This is a remote position.
A leading Canadian public research university is seeking an experienced Human Resources / Total Rewards Consultant to lead a comprehensive modernization of its talent and total compensation framework. The mandate focuses on the managerial, professional, and senior non-academic employee groups to improve market competitiveness, internal equity, Pay Equity compliance, and operational transparency.
The engagement involves developing institutional compensation philosophies, benchmarking up to 550 roles, building dynamic financial models, authoring salary management policies, and redesigning merit and performance frameworks. A critical component requires coordinating and sequencing deliverables alongside a concurrent institutional initiative that is redesigning the university's overall Job Architecture.
Requirements
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Total Rewards Philosophy: Author a comprehensive Total Rewards Philosophy document and executive summary outlining strategic objectives across base pay, benefits, recognition, career mobility, and financial affordability.
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Market Benchmarking & Peer Selection: Establish benchmarking methodologies, appropriate peer groups, and job-matching rules to evaluate market competitiveness across up to 550 positions.
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Compensation Structure & Financial Modeling: Develop a minimum of three pay structure designs (e.g., traditional salary grades, broadbanding, competency/skill-based bands). Build interactive Excel models with dynamic scenario toggles to conduct sensitivity analyses and budget impact projections.
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Salary Management Policy Development: Author an institutional Salary Management Policy governing initial placement, promotional increases, in-range merit progression, market adjustments, acting pay, approval matrices, and appeals workflows. Design interactive manager salary calculators and placement scenario test templates.
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Performance & Merit Management Redesign: Modernize performance management frameworks to support high performance and clear differentiation. Construct merit allocation pool models linking performance ratings directly to compensation budgets.
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Job Architecture Dependency Management: Formulate an implementation roadmap with a RACI matrix that sequences compensation deliverables around the parallel Job Architecture review to ensure alignment without pre-empting future-state job evaluations.
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Governance, Stakeholder Engagement & Change Management: Establish decision rights, approval thresholds, and ongoing operating models. Prepare executive-level presentations, all-staff communication toolkits, manager coaching resources, and FAQs.
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Implementation Support (Optional Phase 2): Provide post-design support, including HRIS integration, job-to-band matching, train-the-trainer delivery, and post-implementation recalibration.
Required Skills & Qualifications
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Total Rewards Expertise: Deep expertise in professional and executive compensation design, salary banding, internal relativity, and Pay Equity compliance.
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Higher Education / Public Sector Experience: Proven track record leading compensation modernization or talent redesign projects within universities or complex public sector institutions (minimum of three comparable completed client projects).
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Advanced Financial Modeling: Demonstrated proficiency in creating auditable, scenario-driven financial and compensation models in Microsoft Excel.
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Talent & Policy Design: Expertise in authoring administrative HR policies, governance frameworks, and modernized performance management systems.
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Stakeholder Management & Communications: Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with experience facilitating discussions among executive leadership, steering committees, and decentralized institutional groups.
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EDIA Commitment: Practical experience embedding Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) principles across total rewards and talent practices.
