HR Team Lead

AccessHR is excited to partner with The City of Red Deer for the recruitment of a full-time, permanent HR Team Lead
- Total Compensation

Located in Central Alberta along the QEII Highway corridor, Red Deer is strategically positioned between Calgary and Edmonton, making it an important economic, service, and transportation hub for the province. With a population of approximately 100,000 residents and a regional trading area serving more than 300,000 people, Red Deer continues to experience steady growth driven by its diverse economy, strong business community, and exceptional quality of life.

Red Deer is known for offering the amenities of a larger urban centre while maintaining the accessibility, affordability, and sense of community of a mid‑sized city. The community features extensive parks and trail systems, vibrant arts and cultural opportunities, excellent recreational facilities, and a strong network of educational and healthcare services.

Red Deer also provides excellent access to Central Alberta’s lakes, outdoor recreation, and mountain destinations. Its central location, growing economy, and highly livable environment continue to attract professionals, families, and businesses from across Canada.

The City of Red Deer is a progressive municipal government with an operating budget of ~$480 million, a capital budget of ~$60 million, and ~1,700 employees including full-time, part-time, and seasonal workers. Employees are the cornerstone of the organization and the City is seeking creative, skilled, and forward‑thinking individuals as the organization grows and realigns to that growth.

Guided by Red Deer’s commitment to a unified community vision, "Our City, One Voice", the City is dedicated to building a strong and resilient community. The City of Red Deer’s Strategic Plan is centered around three key focus areas: a Thriving City, Community Health & Wellbeing, and a Connected & Engaged City. Last but not least, the vision for 2050 is that Red Deer is vibrant and visionary, grounded in connection, and growing in diversity.

Recognizing that its employees are fundamental to actualizing the above, the City values the diverse experiences, perspectives, skills, and talents that individuals bring to the organization. This commitment to diversity and inclusion helps foster a workplace culture where individual, team, and organizational successes are recognized and celebrated.

The HR Team Lead
- Total Compensation reports directly to the Chief People Officer and is a key member of the HR leadership team. They provide strategic and operational oversight for payroll, pension, benefits, compensation, classification, and HRIS administration.

Leading a team of 8 specialized professionals, this role works closely with Labour Relations, Finance, and department leaders to ensure compensation programs, systems, and practices are practical, compliant, and aligned with organizational needs.

This opportunity is ideal for a collaborative and strategic leader with experience in total compensation within a complex public sector environment. The role offers a well‑rounded balance of day‑to‑day transactional leadership and longer‑term project work, including evolving systems and processes and helping shape future compensation and total rewards strategies.

Success in this role will require authentic leadership, articulate communication, and the ability to guide teams and stakeholders through ongoing organizational change and realignment.

• Strategic Total Compensation Leadership: Lead the development and continuous improvement of the City’s total compensation programs and services, ensuring alignment with City Council philosophies, organizational priorities, fiscal accountability, and long‑term workforce strategies.
• Compensation, Classification, and Market Analysis: Oversee compensation and classification programs, labour market reviews, and benchmarking activities to support equitable, competitive, and sustainable compensation practices.
• Operational Leadership and Service Delivery: Provide leadership and direction to the Total…