Vanessa Poirier

Workforce Development Project Manager @ SMS Equipment Inc.

About

Experienced 24-year Senior Human Resources Leader, certified change management practitioner, and CPHR with experience in both public and private sectors for major Canadian and Alberta employers. My strength is HR and employee relations operations in unionized environments, but my passion is organizational and workforce program development including designing and implementing new workforce talent and leadership initiatives. I’m also very experienced in driving adoption of strategic initiatives and tech platform implementations with various workforce groups using engaging change management principles. Supporting my practice is graduation from two universities and one technical institute in the areas of mediation and labour relations negotiation, change management, and strategic organization development. If you want to move a workforce forward through complicated operational barriers or change, I’m the passionate human resource professional who would love to help make it happen.

Country

Canada

City

Edmonton

Industry

Primary/Secondary Education

Skill

AI and software implementation and people change management, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Program Manager, Learning and Leadership Development Program manager, Occupational Health and Safety program manager, Certified Workforce Development Professional, Strategic Human Resource Planning, Change Management, Assistant hr director, Recruiting, Investigation, Return to Work Planning, Clinical team support, Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS), Workplace Safety, Human Resources (HR), Leadership Development, Collective Agreement Negotiation , Labor Relations, Organizational Development, Workforce Planning

Experience

Workforce Development Project Manager

SMS Equipment Inc.

2026-1 - Present · 9 mos

Project manager for new systems implementation as needed, business process development and organizational development.

Senior HR Business Partner, Alberta Teachers Association

The Alberta Teachers' Association

2020-10 - 2026-5 · 5 yrs 8 mos

Edmonton, AB

Operationalizing workforce development programs and strategies to help support the highest quality of education in Alberta.

Senior HR Advisor, North Zone

Alberta Health Services

2012-2 - 2020-11 · 8 yrs 10 mos

I am proud to lead an exceptional team of HR professionals as we provide trusted and confidential oversight and advice to senior healthcare leaders and their unionized teams across northern Alberta. Healthcare challenges the labour professional in me daily as I apply almost two decades of advanced problem solving and mediation competencies to influence and settle workplace and union complaints, grievances and arbitrations with UNA, HSAA and AUPE unions. If changes need to occur successfully within a workforce, and when leaders need a customized approach that works for them regardless of issue, I’m honored to help make it happen.