Chief People Officer

KIPP • Newark, NJ

11d • $250,000 - $290,000

About The Position

KIPP TEAM & Family Schools (KTAF) is a network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools serving more than 11,000 students in Newark, Camden, Paterson, and South Florida. The organization has more than 1,500 staff, an operating budget of over $300 million, and plans to serve 15,000 students by 2030. KTAF is part of the national KIPP network and exists to prepare students for success in college and in life.

The Chief People Officer owns the full employee experience across the organization, including recruitment and hiring, talent development and retention, compensation, employee support, and performance management. This executive leadership team member reports to the Co-President and leads five functional areas: Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, HR Operations and Payroll, Employee Relations, and Compensation and Performance Management. The role partners closely with regional leaders across all four cities and is accountable for aligning people practices with KTAF’s values and growth plans.

During the first year, the Chief People Officer will build relationships with executive, school, and regional leaders; unify the People team; spend time in schools across each region; ensure hiring and talent pipelines can support growth; assess and modernize HR, applicant tracking, and performance management systems; use people analytics and AI to support proactive workforce planning; embed organizational values throughout talent practices; and lay the groundwork for a competitive, equitable, and transparent pay strategy.

The role sets the multi-year people strategy and partners with the Co-President and CEO on organizational design and workforce planning. It oversees recruitment, internal talent pipelines and professional development, HR systems and compliant payroll in two states, benefits strategy and administration, employee relations, compensation, and performance systems. The Chief People Officer also supports succession planning and equips managers to set expectations, provide feedback, recognize performance, and retain strong employees.

Success measures for 2030 include 90% overall staff retention, less than 5% regrettable attrition, 90% of teacher, School Leader, and Director of School Operations openings filled internally, 95% of residents meeting or exceeding expectations in their first year, and 90% of schools and teams scoring above the 75th percentile on Gallup’s core engagement questions.

Requirements

• 10 or more years of progressive HR or talent leadership experience.
• At least 5 years in a senior role overseeing multiple HR functions.
• Working knowledge of employment law, HR compliance, and payroll across multiple states.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and boards.
• Bachelor’s degree.
• Willingness to travel regularly between Newark, Camden, Paterson, and South Florida.
• Ability to lead senior leaders, build systems, navigate ambiguity, and make tough decisions and have difficult conversations with care.
• Commitment to racial equity and cultural responsiveness, and alignment with KTAF’s Kid Focus, Radical Love, Excellence, TEAM, and Fun values.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading HR or talent across multiple sites or regions, ideally in an organization with 1,000 or more employees.
• Experience in K-12 education, charter schools, or another mission-driven, people-intensive sector.
• New Jersey and Florida employment law experience.
• Advanced degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Set the multi-year people strategy and partner with the Co-President and CEO on organizational design and workforce planning.
• Embed KTAF’s values and key behaviors into job descriptions, interview rubrics, onboarding, performance management, recognition, and leadership development.
• Lead the People team’s five functional areas and align the team and four regions around a shared vision.
• Develop and refine recruitment strategies and recruit mission-aligned teachers, school leaders, and staff across all regions.
• Grow teacher pipeline programs, the leader residency, and teacher-to-leader pathways to support internal succession and advancement.
• Develop and implement professional development for home-office and school-based staff and managers.
• Modernize HR systems and evaluate people analytics and AI tools to support proactive workforce planning.
• Oversee compliant payroll across two states and own benefits strategy and administration.
• Oversee employee relations strategy and school support, maintain clear and consistent policies across regions, and partner with legal counsel on complex matters.
• Build compensation and performance systems that recognize strong performers and equip managers to set expectations, give feedback, and retain employees.
• Build relationships with executive, school, and regional leaders and spend time in schools across each region.
• Establish a competitive, equitable, and transparent pay strategy.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• KTAF 403(b) retirement plan with matching contributions.
• Generous time-off policy.
• Up to 12 weeks of 100% parental leave for primary caregivers.
• Employer-paid life insurance.
• Optional short-term and long-term disability, accident, and hospital indemnity benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive