Senior Human Resources Business Partner
MONTREAL, Quebec, CA, H3B 2C9
Reference Number : 1213
Status : Permanent - Full-time
Annual Salary / Hourly Rate : $91 506 - $113 037
Number of positions to be filled : 1
Application Deadline : 03/12/2026
Did you know that VIA Rail is carrying out ambitious projects to modernize its services and infrastructure? From our new ultramodern train fleet to ongoing improvement of our infrastructure, we’re building the future of transportation in Canada. Working for VIA Rail is being a part of a collective effort in sustainable mobility.
Reporting to the Senior Manager, HR Business Center, you will serve as the Senior Human Resources Business Partner at VIA Rail Canada. In this strategic role, you influence and execute the implementation of HR initiatives while advising leaders on HR policies, programs, and best practices.
You play a key role by providing strategic advice, coaching, and HR support to your internal partners. As the primary point of contact for these stakeholders, you are an integral member of the teams you support. You oversee day‑to‑day requests from senior leadership, including Vice Presidents, and guide them throughout the HR cycle.
As a trusted advisor and fully embedded member of the teams you support, you provide HR expertise across a wide range of responsibilities, including support to Vice Presidents and their leadership groups.
You demonstrate the ability to quickly adapt to an evolving workplace culture and environment, while identifying opportunities for improvement aligned with VIA Rail’s strategy, vision, and culture. Through your relationship‑building skills and leadership, you elevate the role of Human Resources within the organization and across your internal partnerships.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Business context, influence and support
- Understand the business context, challenges, and issues faced by your internal partners across the VIA Rail organization.
- Strategically support cultural transformation and sector evolution, promote engagement, and foster leadership development.
- Build trusting relationships while influencing managers at all levels.
- Assess needs and risks to enhance partner performance by developing and implementing HR strategies and solutions (leadership development, succession planning, acquisitions and integrations, etc.).
- Anticipate HR needs to proactively address issues before they arise.
- Develop and lead the implementation of solutions aligned with organizational strategy and partner needs.
- Participate in leadership committees and act as a strategic advisor to senior management.
- Contribute actively to the annual development or update of your sector’s strategic plan, supporting the vision of the Director or VP.
Labour relations management
- Advise management teams on interpreting the collective agreement and employment law, and ensure alignment of labour relations practices across sectors.
- Support managers in cases of performance issues or interpersonal conflict to help maintain healthy relationships with employees and union representatives.
- Uphold a healthy and respectful work environment in accordance with VIA Rail’s Harassment and Workplace Violence Prevention Policy.
HR cycle deployment and support
- Ensure the deployment and continuous support of the full HR cycle for your assigned client groups.
- Define annual needs related to attraction, development/training, engagement, employee relations, total compensation, and health & wellness to support the sector strategy and enhance the Employee Experience.
- Partner with managers to establish objectives and ensure alignment with strategic priorities.
- Guide talent management decisions, including succession planning, candidate profiling, identifying talent across the organization, workforce planning, and supporting diversity objectives.
Design of HR services and solutions
- Collaborate with the Centre of Expertise (COE) within the Employee Experience function to implement strategic priorities and advance HR practices across the organization.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- Undergraduate degree in Human Resources Management, Industrial Relations, or a related field.
- More than 8 years of relevant experience in HR business partnering and/or labour relations.
- Strong ability to analyze business issues and propose effective solutions.
- Proven influence skills with management teams and union representatives, with the ability to build strong interpersonal relationships.
- Excellent communication skills in both French and English, spoken and written.
- High level of professionalism, autonomy, and sound business judgment.
- Ability to navigate ambiguity and work effectively in transforming environments.
- Solid understanding of change management principles.
- Demonstrated resilience and adaptability.
At VIA Rail, we are proud to be an employment-equity employer and we strive to form teams that reflect the diversity of Canadian society. We aim to remove barriers to employment accessibility and aspire to provide an inclusive and equitable work environment where everyone is valued, regardless of their identity or differences, to enable them to reach their full potential.
If you need assistance in making the recruitment process or the position you are applying for more accessible, please let us know. Alternate arrangements may be offered to individuals who request them at any stage of the recruitment process. All information received in relation to arrangements will be kept confidential.
Note that we will only contact those who are selected for an interview.
Join our 3,000 other employees in helping provide Canadians with a safe, accessible, environmentally sustainable way to travel!