People Team Specialist - Term

The North West Company is hiring a full-time, 12-month term People Team Specialist to support its corporate HR function from Winnipeg. The role is onsite at Gibraltar House and focuses on employee relations, policy interpretation, change management and engagement, helping business partners maintain a positive, productive workforce. It’s a role for someone who enjoys advising managers, resolving workplace concerns and shaping policy in a collaborative setting.

With stores and operations across Northern Canada, Western Canada, rural Alaska, the South Pacific islands and the Caribbean, the company emphasizes being the best local shopping choice and values a diverse, respectful culture. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits package and a path for growth within a team that prioritizes learning, development and advancement.

Day-to-day at the heart of employee relations

You’ll provide consultative guidance to uncover the root causes of employee relations issues, design practical solutions and drive the implementation of action plans. You’ll also support HR colleagues in resolving escalated inquiries about programs and services, and you may lead or participate in investigations into employment practices to ensure fair outcomes.

In addition, you’ll administer relevant policies, monitoring their application to keep things fair and consistent, and help managers and staff understand applicable laws and regulations. You’ll assist with the application of disciplinary procedures to ensure fairness, help develop management capabilities to sustain a positive environment, and contribute to change management efforts that boost engagement, assess impact and coordinate communication and training. Finally, you’ll help establish two-way communication channels that connect employees and management.

What it takes to join the team

Here are the essentials and the nice-to-haves for this role, reworded from the job description to reflect you in practice.

• At least three years of HR or employee relations experience, with a record of addressing workplace concerns
• Strong verbal and written communication, plus the ability to build high-trust relationships with managers and staff
• Knowledge of employment legislation and how it should guide decisions
• Coaching and consulting skills that help leaders and teams improve performance
• Service orientation and solid management capabilities
• Negotiation ability that can win support for ideas and programs
• Organizational skill to juggle multiple tasks and stay effective under pressure
• Analytical thinking to evaluate options and select sound approaches
• Flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities and comfort with ambiguity
• Sensitivity to diverse local cultures within the communities served
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Ability to communicate in French is considered a plus

• Formal HR education or certification is a plus but not required

Pay, benefits and practical details

The role is a full-time, 12-month term based at Gibraltar House, 77 Main Street, Winnipeg, MB, with a competitive salary and benefits package and opportunities to learn, develop and advance within the organization. The position reports to the Manager, Human Resources Corporate.

The company highlights a collaborative and constructive culture built on core values such as being enterprising, committing to customers, working with passion, leading and developing others, showing respect and inclusivity, and building trust. This is described as an active opening, with thanks to all applicants for their interest; only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Internal employees should apply within five working days of the posting.

Tips for applicants

Lead your resume with your three-plus years in HR or employee relations and call out any investigations you’ve led or policies you’ve administered to illustrate your readiness for this role.

When you describe your experience, foreground the must-have skills such as coaching, stakeholder management, and your ability to handle discipline fairly, with concrete examples of outcomes and measurable impacts.

Expect interviews to cover scenarios around resolving employee complaints, conducting investigations and applying change management plans that boost engagement; have a real-world example ready and walk the interviewer through your approach using the STAR method.

Consider asking a targeted question about how the team partners with managers across regions to address systemic issues and how success in engagement and change initiatives is measured.

How to apply

Internal applicants should submit their applications within five working days of the posting. The organization notes that it is actively seeking to fill this position and will contact only those selected for an interview.