SVP, Chief People Officer
- Posted on
About the Position
The SVP, Chief People Officer (CPO) leads a progressive, high-impact human resources function that advances CRF’s mission and strategic priorities. Reporting directly to the CEO, the CPO oversees all aspects of talent strategy, including talent management, total rewards (compensation, benefits, and recognition), learning and development, and performance management.
The CPO serves as a trusted advisor to the executive team, providing expert leadership in employee relations, ensuring consistent, fair, and compliant practices while proactively addressing complex workplace issues. This role plays a critical part in leading organizational change, strengthening workforce resiliency, and guiding the organization through periods of growth and transformation.
The CPO is also responsible for developing leadership capability across the organization through executive coaching and targeted leadership development strategies, equipping leaders to drive performance, accountability, and engagement. Additionally, the CPO shapes an inclusive, high-performing culture that fosters strong employee engagement and organizational effectiveness, aligning people strategies with business objectives to attract, develop, and retain the talent needed to achieve CRF’s mission.
This position leads a team of two HR directors.
Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND PLANNING
- Sets HR goals and develops HR plans and strategies to support the achievement of the overall business operations objectives
- Participates in strategic planning process and collaborates with leadership team to define organization’s long-term goals; identifies ways to support the mission through talent development
- Coaches and develops senior leaders on executive leadership capabilities
TALENT MANAGEMENT & EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
- Develops staffing strategies and designs, implements, and manages programs and plans that attract, retain, and develop high performing teams
- Provides tools and strategies for the organization to identify skills gaps, cultivate talent, enable talent mobility through career pathways, learning and development plans, and total rewards programs
- Evaluates and provides reports regarding the effectiveness of the organization’s talent strategies
- Leads employee development for the organization with a focus on leadership and employee effectiveness
- Provides expert leadership in employee relations, managing complex and sensitive workplace issues with sound judgment, consistency, and a strong focus on risk mitigation and compliance
- Advises senior leaders on complex people issues, balancing business needs with employee experience, legal considerations, and organizational values
- Proactively identifies and mitigates workplace risks through strong policies, manager guidance, and early intervention strategies
- Builds leadership capability in handling difficult conversations, performance management, and employee relations matters with confidence and consistency
ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND DEVELOPMENT (OE&D)
- Designs, and manages overall organizational compensation structures, pay practices and job design including job descriptions and department functions
- Ensures engaged and effective people are the critical component in accomplishing business goals
- Proposes changes to organizational structure to leverage talent and provide development opportunities to key leaders in the organization
- Defines and collects key performance metrics to enable accurate and valid measurement of workforce performance and to identify areas for improvement
- Oversees the assessment process of employees’ strengths and interests and develops and supports the administration of training and development opportunities to assist managers and employees meeting career objectives and goals
- Leads org-wide talent strategies to ensure strong succession plans and risk mitigation for critical roles with single person risk
HR SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES
- Ensures effective Human Resources administrative and operational functions, including benefits, compensation, compliance and organization-wide policies and procedures
- Establishes compensation philosophy, structure, and ongoing evaluation process
- Facilitates ongoing review of PEO status and other vendor partners that impact HR service delivery
CULTURE AND ENGAGEMENT
- Builds and maintains healthy organizational culture
- Partners with senior leadership to ensures the organization embodies the vision and values
- Designs and develops programs to support the people in the organization; is the workplace champion for all employees
- Equips leaders to drive performance, accountability, and engagement
- Uses a variety of methods, including surveys, focus groups, skill assessments, and other feedback to assist the organization with new ideas, identifying issues, and improving morale
- Coordinates with executive leadership on key change management initiatives and org wide communications
About You
The ideal candidate for the next SVP, CPO will be a well-rounded, proven human resource practitioner knowledgeable in all areas of human resources, with a depth of experience in talent management, employee relations, leadership development and organizational effectiveness and development. Proven experience achieving operational excellence in a highly complex work environment is required. They will have a track record of growing and developing diverse teams in a fast-paced, changing organization while building an inclusive and equitable working environment.
The successful candidate will be a strategic, proactive business partner, who will provide thought leadership and forward-leaning practices as an active and constructive leader, who can foster a culture that supports creativity and innovation, and who is skilled at both prompting and effectively reacting to new work environments and organizational demands.
- A proven leader who is a strong talent developer and mentor of employees who can help create and maintain a positive organizational culture
- A strategic partner and people-centric HR leader well versed in guiding an organization through change and growth; experienced in organizational development and HR transformation
- A proactive business partner; to engage the leadership team and staff around creative HR solutions; one who can bring fresh ideas to drive growth and impact
- An engaged and confident leader equipped with the tenacity to articulate and implement CRF’s people needs of the future and to further position HR as a strategic support function
- A strong communicator with the ability to effectively communicate with a variety of audiences across all levels of the organization, open to feedback and skilled at conflict resolution, with an ability to influence others
- An individual with strong emotional intelligence and an ability to build trust in a variety of relationships
- A team player who emphasizes collaboration and consensus building
- A trusted confidant with an ‘open door policy’; equipped at building trust with a remote workforce
- An experienced professional who can leverage HR data and metrics to measure and monitor progress and inform decisions
- A person of unquestionable ethics and integrity
- A forward-thinking people leader passionate about an experience that attracts and retains employees where they can work and grow
- An individual who embodies inclusion ensuring the strategies, policies, practices, and programs work in a cohesive manner to address both short and long-term needs of an evolving employee and talent pipeline
- A leader deeply committed to CRF’s mission, vision, and values
Key Competencies & Preferences
- Master’s degree or equivalent education, preferably with a focus in business or human resources.
- Fifteen or more years of experience in human resources leadership with a successful track record of progressively increasing responsibilities.
- Experience in all human resource functions including benefits, compensation, employee engagement, recruitment and staffing, organizational development, policy and procedure development, regulatory compliance and employment law, change management and leadership development, as well as associated generalist responsibilities.
- Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Candidates must reside in and be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.
CRF is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For a more detailed description of the incredible work we do, how we do it, and who we are, please visit www.crfusa.com.
What We Offer
- Most positions offer flexibility for remote work
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- 401K with a 5% match – eligible to participate after 6 months
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Hybrid Reimbursement Program
- Educational Assistance
- Long-Term and Short-Term Disability
- Life Insurance
- 10 Federal Holidays plus 2 Floating Holidays