Director, Talent Management & Workforce Insights

Putting people first, every day
 

BDO is a firm built on a foundation of positive relationships with our people and our clients. Each day, our professionals provide exceptional service, helping clients with advice and insight they can trust. In turn, we offer an award-winning environment that fosters a people-first culture with a high priority on your personal and professional growth.

Your Opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer and serving as a member of the HR Leadership Team, the Director, Talent Management & Workforce Insights leads an integrated portfolio spanning Talent Management, Total Rewards, HR Operations and People Analytics. The Director sets priorities across the portfolio, leads experienced specialist teams and helps these capabilities evolve to better support the firm’s business and people priorities.

Working closely with HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition and leaders across the firm, the Director will shape the talent systems, workforce insights, rewards and HR services that help BDO retain its people, create meaningful opportunities for talent, and support the firm’s evolving workforce needs. The Director leads through experienced leaders and is not expected to be the technical expert in every area of the portfolio.

Key Accountabilities

Portfolio Leadership

• Lead the Organizational Development, Total Rewards, HR Operations and People Analytics portfolio, setting clear priorities, accountabilities and measures of success.
• Turn the firm’s people priorities into focused plans and practical outcomes.
• Use workforce data, external information and business context to identify risks and opportunities and provide clear recommendations.
• Connect the work across the portfolio so leaders and employees receive clear and consistent support.
• Review what is working, stop or simplify lower-value work and improve the portfolio based on evidence and business needs.
• Foster strong collaboration across HR so firmwide approaches are practical, consistent and responsive to business needs.

Talent Management

• Strengthen the firm’s approach to Talent Management, with an initial focus on reviewing how performance, talent and succession decisions are supported across the firm.
• Work with HR Business Partners and business leaders to improve the quality and consistency of talent discussions and decisions.
• Use talent data and feedback to identify firmwide themes, risks and areas requiring attention.
• Clarify roles, accountabilities and ways of working across HR as these practices evolve.

Workforce Insights

• Lead the firm’s workforce insights agenda by identifying the workforce questions, trends and risks that matter most to the business.
• Work through the People Analytics team to strengthen the quality, relevance and use of workforce reporting and analysis.
• Move the function beyond producing standard reports toward providing insights and recommendations that support business, talent and workforce decisions.
• Set priorities for the People Analytics team based on the decisions and workforce questions the firm needs to address.
• Work with Finance, HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition and other stakeholders to bring together business context, workforce data and external talent-market information.
• Help define how the firm’s workforce insights capability should evolve, including opportunities to make better use of analytics, technology and AI.

Total Rewards & Wellbeing

• Ensure reward programs remain competitive, sustainable and aligned with business priorities, market trends and workforce needs.
• Oversee the evolution of reward and recognition practices that support attraction, retention and performance.
• Advance the firm’s approach to employee wellbeing, ensuring it remains responsive to evolving workforce needs and expectations and supports sustainable performance and a positive employee experience.

HR Operations & Enablement

• Provide strategic oversight of HR Operations, working through the leaders responsible for day-to-day service delivery, reporting and operational performance.
• Set clear priorities for improving HR processes, systems and services, with a focus on simplicity, consistency and the needs of employees, leaders and HR teams.
• Sponsor practical opportunities to use technology, automation and AI to reduce manual work and improve service delivery.
• Ensure the People Analytics team provides accurate, timely and useful workforce reporting and analysis.
• Connect operational, reporting and technology priorities to the broader needs of HR and the business.

Stakeholder Relationships

• Build trusted relationships across the firm and serve as a strategic advisor on talent, workforce and organizational matters.
• Lead and develop leaders across Organizational Development, Total Rewards, HR Operations and People Analytics, setting clear priorities and building shared accountability across the portfolio.

What You Will Help Us Achieve

Success in this role means:

• A more focused approach to Talent Management, including stronger performance and succession practices over time.
• Competitive and sustainable reward programs that support attraction, retention, wellbeing and performance.
• Workforce reporting and insights that help leaders understand workforce trends, risks and opportunities and make better decisions.
• Clear roles and accountabilities across the portfolio as its capabilities evolve.
• Practical use of technology, automation and AI to simplify work and improve HR delivery.

