VP of People

Ottawa, Canada | Executive Leadership Team | Full-Time | Hybrid

Corel has an immediate vacancy for this role.

The Opportunity

You will define how Corel attracts, develops, and retains talent across a global workforce. This is a leadership seat reporting directly to the CEO — shaping the people strategy that powers a 40-year-old software company through its next chapter of growth.

A Day in the Life

• Partner with the CEO and executive team to align people strategy with business objectives — from workforce planning and organizational design to leadership development.
• Lead and develop an HR team spanning talent acquisition, total rewards, learning & development, and people operations across North America, Europe, and Mauritius.
• Use employee engagement data, exit insights, and retention metrics to make evidence-based decisions that directly improve the employee experience.
• Design and oversee compensation and benefits programs that are competitive, equitable, and aligned to Corel’s growth stage.
• Own the people-side of M&A integration — from cultural assessment during diligence to org design and onboarding for acquired teams.

How We Work (Our Values)

Culture matters at Corel. As we build the next chapter of this business, how we work together is as important as what we build.

Accountability comes first. When we commit to something, we own the outcome and learn quickly when things don’t go as planned.

Customer obsessed. We focus on real customer impact, constantly asking: “What’s in it for the customer?”

We debate ideas openly and respectfully. Strong opinions and healthy disagreement are encouraged, but once a decision is made, we align and move forward together.

Move fast. Be resourceful. We value speed and pragmatism — testing ideas quickly, learning from customers, and proving what works before scaling. 

What You Bring

To succeed in this role, you have:

• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience, including at least 5 years at the VP or senior director level in a technology company.
• Demonstrated success building people strategy for distributed organizations across multiple geographies.
• Deep expertise in organizational development, talent management, and total rewards.
• Working knowledge of employment law across North America and Europe — you know when to call counsel and when to move forward.
• A track record of using data and analytics to drive decisions in workforce planning, engagement, and retention.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence at the C-suite and board level.
• Experience leading change management through periods of rapid growth, restructuring, or M&A integration.

It’s a bonus if you also have:

• Experience leading people functions through M&A integration or corporate transformation in a PE-backed environment.
• Familiarity with HR operations in Mauritius or other emerging tech hubs.

About Corel

Corel is a beloved and trusted industry titan fueled by make-everything-easier flexibility. With a 40+ year legacy of innovation, we understand where you’ve been, and we’re uniquely equipped to get you where you want to be. Our comprehensive collection of creative, collaborative, and productivity solutions propel your teams on their journey. From meeting your deadlines to realizing your dreams, Corel empowers all you do.

Our products enable millions of connected knowledge workers around the world to do great work faster. Our success is driven by an unwavering commitment to deliver a broad portfolio of innovative applications – including CorelDRAW®, MindManager®, and WinZip® – to inspire users and help them achieve their goals.

It is our policy and practice to offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, sex, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetics, or any other protected characteristic.

Corel is committed to an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment and selection process and work environment. If you are contacted for a job opportunity, please advise us of any accommodation that is required. Appropriate accommodation will be provided upon request as required by Federal and Provincial regulations and Company Policy. Any information received relating to accommodation will be treated as confidential.

As part of our evaluation process, we utilize an AI tool to assess candidates.

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