Director, Total Rewards at Canadian North Inc.

Job Description:

Latest job information from Canadian North Inc. for the position of Director, Total Rewards. If the Director, Total Rewards vacancy in Ottawa matches your qualifications, please submit your latest application or CV directly through the updated Jobkos job portal.

Please note that applying for a job may not always be easy, as new candidates must meet certain qualifications and requirements set by the company. We hope the career opportunity at Canadian North Inc. for the position of Director, Total Rewards below matches your qualifications.

At Canadian North, we don't just fly planes, we connect people, deliver essential goods, and support 25 northern communities that rely on us every day. Whether you're on the ground or in the air, working with us means being part of something bigger.

You'll help strengthen communities, honor Indigenous cultures, and bring vital services to some of the most remote and remarkable places in Canada.

• Competitive Pay & Benefits – Comprehensive medical, dental, and retirement plan
• Discounted Travel + Free Travel Passes – Enjoy worldwide flight privileges after probation
• Career Growth – Build your aviation career with the trusted airline of the Arctic

We’re committed to offering a comprehensive benefits package that supports your health, security, and future.

• Extended health, dental, and life insurance (after 1 month)
• Short- & long-term disability coverage (after 1 month)
• Retirement savings plan (after 6 months)
• Travel privileges with Canadian North (after 1 month) and partner airlines (after 6 months)
• Cargo shipping privileges (per company policy)
• Three weeks of vacation upon hire
• Opportunities for advancement within a trusted Canadian airline

The Director, Total Rewards leads the strategy, design, governance, and execution of all total rewards programs at Canadian North. This includes compensation, benefits, HR data & analytics, learning, culture & leadership development, and total rewards operations.

This role will build and lead a high-performing Total Rewards function that supports a geographically dispersed, highly unionized, and safety-sensitive workforce. The Director is accountable for ensuring programs are competitive, financially sustainable, compliant with relevant legislation, aligned with collective agreements, supportive of operational workforce needs and contributing to the Sivumut 2030 Strategy.

The Director serves as a strategic advisor to the Chief People Officer and Executive Leadership Team while also providing direct oversight to functional leads across compensation, benefits, analytics, and learning.

Reporting to: Chief People Officer

Non-Bargaining

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Must be able to perform, but not limited to the following duties and responsibilities:

Total rewards Strategy & Functional Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive total rewards strategy aligned with Canadian North’s corporate and operational priorities.
• Establish and maintain compensation philosophy, pay governance, and program design standards.
• Ensure integration across Canadian North’s compensation, benefits, analytics, and learning initiatives.
• Build a scalable total rewards framework to support Canadian North’s growth and workforce complexity.

Compensation & Benefits Leadership

• Oversee Canadian North’s job architecture, market benchmarking, salary structures, and incentive program design.
• Lead Canadian North’s annual salary review and incentive planning cycles.
• Provide cost modeling and scenario analysis to support executive decision-making and collective bargaining preparation.
• Oversee benefits strategy, renewals, vendor management, and program optimization.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with Pay Equity and applicable federal/provincial legislation.
• Monitor absence and disability management programs to mitigate cost and productivity impacts.

HR Data, Systems & Workforce Analytics

• Oversee governance and optimization of HR systems (including UKG).
• Ensure data integrity, reporting accuracy, and dashboard development.
• Provide executive-level workforce insights, including labor cost forecasting and trend analysis.
• Partner with Finance on budgeting, modeling, and cost management initiatives.
• Lead continuous improvement of HR processes and reporting infrastructure.
• Act as a champion for cultural evolution aligned with Canadian North’s new Value proposition.
• Ensure development of career pathways tools for employees.
• Establish strategic direction for leadership development, workforce capability building, and succession planning.
• Ensure training programs align with operational readiness and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee measurement of training effectiveness and ROI.
• Partner with operational leaders to anticipate future workforce capability needs.

Union & Regulatory Alignment

• Partner with the Director, Labour & Employee Relations to support collective bargaining preparation.
• Ensure compensation and benefits programs align with negotiated commitments.
• Maintain compliance with Canada Labour Code, Human Rights Codes, Pay Equity and Employment Equity requirements, as well as other regulatory obligations.
• Ensure readiness for internal and external audits.
• Lead the annual HR budgeting process and workforce cost modeling.
• Monitor total rewards program costs and identify risk or sustainability concerns.
• Provide executive reporting on workforce cost strategy and program effectiveness.
• Establish internal controls and governance frameworks across all total rewards programs.
• Act as key point of organizational contact with external service providers.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build and lead a high-performing Total Rewards team.
• Establish clear accountability, performance standards, and succession plans.
• Foster a culture of analytical rigor, service excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as Canadian North’s subject matter expert on Total Rewards.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

Include, but not limited to, the following minimum skills and qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business Administration, or related field (Master’s preferred).

• 8+ years of progressive total rewards experience.
• 3+ years of leadership experience managing multi-functional HR teams
• Deep expertise in Canadian compensation and benefits practices.
• Strong understanding of unionized and federally regulated environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading HR analytics, systems governance, and budgeting.
• Previous experience in aspects of employee and leadership development and organizational culture.
• Professional designation (CHRL, CCP, CEBS) considered a strong asset.
• Ability to communicate in Inuktut a definite asset
• Must be eligible to obtain an Airport Restricted Area Identity Card per Transport Canada regulations.

Job Info:

• Company: Canadian North Inc.
• Position: Director, Total Rewards
• Work Location: Ottawa
• Country: CA

How to Submit an Application:

After reading and understanding the criteria and minimum qualification requirements explained in the job information Director, Total Rewards at the office Ottawa above, immediately complete the job application files such as a job application letter, CV, photocopy of diploma, transcript, and other supplements as explained above. Submit via the Next Page link below.