your audience.
- continuously seeks opportunities to eliminate inefficiencies in process and tools, making work for HR staff, employees and leaders easier.
- accountable to your peer leadership team, prioritizing alignment, removing siloes, sharing information, and supporting the overall success of the HR department.
- strong foundational knowledge of AI productivity tools, their application and how to drive AI adoption in an organization, with demonstrated curiosity and learning agility in adopting new technologies and integrating them into the employee and learning experience.
- brings expertise in using data, analytics, and workforce insights to shape talent strategy and drive organizational success, leveraging HR metrics to assess program effectiveness and identify trends.
Nice-to-have
- Knowledge of Learning and Development methodology (design, delivery, leadership development).
- Experience designing and leading a second language learning program.
- Vendor management and an understanding of relationship management of third-parties.
- Experience with agile or iterative approaches to program design and delivery.
Education and Experience
This position requires 7–10+ years of progressive leadership experience in HR, including workforce planning, talent management, learning, and/or organizational development, along with a proven track record of designing and delivering enterprise-wide HR programs.
A university degree in a relevant field (e.g., Business, Organizational Psychology, Organizational Development) is required. A combination of education and experience may be considered.
Innovative Mindset
We value candidates who demonstrate adaptability, curiosity, and a willingness to learn new technologies, including AI and digital tools. We seek individuals who can think critically about data, question existing processes, and find ways to simplify our work while embracing change and new ways of doing things.
Language requirement
The Bank’s work environment is conducive to the use of both of Canada’s official languages - English and French. The position language requirement is Level 5 (Fully Functional). If a qualified candidate who meets the language requirement of the position is not found, a qualified candidate who does not meet the language requirement may be considered. Training may be provided to help reach the required level. Both bilingual and unilingual candidates are encouraged to apply.
What you need to know
- Priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents
- Security level required: Be eligible to obtain Reliability
- Relocation assistance may be provided, if required
- Please save a copy of the job poster. Once the closing date has passed, it will no longer be available.
- The official title for this position is “Director, Workforce Capability and Learning ”
Hybrid Work Model
The Bank offers work arrangements that provide employees with flexibility, enable high-performing teams, and support an excellent workplace culture. Most employees can telework from home for a portion of each month as part of the Bank’s hybrid work model, and they are expected on site at the Bank location a minimum of 12 days per month to help build connections between colleagues. You must live in Canada, and within reasonable commuting distance of the office.
What you can expect from us
This is a great opportunity to join a leading organization and be part of a high-performing team. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet your needs at every stage of your life and career. For more information on key benefits please visit A great deal to consider.
- Salaries are based on qualifications and experience and typically range from $177,681 to $209,037 (job grade 20)
- The Bank offers an incentive for successfully meeting expectations at 7 to 10% of your base salary. The Bank offers additional performance pay (5%) for those who exceed expectations. Exceptional performers who far exceed expectations may be eligible for higher performance pay.
- Flexible and comprehensive benefits so you can choose the level of health, dental disability and life and/or accident insurance coverage that meets your needs
- Extra vacation days (up to five each year) that you can purchase to add to your vacation entitlement
- Indexed, defined-benefit pension
We wish to thank all applicants for their interest and effort in applying for this position. Only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.