Director, HR Operational Excellence

Job Description

Reporting to the Sr. Director, HR Technology & Employee Experience, the Director, HR Operational Excellence owns the design, re-engineering, and continuous improvement of HR business processes across the employee lifecycle. Accountable for the integrity of the processes supported by HR Systems, including Workday and ServiceNow, ensuring that HR workflows are purposefully designed, consistently documented, and continuously improved to deliver efficiency, scalability, and a high-quality employee experience.

This role will be located at our Head Office in Markham Ontario. Extendicare offers a hybrid working environment.

Key Accountabilities

• Own the end-to-end design of HR business processes across the employee lifecycle — ensuring processes are standardized, scalable, and aligned with organizational needs.

• Lead the re-engineering of HR processes that are inefficient, fragmented, or poorly documented, applying structured improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma) to achieve measurable gains in efficiency and quality.

• Own the functional direction of the ServiceNow HRSD platform, defining what the platform needs to do to support ESC operations, HR process workflows, and employee self-service.

• Maintain a current library of HR process maps and standard operating procedures, ensuring documentation reflects actual practice and is accessible to the teams who need it.

• Establish and promote process design standards across the HR function, building a shared language and approach to process improvement that spans the ESC, HRIS, and HR business partner communities.

• Lead a portfolio of continuous improvement initiatives across HR operations, prioritizing based on business impact, strategic alignment, and resource availability.

• Apply analytical tools and diagnostic techniques to identify root causes of inefficiency, error, or service quality gaps, and translate findings into evidence-based improvement plans.

• Develop business cases for significant improvement initiatives, including baseline measurement, projected benefits, implementation costs, and risk assessment

• Ensure that redesigned processes are fully operationalized — trained, embedded, and measured — before improvement initiatives are formally closed.

• Promote and embed a continuous improvement culture across the HR function, building capability in process thinking at all levels.

• Maintain a knowledge development roadmap that reflects identified gaps, inquiry patterns from the ESC, and changes to HR policies or processes. Oversee the development, review, and maintenance of HR knowledge articles — ensuring content is accurate, current, consistently structured, and aligned with HR policy and process standards.

• Build trusted partnerships with HR functional leaders, and operational stakeholders to ensure process improvement priorities are well-understood, jointly owned, and effectively executed.

• Facilitate cross-functional workshops and discovery sessions to gather process requirements, validate future-state designs, and build alignment on new ways of working.

• Support change management and communication planning for process improvement initiatives, ensuring transitions are well-prepared and adoption is sustained.

• Foster a team culture defined by intellectual rigor, accountability, continuous learning, and a genuine commitment to making HR work better for employees and managers.

Qualifications & Experience

• Post-secondary degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, or a related field; master's degree preferred.

• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification required; Black Belt preferred.

• Professional HR designation (CHRP/CHRL) is considered a strong asset.

• Minimum 7–10 years of progressive HR operations or organizational transformation experience, including at least 3 years in a director or senior leadership role.

• Demonstrated success leading end-to-end HR process re-engineering initiatives, from diagnosis through to sustainable implementation.

• Working knowledge of Workday HCM business processes, with the ability to assess how process changes interact with system configurations.

• Experience in a complex, multi-site organization; unionized environment experience is an asset.

Skills & Competencies

• Deep process improvement practitioner with expertise in applying Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to complex, cross-functional HR environments.

• Systems thinker who understands the relationship between business processes, technology configurations, and the employee experience — and can work effectively at the boundary between all three.

• Strong analytical and diagnostic skills, with the ability to build compelling, evidence-based cases for change.

• Skilled facilitator and communicator who can engage diverse stakeholder groups, build shared ownership, and drive alignment on complex change.

• Collaborative leader who works effectively as a peer to other Directors and builds trust across functions without relying on direct authority.

• People-focused leader who develops team capability, holds others to high standards, and creates an environment where analysts do their best work.

• Clear strategic thinker who can connect individual improvement initiatives to the broader HR transformation agenda and articulate the value of operational excellence to senior leaders.

At Extendicare, we believe that working as a team creates an environment that allows us to reach our potential. We value each employee, encourage equal opportunity for growth and recognize achievement. As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

• Continuous mentorship, support for life-long learning and growth opportunities

• Opportunities for advancement and career growth within the organization

• A rewarding and meaningful work experience where you can enrich your life and the lives of others through your work.

• Employee Family Assistance Program.

• Robust benefits package

Extendicare is a leading provider of care and services for seniors across Canada, operating under the Extendicare, ParaMed, Extendicare Assist, and SGP Purchasing Network brands. We are committed to delivering quality care to meet the needs of a growing seniors’ population, inspired by our mission to provide people with the care they need, wherever they call home. We operate a broad network of long-term care homes (both owned and under management contracts), deliver over 24 million hours of home health care services annually, and provide group purchasing services to third parties representing approximately 157,000 beds across Canada. Extendicare proudly employs more than 30,000 qualified, highly trained and dedicated team members who are passionate about providing high-quality care and services to help people live better.

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Time Type

Full time

Compensation Details

Compensation will be discussed during the recruiting process.

​At Extendicare, we’ve spent more than 50 years dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for residents in our long-term care homes across Canada. When you join Extendicare, you become part of a compassionate, mission-driven team committed to creating a safe, supportive, and enriching environment for every resident we serve.​

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We provide competitive compensation that reflects the value of this role and the unique qualifications each candidate brings. Final salary offers are based on a variety of factors such as your skills, experience, education, and alignment with the responsibilities of this position.

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Base salary is one component of our broader total rewards package. We offer a comprehensive suite of benefits designed to support your health, financial well-being, and long-term career growth. Your recruiter can provide more details about our total rewards offerings during the hiring process.​

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We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support certain stages of the recruitment process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing candidate responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment — every application is reviewed by a member of our team to ensure thoughtful and equitable consideration. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.​

Extendicare is an equal opportunity employer committed to respectful and inclusive hiring practices. We welcome all applicants, including those from equity-deserving groups, including Indigenous peoples, women, people with disabilities, and visible minorities.

Extendicare is committed to fostering an accessible, inclusive, and equitable hiring process. We will gladly accommodate the needs of applicants throughout all stages of the recruitment process upon request and in accordance with applicable legislation. If you require support during any stage of the process, email us at [email protected].

We acknowledge that the care we provide across Canada occurs on lands that have been cared for by many Indigenous peoples for generations. We recognize First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples and their enduring connection to this land, and the importance of respect and cultural safety in the work we do.