About us

High Potential Talent + High Performing Companies.
Now that’s Powerful.

  • CHANGE.

  • It’s the new constant.

  • We become powerful when we collectively,

  • step away from the status quo,

  • Address real biases,

  • Make data work,

  • Respect cultural differences,

  • Abandon the superficial,

  • Empower the success of others,

  • Take on a local perspective,

  • Look beyond the obvious,

  • Scrap the old paradigm of thought.

That's why Upwardly exists

We’re elevating the recruiting game to position today’s high-potential next gen talent with high-performing companies.

Our Why

Everyone wins with Upwardly.

Candidates

We treat our candidates with respect. Our recruitment approach is robust and fair to candidates from diverse backgrounds while ensuring a dynamic and engaging experience. We advocate for potential, not pedigree, to present a future-facing, multidimensional picture of a person.

Count me in!

Clients

Our Clients benefit from an innovative recruitment process that aligns their unique business needs with today’s talent. We act as an extension of your hiring team to connect your organization with the best and brightest- our deep talent pool of educated, focused, and tech-adapted professionals.

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Community

Communities flourish as we build career opportunities in the local economy. We advocate for the impact our clients are making by developing economic contributors who are inspired to put down roots and seed future growth by building skills, expanding ideas, and creating a roadmap for prosperity.

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Our Way

On purpose, with purpose.

We go beyond the resume and educational credentials


Upwardly digs deeper to illuminate individuals with the
Power skills that are essential to ensure success in today's workplace.

Tenacity

Curiosity

Optimism

Flexibility

Integrity

Our process engages both our clients and candidates in curated assessments; capturing objective behavioral data to make better decisions about fit and potential.

Best in Class

People-led and Tech-driven Recruitment Agency

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Our Clients are forward-focused companies across high-growth industries. As the pace of change accelerates and operations become increasingly data and technology-driven, these organizations have identified the need to find a more effective way to recruit dynamic Next-Gen talent.

Building teams today, to power their tomorrow.

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- EMPLOYER

power up your recruiting
power up your career

We recruit across all industries

Software and Technology
Energy
Agriculture
Legal Services
Finance & Professional Services
Media
Real Estate & Development
Logistics & Transportation

Our Leaders

We are supported by a dynamic team that shares our business values: Agility, Reliability, Innovation, Intelligence, and Curiosity

Jill McDonough

Co-founder + Chief Vision Officer
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Jill McDonough

Born and raised in Calgary, Jill is a third generation entrepreneur and passionate Calgarian.  After obtaining her MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Jill began her career in Finance in San Francisco. Before too long, entrepreneurial opportunities in Calgary called her home. She returned and founded Schwartzie’s Bagel Noshery - an award winning Bagel cafe that grew to 14 retail locations throughout Alberta and British Columbia For over 30 years, Jill has been involved in building businesses across several industries.  Her focus on aligning talent with business outcomes has given her unique insight to the power of People in building successful businesses. Combining her passion for business and people, Jill co-founded Upwardly Careers.  As the CVO, she is on a mission to build Canada’s leading Next-Generation talent recruiting agency - advocating for the power skills that the next generation brings to both business  and the community.

Jackson McDonough

Co-founder + Chief Engagement Officer
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Jackson McDonough

Jackson is a community builder and entrepreneur currently based in Calgary, Alberta.  On completion of his BBA with a Major in Finance, Jackson moved to Austin, Texas where he worked for a successful SaaS company that went public on the NYSE in 2020. After seeing how the tech sector in Austin leaned into innovative hiring practices to fuel their growth, Jackson returned to Calgary and launched Upwardly. As the Co-founder and CEO, Jackson is focused on disrupting how the next generation of talent is identified, assessed, and hired by companies. As a community builder, Jackson’s efforts have provided opportunities for the next generation to engage with local leaders, entrepreneurs, coaches, and influencers to ensure that their voice is heard. He is also the Co-Founder of The Beacons of Hope. 

Daniel Palmer

Director of Recruitment
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Daniel Palmer


Originally from England, Dan is proud to call Calgary home. As the Director of Recruitment at Upwardly Careers,  Dan aims to establish meaningful relationships within the community and foster more opportunities for the next generation of talent. With strong experience in business, staffing, and recruiting, Dan is on a mission to successfully match high-potential candidates with high-performing clients across all industries.

Our Team

Greg Jones

Recruitment
Recruitment Person

Paul Jones

Recruitment
Recruitment Person

Dread Jones

Recruitment
Recruitment Person

Bread Jones

Recruitment
Recruitment Person

Ted Jones

Recruitment
Recruitment Person

Fred Jones

Recruitment
Recruitment Guy

Ed Jones

Recruitment
Recruitment Person

Doug Jones

Recruitment
Recruitment Person

Is the recruitment industry for you?

We have created an atmosphere that meshes rapid iteration, driven talent, and career growth with a great work/life balance. Our recruiters work in person at our Calgary HQ as well as remotely to support clients/candidates across North America. Interested in joining our team?

join our team

Are you ready for powerful results?

Contact us