Director, People & Culture

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Permanent Part-Time | Approximately 20 hours per week (2.5 days)

Hawthorne Recruitment is proud to partner with Discover Halifax in the search for a Director, People & Culture.

Discover Halifax is the regional destination marketing organization responsible for the growth the visitor economy in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Established in 2002, Discover Halifax promotes Halifax as a year-round destination for both business and leisure travellers. Governed by an independent Board of Directors, the organization is funded by core partners and a hotel marketing levy.

This is a permanent, part-time leadership opportunity. The target is approximately 20 hours per week, or roughly 2.5 days, with occasional flex up to 30 hours during higher-demand periods. The role is well suited to an experienced HR leader who wants meaningful, senior-level work in a flexible format, while contributing to an organization with real visibility and community impact.

Reporting to the CEO, the Director, People & Culture will provide practical and strategic HR leadership across the organization. This person will work closely with the CEO and leadership team to strengthen people practices, support managers, enhance consistency, and help build the structures needed for a healthy, accountable, and well-functioning workplace.

This is not a purely advisory role. It requires someone who can think strategically, but also roll up their sleeves. The successful candidate will bring the judgment, maturity, and credibility to support leaders directly, while also building tools, frameworks, and practices that help the organization operate with greater clarity and consistency.

Key areas of focus will include:

● Providing senior HR guidance to the CEO and leadership team

● Strengthening performance management practices and leadership consistency

● Supporting employee relations matters with sound judgment and discretion

● Reviewing and improving HR policies, processes, and tools

● Supporting organizational development, engagement, and culture initiatives

● Helping leaders navigate people-related issues with clarity and confidence

● Bringing structure to core HR practices while remaining practical and proportionate to the size of the organization

The ideal candidate will be an experienced HR professional with a strong generalist foundation and the ability to operate at both strategic and hands-on levels. They will bring sound judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and a practical understanding of how people and culture work inside a small to mid-sized organization.Experience in employee relations, performance management, leadership support, policy development, and organizational development will be important. A CPHR designation would be considered an asset, but is not required.

The successful candidate will be steady, thoughtful, and trusted. They will be comfortable working in a visible organization with a small team, limited bureaucracy, and real opportunity to make a meaningful contribution. They will understand that strong people practices are not about process for its own sake. They are about helping people do better work, with clearer expectations, stronger support, and greater consistency.

If you are energized by practical HR leadership, enjoy helping organizations build healthier and more consistent people practices, and want to contribute in a meaningful, flexible, and hands-on way, we welcome your application. Please submit your application to Hawthorne Recruitment, where we remain dedicated to making matches made meaningful.

#link