What You Bring

• Significant progressive HR experience, including leadership responsibility for an enterprise talent, rewards, HR operations, workforce insights or related portfolio.
• Meaningful depth in at least one of Talent Management, Total Rewards, HR Operations or People Analytics, together with the range and learning agility to lead experienced specialists across the broader portfolio.
• Experience improving enterprise HR practices or functions and showing clear results.
• A track record of using workforce data and insight to influence business decisions and improve outcomes.
• Evidence of questioning established approaches, simplifying work and improving outcomes for the business and employees.
• Practical understanding of workforce trends, technology and AI, and the judgement to apply them where they can improve decisions or ways of working.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through others, set clear priorities and build shared accountability across specialist teams.
• Exceptional relationship-building, communication and influencing skills, including the ability to work effectively with senior leaders.
• Strong judgement and business acumen, with the ability to balance employee experience, business priorities, risk and operational realities.
• Experience within professional services or another complex, relationship-driven organization would be considered a strong asset.
• University degree in Human Resources, Business or a related discipline. A relevant professional designation and/or advanced degree would be considered an asset.

Why BDO?

Our people-first approach to talent has earned us a spot among Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2026. This recognition is a milestone we’re thrilled to add to our collection of awards for both experienced and student talent experiences. 

At BDO, our people experience is guided by three core pillars—Do work with genuine care, Do what matters with purpose, and Do what’s next - shaping how we support our people, serve our clients, and grow together.

Our firm is committed to providing an environment where you can be successful in the following ways:

• We enable you to engage with how we change and evolve, being a key contributor to the success and growth of BDO in Canada.
• We help you become a better professional within our services, industries, and markets with extensive opportunities for learning and development.
• We support your achievement of personal goals outside of the office and making an impact on your community.
• We foster a collaborative, inclusive environment where your ideas are valued, and you can do your best work with genuine care and purpose
• We encourage innovation and forward thinking, empowering you to embrace what’s next and help shape the future of our firm

Giving back adds up: Where company meets community. BDO is actively involved in our communities by supporting local charity initiatives. We support staff with local and national events where you will be given the opportunity to contribute to your community.

Total rewards that matter: We pay for performance with competitive total cash compensation that recognizes and rewards your contribution. We provide comprehensive benefits from day one, and a flexible personal time off policy.  We’re committed to supporting your overall wellbeing and provide reimbursement for wellness initiatives that fit your lifestyle.

Everyone counts:  We are committed to creating a workplace where employees can participate fully, contribute meaningfully and succeed without barriers. We are dedicated to fostering a workplace defined by respect, fairness, and a true sense of belonging for everyone.  We recognize and celebrate the unique experiences, identities, and perspectives that each of us bring – and that these experiences strengthen how we work together.  Our commitment extends to ensuring that our application process is both inclusive and accessible.  If you require accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us.

Flexibility: All BDO personnel are expected to spend some of their time working in the office, at the client site, and virtually unless accommodations or alternative work arrangements are in place.

Our model is a blended approach designed to support the flexible needs of our people, the firm and our clients. It’s about creating work experiences that meet everyone’s needs and providing flexibility to adjust when, where and how we work to meet the expectations of our role.

Code of Conduct: Our Code of Conduct sets clear standards for how we conduct business. It reflects our shared values and commitments and includes guiding principles to help us make ethical decisions and maintain trust with each other, our clients, and the public.

BDO may use artificial intelligence enabled tools to support certain aspects of the recruitment process. While these tools assist our teams, our use of AI does not replace human decision making, and all employment-related outcomes are made by BDO personnel.

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Ready to make your mark at BDO? Click “Apply now” to send your up-to-date resume to one of our Talent Acquisition Specialists.

To explore other opportunities at BDO, check out our careers page.