Chief People Officer

KIPP Team and Family•Newark, NJ

8d•$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. With more than 1,500 staff and plans to serve 15,000 students by 2030, KTAF is seeking a Chief People Officer to build the people strategy and talent systems needed to support its growth. The network is part of the national KIPP network and aims to prepare students for success in college and in life. The Chief People Officer owns the full employee experience, including recruitment and hiring, staff and leader development and retention, compensation, employee support, and performance management. As a member of the executive leadership team, the CPO reports to the Co-President and leads five functional leaders across Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, HR Operations and Payroll, Employee Relations, and Compensation and Performance Management. The role works closely with regional leaders in all four cities and is responsible for making KTAF’s values central to its people practices. During the first year, the CPO will build relationships with executive, school, and regional leaders; unify the People team around the 2030 plan; visit schools in each region during the first 90 days; ensure recruiting and pipeline programs can meet growth needs; assess and modernize HR, applicant tracking, and performance management tools; and establish the groundwork for a competitive, equitable, and transparent compensation strategy. The role will lead transformation toward proactive workforce planning, including thoughtful use of people analytics and AI. By 2030, the CPO will own people goals that include 90% overall staff retention, less than 5% regrettable attrition, filling 90% of specified teacher and school leadership openings 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 position requires regular travel among Newark, Camden, Paterson, and South Florida. The salary range is $250,000–$290,000, with compensation determined by relevant experience, qualifications, education, skills, training, and market conditions. 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 five 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, including the ability to influence senior leaders and boards.
Bachelor’s degree.
Willingness to travel regularly between Newark, Camden, Paterson, and South Florida.
Experience leading senior leaders and making difficult decisions and having challenging conversations with care.
Ability to use recruiting, retention, compensation, and performance data to inform decisions.
Commitment to racial equity and cultural responsiveness in program design and team leadership.

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.
Curiosity about how new tools, including AI, can support people operations.

Responsibilities

Set the multi-year people strategy and serve as a thought partner to the Co-President and CEO on organizational design and workforce planning.
Embed KTAF’s values and key behaviors in job descriptions, interview rubrics, onboarding, performance management, recognition, and leadership development.
Develop and refine recruitment strategies with the Managing Director of Talent Acquisition, and recruit mission-aligned teachers, school leaders, and staff across regions at the pace required for growth.
Grow teacher pipeline programs, leader residency, and teacher-to-leader pathways with the Managing Director of Talent Development.
Develop and implement professional development for home-office and school-based staff and managers to support succession planning and internal growth.
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, balancing cost, competitiveness, and employee experience.
Oversee employee relations strategy and support for schools, maintain clear, fair, and consistent policies across all four regions, and partner with legal counsel on complex matters.
Build compensation and performance systems that recognize strong performers and equip managers to set expectations, provide feedback, and retain strong staff.
Build relationships with executive, school, and regional leaders; unify the People team across functions and regions; and spend time in schools listening to teachers, leaders, and staff.
Ensure hiring and talent pipelines can fill roles needed for new students and schools.
Own the stated 2030 retention, internal hiring, resident performance, and employee engagement goals.