Vice President of People

Woodcraft Rangers•Los Angeles, CA

2d•$210,000 - $240,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Woodcraft Rangers is seeking a Vice President of People to lead its people function during a period of significant growth. The organization has grown nearly tenfold in five years and is looking for an executive to build the necessary compliance architecture, legal risk infrastructure, and talent systems for an organization projected to exceed $150M in value. This role requires a senior people leader who can balance strategic thinking with genuine care for employees, build functions from the ground up, and navigate complex California employment law. The VP of People will own the strategy and infrastructure for high-volume recruitment across over 210 sites and 2,250 employees, manage employee relations, and ensure compliance. They will also collaborate with the Learning and Development Team to enhance existing programs like the Management Academy and a national apprenticeship program. The ideal candidate is someone who understands that treating staff well is a strategic choice and that California employment law forms the foundation of effective people operations. The organization values how candidates think and what they have built over a specific career path.

Requirements

Demonstrated senior HR leadership experience in a large, multi-site organization (1,000+ employees) with complex compliance requirements
Demonstrated, practitioner-level command of California labor and employment law — including wage and hour, FMLA/CFRA, ADA, PAGA, and workers’ compensation — built through direct ownership of compliance programs, claims management, and outside counsel partnerships
Proven track record managing or overseeing workers’ compensation programs and labor-related claims in a multi-site, high-volume workforce environment
Experience in a growing, culture-forward organization where people investment is a core strategic value — not a function that gets resourced only when something goes wrong
Experience partnering with executive leadership and boards on people strategy, organizational risk, and compliance posture
Strong analytical, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills

Nice To Haves

J.D. with employment law focus, or equivalent expertise built through sustained direct management of PAGA actions, DLSE complaints, EEOC charges, and employment litigation
Experience in youth development, education, afterschool, nonprofit, or government-contracting organizations
Familiarity with frontline workforce dynamics and program-based staffing models
SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent senior HR certification
Experience building or managing internal leadership development programs such as management academies, cohort-based learning, or similar

Responsibilities

Set and lead the organization’s overall people strategy, workforce planning priorities, and HR organizational design
Translate organizational goals into actionable HR priorities across all four functional areas
Partner with the COO, CFO, and Chief Program Officer on workforce risk, readiness, and capacity planning
Present people strategy, workforce data, and risk posture to executive leadership and the board
Align people practices with Woodcraft Rangers’ growth trajectory and multi-region program delivery model
Lead, develop, and hold accountable the Senior Director of People and all HR director-level functions
Establish and enforce decision-rights frameworks that clarify ownership across Experience, Governance, Operations, and Implementation
Build leadership bench strength and succession readiness within the HR function itself
Serve as the organization’s internal authority on California labor and employment law, wage and hour compliance, and related regulatory requirements
Own the strategy, oversight, and resolution of workers’ compensation claims — including carrier relationships, modified duty programs, and claims cost management
Lead or oversee the response to labor-related claims, DLSE complaints, EEOC charges, PAGA actions, and other employment disputes
Manage external employment counsel relationships, ensuring efficient and cost-effective legal support on complex matters
Establish and maintain enterprise-wide HR policies, decision frameworks, and governance standards that are defensible and audit-ready
Partner with the COO and CFO on employment practices liability and enterprise risk exposure related to people practices
Ensure consistent, defensible people decisions across all regions and staff categories
Serve as executive escalation point for complex employee relations matters, investigations, and terminations
Reduce COO escalation burden by owning resolution of high-risk people situations end-to-end
Establish clear investigation protocols and documentation standards across all staff categories
Champion and operationalize Woodcraft Rangers’ talent-first culture and promote-from-within philosophy
Build and scale internal leadership development pathways that create a genuine talent pipeline at every level
Set the standard for employee experience from attraction through retention across all regions and staff levels
Partner with program leadership to ensure onboarding, engagement, and early retention systems are built for a high-volume, multi-site workforce
Lead strategic workforce planning aligned to annual program growth, new regional expansion, and budget cycles
Partner with program and operations leadership to anticipate staffing needs and build proactive hiring pipelines
Evaluate and evolve HR structure, roles, and capacity as the organization scales toward $150M+
Own the strategic vision for Woodcraft Rangers’ HR technology ecosystem, ensuring platform strategy aligns with organizational scale
Sponsor major HR technology investment decisions and vendor strategy in partnership with the Senior Director of HR and IT leadership
Champion a right-sized, integrated tech stack philosophy — prioritizing efficiency and consolidation over platform sprawl