Chief People Officer

KIPP • Newark, NJ

2d • $250,000 - $290,000

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. The network serves more than 11,000 students, employs more than 1,500 staff, and plans to serve 15,000 students by 2030. The Chief People Officer will build the people strategy and talent systems needed to support this growth and ensure the network’s values are reflected throughout the employee experience.

The Chief People Officer owns the full employee experience, from recruitment and hiring through development, retention, compensation, support, and performance management. This executive 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 role will build trust with executive, school, and regional leaders; unify the People team around the organization’s 2030 plan; spend time listening in schools across the regions; strengthen hiring pipelines for growth; assess and modernize HR, applicant tracking, and performance management systems; advance proactive workforce planning using people analytics and AI; embed organizational values throughout talent practices; and lay the groundwork for competitive, equitable, and transparent compensation.

The role owns the people goals for 2030, including staff retention, reduced regrettable attrition, internal hiring pipelines, resident performance, and staff engagement. It sets multi-year people strategy and partners with the Co-President and CEO on organizational design and workforce planning. The Chief People Officer oversees recruitment and talent development strategies, HR systems and compliant payroll across two states, benefits strategy and administration, employee relations, and compensation and performance systems. Regular travel among Newark, Camden, Paterson, and South Florida is required.

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 with 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 network values and key behaviors in job descriptions, interview rubrics, onboarding, performance management, recognition, and leadership development.
• Develop and refine recruitment strategies and recruit mission-aligned teachers, school leaders, and staff across regions to meet growth needs.
• Grow teacher pipeline programs, leader residency, and teacher-to-leader pathways to develop future leaders from within.
• Develop professional development for home-office and school-based staff and managers, supporting succession planning and internal growth.
• Modernize HR systems and assess people-analytics and AI tools to support proactive workforce planning.
• Oversee compliant payroll in New Jersey and Florida and own benefits strategy and administration.
• Oversee employee-relations strategy and school support; 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 strong employees.
• Build relationships with executive, school, and regional leaders, and spend time in schools across the regions.
• Lead five functional leaders and unite the People team across four regions.
• Own progress toward 2030 people goals for retention, regrettable attrition, internal hiring, resident performance, and employee engagement.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• KTAF 403b 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