Chief People Officer

KIPP Team and Family • Newark, NJ

2d

About The Position

KIPP TEAM & Family Schools (KTAF) is a network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools in Newark, Camden, and Paterson, New Jersey, and Miami, Florida. Serving more than 11,000 students today, the network plans to serve 15,000 by 2030. It has more than 1,500 staff and an operating budget of over $300 million, and is expanding its South Florida presence beyond Miami. KTAF is part of the national KIPP network and prepares students for success in college and in life.

The Chief People Officer owns the full employee experience across the network, including recruiting and hiring, staff development and retention, compensation, employee support, and performance management. The CPO serves on the executive leadership team, reports to the Co-President, leads five functional leaders across Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, HR Operations and Payroll, Employee Relations, and Compensation and Performance Management, and works closely with regional leaders in all four cities.

In the first year, the CPO will build trust with executive, school, and regional leaders; unify the People team around the network's 2030 plan; visit schools in each region and listen to staff; ensure hiring and pipeline programs can support growth; assess and modernize HR, applicant tracking, and performance management systems; advance proactive workforce planning using people analytics and AI; embed KTAF's values in talent practices; and establish the groundwork for a competitive, equitable, and transparent compensation strategy.

The CPO will set a multi-year people strategy and partner with the Co-President and CEO on organizational design and workforce planning. The role oversees talent acquisition, talent development, HR operations and payroll, employee relations, and compensation and performance management across four regions and two states. The role is accountable for ambitious 2030 people goals, including 90% overall staff retention, less than 5% regrettable attrition, 90% of specified openings filled from within, 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.

The ideal candidate is a builder and senior people leader who is comfortable with growth and ambiguity, keeps frontline school staff central to decision-making, uses data practically, builds trust across regions, and centers racial equity and cultural responsiveness. The role requires regular travel between Newark, Camden, Paterson, and South Florida.

The salary range is $250,000–$290,000. KTAF offers a benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; a 403(b) retirement plan with matching contributions; generous time off; up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave for primary caregivers; employer-paid life insurance; and optional ancillary benefits.

Requirements

• At least 10 years of progressive HR or talent leadership experience, including 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.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading HR or talent across multiple sites or regions, ideally in an organization of 1,000 or more employees.
• Experience in K-12 education, charter schools, or another mission-driven, people-intensive sector.
• Experience with New Jersey and Florida employment law.
• 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 and its five functional areas across four regions as one unified team.
• Develop and refine recruitment strategies and recruit mission-aligned teachers, school leaders, and staff at the pace required by network growth.
• Grow teacher pipeline programs, 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 assess 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 support for schools, maintain clear and consistent policies across regions, and partner with legal counsel on complex matters.
• Build compensation and performance systems that recognize strong performance and equip managers to set expectations, give feedback, and retain valued staff.
• Build relationships with executive, school, and regional leaders, and visit schools across the regions to understand staff needs.
• Set the direction for a competitive, equitable, and transparent compensation strategy.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 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