Chief People Officer (CPO)

TSC•Arlington, VA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

TSC is seeking an experienced hands-on, business-oriented Chief People Officer (CPO) to lead and scale the company’s Human Capital (HC) strategy, talent systems, and people operations to create an operating model that supports rapid organic growth, and active acquisition activity. The CPO will report to the CEO and serve as a builder and operator. The successful candidate must be equally comfortable developing enterprise human capital strategy, leading M&A diligence and integration, building the HR operating model, solving detailed people and organizational challenges, and providing the CEO, Executive Leadership Team, and Board with clear visibility into workforce risks, capability gaps, talent priorities, and organizational health. The CPO will oversee HC and organizational effectiveness, including HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Talent Development, HR Operations, HRIS/Data Analytics, Organizational Development, Employee Relations, Compliance, and Human Capital Integration. The role will work closely with P&L Leadership, Engineering, Program Management, Operations, Business Development, Finance, Legal, IT, Security, Marketing and Communications, and the broader Executive Leadership Team.

Requirements

Bachelors, Master’s degree or MBA preferred, in human resources, business, organizational development, other applicable discipline; or equivalent.
15+ years of progressive Human Capital / HR leadership experience with responsibility across multiple functions such as HR business partnership, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, HR Operations, Talent Development, Organizational Effectiveness, Employee Relations, Compliance, and HRIS/Data.
5+ years in an executive Human Capital / HR leadership role such as CHRO, CHCO, Chief People Officer, or equivalent senior enterprise people leadership role.
Demonstrated experience scaling people systems, teams, and processes in a complex, growth-oriented environment, ideally from approximately 1,000 employees toward materially larger scale.
Proven experience supporting M&A transactions, including human capital due diligence, integration planning, post-close execution, workforce risk assessment, retention, and culture integration.
Experience building or upgrading HR operating models, leadership teams, HRIS/data practices, dashboards, workforce planning rhythms, and service delivery processes.
Strong understanding of Talent Acquisition, HRBP models, performance management, leadership development, succession planning, Total Rewards, HR Operations, Employee Relations, and compliance.
Experience operating in a highly regulated, quality-sensitive, security-conscious, or government contracting environment.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a practical, data-informed approach to decision-making and execution.
Ability to work effectively with engineers, program managers, P&L leaders, operators, executives, customers, advisors, and Board or sponsor stakeholders.
Experience developing and managing Human Capital budgets, priorities, vendor relationships, and external advisors in a fast-paced growth or integration environment.
Excellent communication, organizational, prioritization, and executive-influence skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience in defense, aerospace, government contracting, advanced manufacturing, electronics, hardware/software, engineering services, or other complex technical businesses.
Experience with government contracting and defense-industry workforce requirements, including cleared talent, customer-site delivery, contract transitions, and compliance expectations.
Experience scaling a company through both organic growth and multiple acquisitions.
Experience developing leadership development programs, succession processes, executive coaching, performance management, and culture-building initiatives.
Experience with Workday, Deltek Costpoint, HR analytics tools, financial reporting tools, and integration of acquired HR systems.
Experience managing or overseeing Affirmative Action Plans, EEO-1 reporting, VETS-4212 filings, OFCCP compliance, employment classification, and HR audit readiness.
HR or related certification such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR, GPHR, or equivalent preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a comprehensive HC strategy aligned to TSC’s mission, growth plan, acquisition strategy, customer commitments, and long-term value creation goals.
Build a scalable HC operating model that moves from current-state functional coverage to a mature scaling capability with clear leadership accountability, repeatable processes, and appropriate use of vendors and advisors.
Partner with Finance, Operations, Business Development, and P&L leaders on headcount planning, organizational design, capacity planning, workforce segmentation, and critical skill forecasting.
Establish recurring workforce planning rhythms and dashboards that provide executive and Board-level visibility into talent, retention, hiring, engagement, leadership readiness, compliance, and organizational health.
Identify human capital risks such as critical skill gaps, leadership bench constraints, engagement issues, workforce capacity gaps, and integration risks; develop practical mitigation plans.
Establish clear, equitable guidelines and productivity metrics for hybrid and on-site teams, ensuring consistent policy application across P&L centers and corporate functions.
Evaluate the workplace models (remote, hybrid, or on-site) of acquired target companies during due diligence, and lead the transition of acquired employees into the company's workplace strategy framework without losing key technical talent.
Build and lead a high-performing talent acquisition organization capable of recruiting top engineering, technical, and leadership talent in highly competitive Defense Tech markets.
Develop recruiting strategies for priority skills, difficult locations, cleared roles, technical pipelines, university partnerships, veteran recruiting, referrals, executive hiring, and acquisition-related hiring needs.
Establish standardized intake, selection, interview, decision, and offer processes that improve quality of hire, speed of decision-making, hiring manager accountability, and candidate experience.
Partner with Marketing and Communications, Business Development, and operating leaders to strengthen TSC’s employer brand and employee value proposition.
