Senior Manager, Talent & Organizational Development

Job Overview

Leads the planning and execution of talent acquisition, development and retention across the  Club, including the corporate office, soccer operations and youth development programs.  This role blends talent strategy with the development and implementation of data-driven HR insights to achieve our goal of continuous improvement.

Specific Job Functions:

Recruitment & Onboarding

Strong focus on and oversight of full recruitment cycle for all staff levels, including corporate office, training centres, full-time employees and part-time/casual workers

Design and implement innovative sourcing strategies to attract and retain top talent

Ensure a seamless and consistent onboarding experience for new hires, including compliance with certifications, licenses, and safeguarding requirements.

Ensure accurate records and employee files, contracts are up-to-date

Workforce Planning

Development and oversight of scalable recruiting and onboarding practices

Long term project, job analysis, to ensure high performing efficient team structure

Help develop and execute the club’s talent strategy across all divisions

Identify high-potential employees and future leadership candidates; assist leaders in building talent pipelines for technical, coaching, and administrative roles.

Identify critical roles and talent risks, build external pipelines

Learning & Development

Supports development programs and leadership training to ensure retention of high performers.

Support career development and succession planning initiatives to retain and grow talent across divisions.

Collaborate with other P&C colleagues and Department Heads to develop a consistent and comprehensive new hire training and onboarding program

HR Analytics & Reporting

Develop and manage HR analytics dashboards and reports to track workforce metrics, performance trends, turnover, and recruitment effectiveness.

Identify talent gaps, staffing forecasts, and organizational and environmental trends.

Leverage data and AI to optimize recruitment strategies, retention programs, and recommend employee engagement initiatives.

Compliance & Safeguarding

Ensure recruitment, onboarding, and talent practices comply with federal & provincial laws, league regulations, and safeguarding policies.

Collaborate with Department Heads and Safeguarding Officer to maintain up-to-date staff certifications and background checks.

Qualifications:

7+ years of progressive experience in Talent, People & Culture, or Human Resources roles, including senior‑level responsibility for recruitment strategy, workforce planning, and talent management across complex, multi‑division organizations.

Demonstrated expertise in using HR analytics, dashboards, and workforce metrics to inform recruitment effectiveness, retention strategies, staffing forecasts, and organizational decision‑making at the senior leadership level.

Proven ability to lead and scale full‑cycle recruitment and onboarding strategies for diverse employee populations (corporate, frontline, part‑time/casual), ensuring consistency, efficiency, and alignment with organizational growth objectives.

Demonstrated experience leading job analysis, organizational design, and long‑term workforce planning initiatives to optimize team structures, identify future capability needs, and mitigate talent risks.

Strong track record in identifying high‑potential talent, building succession plans, and partnering with leaders to develop future leadership pipelines across technical, coaching, and administrative functions.

Experience overseeing or influencing learning and development frameworks, leadership programs, and career pathways that drive engagement, retention, and high performance at all levels of the organization.

Strong aptitude for leveraging HRIS, reporting tools, and emerging technologies (including AI‑enabled solutions) to modernize talent practices, improve efficiency, and enhance the employee experience.

Deep knowledge of employment legislation, safeguarding requirements, and risk management, with experience ensuring compliance across recruitment, onboarding, certifications, background checks, and employee records in partnership with senior stakeholders.

The Club

Vancouver Whitecaps FC is the longest-running professional soccer club in Canada and the United States. Since its inaugural season in 1974, the club has united generations of loyal fans in British Columbia and beyond. With academies in eight out of ten provinces, a network of partner clubs, and hundreds of camps and clinics every year, Whitecaps FC provide a foundation for Canada’s soccer future.

We are also strongly committed to providing opportunities to Canadian athletes, both male and female, with the largest soccer development structure in Canada. This includes academy programs in eight of ten provinces across the country.

In addition to building a winning team on and off the pitch, the Club places great importance in giving back to our community, harnessing the power of sport to create a stronger, more equitable & inclusive society through three key community goals: helping meet critical needs, using soccer to build life skills and creating soccer participation opportunities in Indigenous communities.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC believes that diversity and inclusion is critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. This includes but is not limited to people of colour, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. Should you require any accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to contact our People & Culture department.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

No recruiters or agencies, please.

"Within these walls, you are welcomed, accepted, and respected.

Here, no matter who you are or where you come from, you are home. And you’re part of the team regardless of your age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, marital or family status, disability, or religious belief or non-belief. All we ask is that you be ethical and inclusive in all that you do. Be respectful of all players, fans, and staff, and remember to cheer loudest for the ones wearing the blue and white. Go ‘Caps!"