Associate Director, Culture & Workforce Capability

ABOUT US

SickKids Foundation, with over 50 years of philanthropic impact, is Canada's largest charitable funder of child health research, learning and care, raising over $200 million last year. As a national charity, SickKids Foundation invests in national and international initiatives to benefit children in Canada and around the world. As the fundraising partner to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), we are aligned in supporting Precision Child Health (PCH), the future of tailoring medicine to each child's unique traits so SickKids can diagnose faster, treat smarter, and predict better.

SickKids Foundation is committed to an inclusive culture by embedding equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in our policies, practices, and behaviours. We aim to build awareness and skills in this area, both internally and with our partners. Our commitment extends to creating a safe, positive work environment. For details on our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion commitment, please click here.

Now, we’re looking for a transformative leader to join us as Associate Director, Culture & Workforce Capability - someone who will help us build an empowered, engaged, and future-ready foundation where all employees feel a sense of belonging.

Position Summary

The Associate Director, Culture & Workforce Capability plays a key role in shaping and advancing a people-centered, future skills ready and values-driven organizational culture that fosters engagement, continuous learning, and equity in keeping with our Foundation values.

Reporting to the VP People & Culture, this role will lead and contribute to enterprise initiatives that strengthen the employee experience across the full employee lifecycle, provides relevant and future focused learning initiatives, while embedding organizational values, equity, and belonging principles into leadership practices, workplace culture, employee programs, and organizational systems. The role partners closely with leaders, People & Culture colleagues and employees to cultivate a workplace where people feel respected, supported, empowered, and able to thrive and contribute fully.

Working collaboratively across the organization, the role designs and implements strategies, engagement programs, and learning experiences that support cultural evolution, employee engagement, inclusive leadership, organizational learning, and change management in alignment with the organization’s mission and values.

Key Responsibilities

Culture, Employee Experience & Organizational Engagement

• Champion and operationalize the organization’s refreshed values across employee programs, leadership practices, communications, and workplace experiences.
• In partnership with P&C leadership, evolve the Foundation’s cultural journey initiatives to strengthen engagement, inclusion, collaboration, accountability, and belonging.
• Partner with leaders and Talent Enablement colleagues to foster values-based and inclusive leadership practices that support psychological safety, accessibility, employee well-being, and equitable employee experiences.
• Facilitate organization-wide conversations, workshops, and initiatives related to workplace culture, collaboration, inclusion, employee engagement, and belonging.
• Support initiatives that celebrate diverse identities, perspectives, experiences, and contributions across the organization.
• Identify and address cultural or systemic barriers that may negatively impact employee experience, inclusion, accessibility, or opportunities for growth and participation.
• Provide leadership and direction to our Employee Resource Groups, EDI Committees, Culture Champions group and other community-building initiatives that strengthen culture, connection, and inclusion across the organization.
• Help foster a workplace culture where employees feel respected, heard, valued, and empowered to contribute authentically.

Employee Experience & Engagement

• Design and enhance employee experience initiatives across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, engagement, recognition, development, wellness, retention, and offboarding.
• Oversee and implement employee listening strategies such as engagement surveys, pulse checks, focus groups, and feedback forums, ensuring diverse employee perspectives and experiences are meaningfully reflected in organizational action plans.
• Analyze employee feedback, engagement data, demographic insights, and organizational trends to identify opportunities related to culture, retention, skills development, inclusion, and employee well-being.
• Develop and implement strategies and action plans that strengthen employee connection, engagement, belonging, and overall workplace experience.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to create equitable, accessible, and culturally responsive employee programs and initiatives.
• Support initiatives that enhance employee well-being, flexibility, accessibility, accommodation, and psychological safety across the organization.
• Partner with leaders to strengthen team effectiveness, communication, engagement, and inclusive employee practices.
• Monitor and evaluate employee experience initiatives using qualitative and quantitative data to measure impact and identify continuous improvement opportunities.

Organizational Development & Change

• Support organizational transformation and culture change initiatives through thoughtful change management, communication, and engagement strategies.
• Partner with P&C and leadership teams to strengthen organizational effectiveness, workforce engagement, and talent retention strategies.
• Contribute to the development, review, and continuous evolution of people policies, practices, and frameworks to ensure they reflect organizational values and support equitable, inclusive, and accessible workplace practices.
• Support the facilitation of workshops, discussions, and learning opportunities related to culture, employee engagement, inclusive leadership, unconscious bias, accessibility, psychological safety, collaboration, and team effectiveness.
• Support organizational learning and leadership development initiatives that strengthen cultural competence, employee experience, inclusion, and people leadership capability.
• Collaborate with leaders and P&C colleagues to navigate cultural change in ways that foster transparency, empathy, trust, inclusion, and employee engagement.
• Monitor emerging trends, leading practices, and legislative developments related to employee experience, workplace culture, accessibility, and equity and inclusion, and provide recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Support the integration of equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging principles into organizational decision-making, leadership practices, and employee experiences.

Qualifications & Experience

• Progressive demonstrated experience and educational background in a combination of HR business partnership, employee experience, organizational development, and/or culture transformation with a strong foundation in EDI principles and best practices
• Strong understanding of organizational culture, employee engagement, and equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging principles and measurements.
• Effective facilitation, communication, relationship-building, and change management skills.
• Ability to deploy employee and organizational data to inform strategy and decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to foster collaborative, inclusive, and employee-centered workplace practices.
• Strong project management and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Experience supporting organizational transformation or culture evolution initiatives.
• Leadership experience managing projects, programs, or teams through influence
• Strong digital acumen; deploying technology, AI, and other tools to augment work outputs

Core Competencies

• Values-based leadership
• Inclusive and employee-centered mindset
• Emotional intelligence and empathy
• Strategic thinking and execution
• Facilitation and influence
• Collaboration and relationship management
• Data-informed decision-making
• Change leadership
• Communication and storytelling

Total Compensation Package

Expected Hiring Salary Range: The target hiring salary range for this position is $99,297– $124,121 base plus performance-based incentives, with the ability to progress up to a base salary of $142,739 based on demonstrated proficiency and individual performance. To ensure fair and equitable pay at SickKids Foundation, placement on the salary range will be based on your years of experience, skills, and qualifications relevant to the role.

To help you lead in the fight for kids’ health and to support your health, wellness, and career growth, in addition to competitive compensation, we offer a comprehensive benefit package (includes a flex benefit plan), tuition reimbursement, flexible work and generous annual paid time off options, pension plan, and birth parent/parental top up – to name a few!

Position Status: Permanent Full-Time.

Hours: Hybrid work model: minimum two days per week in-office (Tuesday and Wednesday).

Available To: Internal and External Candidates.

Available: Immediately; this posting is for an existing vacancy.

Date Posted: Oct 23, 2026

Deadline: November 6, 2026

Screening and interviews may begin prior to the posting close date. We encourage early applications.

How to apply: Please apply on-line by visiting our website: https://www.sickkidsfoundation.com/careersandvolunteers 

Please note that automated tools, including artificial intelligence, may be used to support the pre-screening of applications as part of our recruitment process.

SickKids Foundation is committed to its people and the talents, capabilities, and perspectives they bring to our mission. We live that commitment by being open and accessible to all, by valuing and respecting every individual, and by equally supporting every employee. As an organization proud to have joined the BlackNorth Initiative’s CEO pledge, we uphold our commitment by inviting and encouraging individuals from diverse lived experiences from Black, Indigenous, communities of colour, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ community and all candidates who may contribute to the further diversification of the Foundation’s community.

Candidates who require accommodation during the recruitment process should contact the People & Culture team at: [email protected]

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