Manager, Talent Advisory

Dentons is designed to be different. Our firm leads the way in a rapidly changing legal marketplace. We challenge the status quo and deliver consistent results as well as uncompromising quality and value to our clients. Our global presence is renowned as a firm with over 21,000 individuals in more than 200 offices serving clients across 80+ countries.  
 
Dentons Canada is committed to its people and communities. We are consistently recognized as an employer of choice having received numerous awards including being selected as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers (2024); Alberta's Top 80 Employers (2024); Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2024), and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers (2024).
 
This role is an opportunity for you to join the world’s largest law firm, a firm that offers opportunities to build your career while growing your skills and deepening your expertise.
 
Position Summary

The Manager, Talent Advisory, a member of the national Talent team, reports into the Canada Director, Talent Advisory with a dotted line to the Office Managing Partner.  The Manager, Talent Advisory is an Employee Relations (ER) subject matter expert responsible for providing Human Resources (HR) consultation and recommendations to Dentons staff members in the Edmonton office. In addition the Manager, Talent Advisory is a key member of the national Talent Advisory team and works closely with the Canada Director, Talent Advisory to support and drive strategic projects and initiatives nationally.

An integral part of the role of the Manager, Talent Advisory is to work collaboratively with Talent colleagues across Canada and our Talent Centres of Excellence to deliver solutions to the business needs of the Edmonton office.  A true HR advisor, the Manager, Talent Advisory collaborates with the office management team including the leadership team.  

Other key areas of responsibility include policy and procedure implementation and interpretation; talent planning and recruitment; change management; performance management; management and administration of leaves and absences; training and development; occupational health and safety; engagement initiatives and compensation.

Responsibilities
 

• Oversees HR operations and processes for the Edmonton office staff; accountable for recruitment and retention initiatives; adheres to and ensures compliance with established policies, practices and relevant legislation;
• Manages one direct report (Talent Coordinator); shares knowledge and best practices; provides direct report with coaching and guidance on a broad spectrum of HR matters including employee relations; responsible for the ongoing guidance and development of direct report;
• Provides advice, guidance and/or coaching on employee relations and sensitive HR matters regarding staff; advises and assists managers on the interpretation and administration of policies, programs and best practices;
• Administers and manages employee leave programs, ensuring compliance with legal requirements, tracking leave balances, processing requests, and coordinating return-to-work plans to support workforce planning and employee well-being.
• In partnership with the Director of Talent, Edmonton and the Office Managing Partner, supports efforts to drive positive engagement; identifies key trends and issues, and makes recommendations for changes, enhancements, and solutions; leads the planning and organization of local office events that promote employee engagement and office culture;
• Cultivates positive working relationships with all Dentons members; builds trust and credibility to create a safe, supportive and open environment;
• Drives the annual performance management and compensation review process for Legal Support, Office Services, Paraprofessionals and Business Services with support from the Talent Centers of Excellence; provides guidance to people managers on compensation recommendations; reviews salary and bonus recommendations to ensure fair and equitable approach;
• Oversees voluntary and involuntary departures including coaching managers with respect to appropriate departure plans and with guidance from in-house counsel as appropriate; ensures standardized processes are followed;
• Remains current in market trends, legislation and best practices; recommends new approaches to HR practices to keep the organization current in its approach to managing talent;
• Adheres to budget guidelines; participate in the annual budgeting process by contributing input on local requirements;
• Monitors workplace safety compliance, ensuring adherence to OHS standards and investigating workplace accidents or incidents and collaborate with our Privacy and Risk team to address health, safety, and compliance concerns and complaints;
• Actively participates in local industry and HR associations; and
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• University degree in Business, Human Resources or related field;
• HR designation is an asset;
• Minimum five plus (5+) years of progressive Human Resources experience in a generalist role;
• Experience in a professional services organization or law firm preferred;
• Must work effectively independently as well as contribute to a highly collaborative, virtual team environment;
• Must be a participative leader; sense of urgency and service orientation are essential along with experience in managing change;
• Holds a proven track record of leading through change and adversity; must be flexible and capable of providing leadership in a fast-paced, ever changing environment;
• Strong communication skills both written and verbal;
• Strong team player, able to build effective relationships with key internal clients, as well as with Talent colleagues;
• Must have knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Power Point) and previous experience working with an HRIS; and
• Demonstrated commitment to privacy and ethical conduct; exercises good judgement; seasoned interpersonal skills with a high level of tact and discretion, sound judgment and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive and confidential matters.

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

At Dentons we are committed to offering equitable and competitive pay, we achieve this by aligning internal salary ranges for specific roles to similar positions in the external market. In the normal course, our practice is to hire, transfer and promote employees within the entry part of our range, adjusting as needed based on the prior experience, skills and competencies required for the role along with any market differentials. 
 
Recognizing our exceptional talent means providing a comprehensive total rewards package beyond a competitive salary. We have curated our employee benefits portfolio to offer inclusive and comprehensive wellbeing and developmental programs for our people. With extended benefits and mental health plans, paid time off, savings plans, fitness subsidy, parental leave top up and more, our benefits are flexible, aligned to our core values and supports the various needs of our people. Additionally, our personal and professional development programs include people networks, mentorships, and leadership series programming to help people grow their career. 
 
Note: Availability of the benefits and perks may be subject to your location and employment type and may have certain eligibility requirements. Dentons reserves the right to alter these programs and offerings in whole or in part at any time without advance notice.

Equal Opportunity Statement

At Dentons Canada, inclusion, diversity and equity (ID&E) are not just ancillary values, they are foundational to our business. We believe that ID&E is essential to the shared success of our team and our clients. Our forward-thinking and inclusive culture supports the professional development of all our people, enhances the leading services we offer to our clients, and informs our commitment to make a positive impact in the communities where we live and work. As a testament to our commitment to ID&E, we have been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employer’s for 14 consecutive years (2011-2024), as well as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2024) for the seventh time.

Dentons Canada is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome your application. All employment decisions, including hiring, will be made without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, colour, creed, disability, ethnic origin, family status, gender assigned at birth, gender identity, marital status, place of origin, race, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by applicable human rights legislation.

We are committed to providing you with an inclusive, barrier-free and accessible workplace to support your success. Should you require accommodation during the recruitment process, for example as a result of a disability, please contact us at careers.canada@dentons.com.