Alliance College-Ready Public Schools, Chief People Officer

ABOUT ALLIANCE COLLEGE-READY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is one of the largest and most successful nonprofit public charter school networks in the nation, operating 25 high-performing middle and high schools that educate nearly 13,000 scholars who comprise the heart of Los Angeles’ Latinx, Black, and recent immigrant communities. Alliance schools have been recognized as among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, the U.S. Department of Education, and the California Department of Education. Since opening our first school in 2004, 95% of Alliance scholars have graduated from high school. We strive to uplift our scholars and their communities by fostering unparalleled educational opportunities that encourage scholarly thought, resilient learning, powerful communication, mind-body wellness, and community advocacy. To learn more, visit www.LAalliance.org.

ROLE SUMMARY

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools seeks a dynamic and strategic leader to serve as its Chief People Officer (CPO). Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief People Officer will set the vision and direction for attracting, engaging, rewarding, developing, and retaining Alliance’s 1,400+ person team. The CPO is directly responsible for the strategic and tactical oversight of all aspects of talent work at Alliance, including human resources, staffing, employee relations and engagement, performance management, compensation, and other talent-related strategic initiatives. The Chief People Officer will oversee and coordinate the organization’s people systems and strategy, including leadership of the talent function across strategic initiatives, talent acquisition, human resources operations, employee relations and engagement, and performance management who in turn collectively oversee a team of over 25 staff members. This critical role will also serve as a member of Alliance’s Senior Leadership Team (Cabinet) and be a strategic partner to other home office teams as well as instructional leaders across the network.

This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned talent and systems school leader to help a large, successful, mission-driven, organization truly become a best place to work and establish a best-in-class talent function. As a change management leader adept at building upon foundational human capital systems, the CPO will play a pivotal role in the next era of Alliance’s organizational development by continuing the vision and direction for a strong, inclusive, and people-focused culture. This position represents an extraordinary opportunity to impact the way the entire organization supports and develops people and subsequently impacts the experience of every Alliance employee.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Team Management

• Set the vision, goals and measures of success for the Talent Team (including, but not limited to the performance management, human resources, staffing, employee relations and engagement and strategic initiatives sub-teams);
• Hire, manage, and develop the Talent Team;
• Manage the Talent Team’s annual operating budget.

Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, playing an active and influential role in discussions and decisions about Alliance’s strategic priorities and plans;
• Serve as a strategic advisor and functional expert to the CEO and Senior Leadership Team regarding talent management strategies, initiatives and issues across our schools and home office;
• Serve as an ambassador and advocate for the Talent Team and all people matters;
• Oversee initiatives and activities to build organizational culture;
• Develop and implement change management strategies for large-scale organizational talent initiatives;
• Ensure that all talent-related policies, procedures and processes are aligned with the organization’s culture and values.

Performance Management

• Partner with the Performance Management team to ensure the quality implementation of Alliance’s performance management system across all levels and teams in the organization;
• Set and execute a competitive, equitable and transparent compensation strategy;
• Develop and implement a continuum of professional growth for all home office and school-based staff to foster a robust internal talent pipeline from the entry level to the leadership level; develop and expand career opportunities for all Alliance employees;
• Model and facilitate a culture of continuous learning, ensuring that staff has access to continued professional development and opportunities for growth;
• Support leaders in making key personnel decisions and develop strategic staffing plans for the organization.

Human Resources

• Partner with the the Human Resources Operations team, who is responsible for benefits, compliance, credentialing, leaves of absence, workers compensation, HR data and operations, to ensure the organization complies with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations;
• Develop, oversee, and approve updates to organization-wide HR policies and procedures;
• Manage the human resources information system to track and analyze human resource related metrics.

Staffing

• Partner with the Talent Acquisition team to develop and refine Alliance’s current staffing strategy to market and recruit staff locally and nationally, leveraging the organization’s mission, brand and value proposition;
• Ensure that every Alliance school is staffed with high-capacity, highly effective and diverse teachers and staff members;
• Evaluate the organization’s recruitment and selection models to improve effectiveness.

Employee Relations, Engagement, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• Partner with the Vice President of Employee Relations & Engagement team to ensure regular assessment and reporting on employee morale with a focus on continuous improvement and the development of positive employer/employee relationships to promote a high level of morale, motivation and retention;
• Support and develop home office and school leaders to achieve high levels of employee satisfaction and retention;
• Assess overall organizational health and work with leadership teams across Alliance to create the conditions that will ultimately lead to attracting, developing and retaining a diverse team of high performers.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL HAVE

• A passion for leading and implementing large, complex initiatives within school systems, paired with a proven track record of sound, data-driven decision making, strong performance outcomes, and relationship-centered leadership. Ideally, candidates bring direct experience leading schools as a principal and/or serving as an instructional superintendent, with demonstrated success in developing high-performing educators and leadership teams.
• Exceptional people management and relationship-building skills, including a high level of emotional intelligence and self-awareness; strong team culture-building and team management capabilities; and a demonstrated ability to identify, cultivate, and coach leadership potential in others. Experience designing and leading talent development systems grounded in instructional excellence and the realities of school-based leadership is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience bringing together multiple stakeholders to develop and achieve shared goals, with the ability to navigate and resolve complex organizational challenges collaboratively. This includes experience partnering with school leaders, central office teams, and boards of directors to align talent strategy with instructional priorities and student outcomes.
• Multicultural competence and the ability to lead and manage through a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion, alongside a deep, explicit commitment to equity and anti-racism. An understanding of how inequitable systems show up in schools and how talent strategy can either reinforce or disrupt those patterns is essential.
• Strong project management and data analysis skills, with the ability to manage multiple initiatives and deadlines, work effectively across departments and functions, and translate strategy into action. Comfort using instructional, talent, and performance data to inform decisions that directly impact school quality and sustainability.
• A systems-level strategic thinker who can craft and execute a clear talent vision, with a nuanced understanding of how different approaches affect organizational culture, instructional quality, and long-term performance across a network of schools.
• Superior communication skills, with the ability to articulate a clear and compelling vision both verbally and in writing to diverse audiences, including school leaders, Home Office teams, and external stakeholders.
• A strong customer service orientation, with demonstrated ability to design and sustain systems that provide high-quality, responsive service to schools and Home Office teams. A deep empathy for the lived experience of principals and instructional leaders is critical.
• Flexibility and adaptability in constantly changing environments, with a proactive orientation toward improving systems, structures, and processes. Demonstrated commitment to continuous personal growth and to developing the capacity and effectiveness of others, particularly school-based leaders.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFIC