Description
The Senior Director of Workforce Development is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping and executing a global workforce development strategy with a primary focus on North American mining operations. This role ensures the organisation has the skilled, safe, and future-ready workforce required to support operational excellence, growth, and long-term sustainability.
Operating at the intersection of strategy and execution, the Senior Director partners closely with executive leadership, site operations, safety, and HR teams to address current workforce needs while preparing for future skill requirements driven by technology, automation, and evolving mining practices. The role also provides strategic oversight and alignment for workforce development initiatives across international operations.
Key Responsibilities
Global & North American Workforce Strategy
- Develop and lead a global workforce development strategy aligned with business objectives, mine life cycles, and growth plans.
- Serve as the primary architect of workforce development initiatives across North American operations, ensuring consistency, scalability, and impact.
- Align global standards and frameworks while allowing flexibility for regional and site-specific needs.
Workforce Planning & Readiness
- Lead enterprise-wide workforce planning efforts, including skills forecasting, critical role analysis, and succession planning.
- Anticipate workforce impacts related to production changes, capital projects, automation, and digital transformation.
- Ensure workforce readiness for both current operations and future-state mining technologies.
Training, Skills & Capability Development
- Oversee the design and deployment of technical, operational, leadership, and safety training programs.
- Ensure training programs meet or exceed regulatory, safety, and compliance requirements across North America and other jurisdictions.
Leadership & Talent Pipeline Development
- Build and sustain leadership development and succession pipelines from frontline supervision through senior leadership.
- Partner with operational leaders to strengthen frontline leadership capability, engagement, and retention.
Operational & Executive Partnership
- Act as a trusted advisor to site leaders, regional executives, and corporate leadership on workforce capability and productivity.
- Collaborate with Safety, Operations, Maintenance, and Technical Services to embed workforce development into operational excellence and safety culture.
- Support labour relations strategies by aligning workforce development initiatives with collective bargaining agreements, where applicable.
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organisational Development, Business, Engineering, Education, or a related field.
- 12–15+ years of progressive experience in workforce development, talent development, or HR leadership within mining, heavy industry, energy, or a skills-based workforce environment.
- Significant experience supporting large-scale North American operations with multi-site, geographically dispersed workforces.
- Strong understanding of mining operations, safety systems, skilled trades, and technical workforce requirements.
- Demonstrated ability to influence executive leaders and drive change in complex, operational environments.
Preferred
- Master’s degree in Organisational Development, Human Resources, Business Administration, or related discipline.
- Experience working in unionised North American environments.
- Exposure to global operations and cross-cultural workforce strategies.
