Director, Human Resources

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Director of Human Resources overseeing HR operations and business partnerships at Xenon Pharmaceuticals. Leading team to support HR policy, performance management, and employee engagement initiatives.

Posted 5/2/2026contractVancouver • 🇨🇦 CanadaLead💰 CA$152,000 - CA$207,800 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead and manage and the HR Operations team to ensure end-to-end employee life cycle considerations and activities are executed in accordance with department and program objectives;
Collaborate with other HR Program Leads and Xenon departments on data requests and cross-functional activities, to support company-wide processes and requirements.
Collaborate with HR Systems Lead and other HR Program Leads to facilitate and support new and evolving business systems and processes to enable rapid growth and change.
Develop and maintain relevant policies, procedures and systems relevant to the HR function’s operations team, including for various audit and reporting purposes.
Oversee a broad range of HR operational activities, including records and documentation, templates and manuals, budget oversight, and team coordination.
Provide expert counsel to assigned departments in Canada and the US for all HR programs.
Collaborate with business and science leaders to coach and to ensure HR programs are optimally used by managers and employees.
Manage all Performance Management program activities related to individual objectives, mid-year review, year-end review, and 360 Feedback process in accordance with the department and company calendar.
Collaborate with EVP, HR to support the work of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Employee Committee.
Lead and/or support a variety of HR, legal, financial and other assigned projects and requirements.
Act as a champion for Xenon’s culture and values.
Develop and propose short- and long-term objectives for the function in accordance with overall Company strategies and plans.
Plan and manage budget proposals and approved budgets in accordance with the Company’s strategic and operating plans and Finance policies.
Recruit, lead, direct, develop, coach and evaluate direct reports, if any, in accordance with the Company’s Human Resource policies and practices.
Act in accordance with Company policies, including, for example, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and ensure policies are understood and followed by direct reports, if any.

Requirements

What you’ll need

At minimum, a relevant undergraduate degree; a graduate degree in Human Resources or Business Management is preferred, with focus in finance and/or legal training.
10+ years of experience in progressive HR management in a public, multi-national company life sciences organization experiencing rapid growth and change is highly desired; previous experience working with scientific or technical teams is preferred.
Strong understanding of employee life cycle activities and HR processes, and the ability to connect the dots between process, systems, and technology.
Ensures a high level of data integrity and knowledge of and experience with Canadian and US employment, human rights, and immigration laws.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain accurate, auditable HR processes in a scaling environment.
Strong abstract reasoning and critical thinking skills, strong business acumen.
Ability to manage change and ambiguity to ensure solid decision making and recommendations.
Strong leadership with influencing, conflict resolution and collaboration skills; ability to build credibility and trust inside and outside of the Company.
Previous experience working in a matrixed environment is preferred.
High level of empathy, maturity and sound judgment.
Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills.

Benefits

Comp & perks

medical, dental, vision
short-& long-term disability
accidental death & dismemberment
life insurance programs
Employee Assistance Program
travel insurance
retirement savings programs with company matching contributions
vacation
personal days
sick days
end-of-year company shutdown
Training, Learning & Development program
Tuition Assistance program for advanced degrees

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

HR managementemployee life cycleperformance managementdata integrityHR processesauditable HR processesbudget managementlegal traininghuman rights lawsimmigration laws

Soft Skills

leadershipinfluencingconflict resolutioncollaborationcritical thinkingbusiness acumenchange managementempathymaturitycommunication

Certifications

undergraduate degreegraduate degree in Human Resourcesgraduate degree in Business Management