Develop and manage TA metrics including requisition prioritization, time-to-fill, quality-of-hire, offer acceptance, source effectiveness, candidate slate diversity, aging requisitions, and first-year retention.
Ensure talent acquisition processes comply with applicable employment laws, security, and customer requirements.
Partner with the CEO, CFO, Corporate Development, Legal, Finance, and operating leaders across the M&A lifecycle, including target evaluation, due diligence, deal execution, Day 1 readiness, and post-close integration.
Lead human capital due diligence for target companies, including leadership strength, culture, organization structure, key talent, compensation, benefits, HR practices, HR systems, clearance considerations, compliance, and people-related risks.
Develop and execute integration plans that address organization design, leadership alignment, communication, talent assessment, key talent retention, compensation and benefits harmonization, policy alignment, culture integration, and employee experience.
Integrate human capital data, systems, processes, and acquired-team practices into TSC’s platforms while maintaining data integrity, compliance, and continuity of operations.
Establish HC integration KPIs, operating rhythms, decision rights, and playbooks that help deals deliver expected value while minimizing disruption to employees, customers, and operations.
Coordinate with the enterprise integration lead, external integration advisor, or other resources where applicable; HC should lead the people workstream but not own the full enterprise integration model unless explicitly assigned.
Be a key stakeholder in change-management strategies and communications to support employees through organizational transitions, growth, and integration.
Design and implement leadership development infrastructure that builds technical, program, operational, and corporate leadership capability at multiple levels of the organization and create methods to provide evidence that it is producing leaders that the organization needs.
Establish a practical definition of effective leadership at TSC and embed it into selection, development, performance management, succession, promotion, and culture practices.
Build performance management processes that create clarity of expectations, alignment to program and corporate objectives, accountability for results, and constructive manager-employee dialogue.
Develop succession plans and talent pipelines for critical technical, program, business development, corporate, and executive roles in partnership with division and functional leaders.
Implement talent reviews, coaching, mentoring, leadership forums, and development plans for high-potential employees and future leaders.
Ensure leadership practices reinforce mission, values, technical excellence, customer delivery, collaboration, accountability, and high-performance culture.
Lead the design and administration of competitive, market-aligned total rewards programs, including base pay, incentives, benefits, recognition, retirement programs, and long-term incentives or equity-like programs where appropriate.
Partner with Finance, Legal, tax, retirement advisors, compensation advisors, and executive leadership on rewards strategy, ownership-transition considerations, incentive design, retention programs, and employee communication support.
Ensure compensation structures, bonus programs, and incentive plans align with company performance, growth objectives, value-creation goals, internal equity, external competitiveness, and critical talent retention needs.
Oversee benefits and wellness programs that support employee engagement, retention, productivity, and continuity through growth and integration.
Establish employee listening mechanisms, feedback tools, and action planning processes that improve engagement, trust, manager effectiveness, and employee experience during periods of growth and change.
Define and monitor key employee-experience metrics, including engagement, retention of high performers and critical talent, participation in feedback processes, and employee sentiment through transition milestones.
Lead Human Capital Operations, including employee lifecycle processes, onboarding, offboarding, policy administration, HR service delivery, employee relations, HR records, HRIS/data integrity, and scalable manager support.
Implement, optimize, and govern HRIS and related systems that support scalable growth, reporting, workforce planning, integration of acquired entities, and decision-quality data.
Ensure human capital practices and policies comply with relevant employment laws, GovCon and defense-industry requirements, security obligations, customer requirements, and internal governance standards in partnership with Legal and Compliance.
Support compliant labor/timekeeping policies, labor charging practices, audit readiness, and related DCAA-sensitive processes in partnership with Finance, Contracts, Legal, and program leadership.
Maintain compliance processes related to OFCCP, Affirmative Action Plans, EEO-1, VETS-4212, employment classification, records retention, and other applicable workforce reporting requirements.
Establish clear, consistent policies and employee communications across divisions while allowing appropriate local variation where required by contract, location, workforce segment, or acquired-company transition needs.
Standardize human capital processes for onboarding, performance reviews, promotions, transfers, terminations, employee relations, and reporting to support audits, customer requirements, and Board-level oversight.
Champion a mission-focused, values-based culture that supports technical excellence, program execution, collaboration, accountability, and scalable operating discipline.
Partner with P&L leaders, engineering leaders, program managers, operations, IT, cybersecurity, security, governance, and corporate functions to align human capital priorities with program and technology needs.
Identify and address organizational bottlenecks, decision-making delays, role clarity issues, communication gaps, and cross-functional friction that may constrain growth or execution.
Support organization design, restructuring, and operating-model changes that improve clarity, speed, scalability, and accountability.
Build and lead a high-performing Human Capital organization with clear priorities, talent development, succession depth, accountability, urgency, and continuous improvement.
Ensure Human Capital is prepared to support both current programs and anticipated future growth.