Chief Talent Officer - LEARN Charter School Network

Who We Are

LEARN Charter School Network's commitment to providing underserved families with a high-quality, college prep elementary education is unwavering. Since opening its doors as a charter school in 2001, LEARN has grown from one school serving 110 students to a thriving Network of ten charter schools serving nearly 4,100 students in the Chicagoland area, including the cities of North Chicago and Waukegan. Fueled by an ambitious growth plan and supported by some of the most innovative funders in the sector.

LEARN's mission remains crystal clear: To provide children with the academic foundation and ambition to earn a college degree. LEARN has the exceptional opportunity to build a large network of charter schools and change the landscape of public education by graduating more eighth graders to college preparatory high schools and eventually college.

LEARN believes that our talent is our greatest asset and the single most important determinant in our student performance. It is our goal to create an environment on every campus in which our staff feel supported, respected, and appreciated.

What You’ll Do

The Chief Talent Officer (CTO) will lead the design and implementation of talent management strategies across the charter network. Reporting directly to the CEO, the CTO will manage the human resources and recruitment teams and will serve as a member of the LEARN leadership team playing a key role in leading the strategic direction of the organization. The CTO will serve as a thought leader, coach and mentor on all issues related to talent and human capital for the executive team, school leaders and all other staff members.

This is an ideal opportunity for a senior leader who is passionate about talent and human capital management to help shape and grow a premier organization dedicated to providing a high-quality education to children in the Chicago region.

The Successful Candidate Will Have Broad Responsibilities, Including

Organizational Strategy

• Collaborate with the senior leadership team to align human capital strategy with growth targets, including staff retention and recruitment goals, succession planning and career-pathing
• Create and promote growth opportunities and professional development activities for staff across the organization
• Play a key role in leading organizational culture initiatives that ensure a high-performing organization overall, including putting systems and processes in place that value and leverage skill and expertise across the organization

Executive Leadership & Management Coaching

• Work with the senior leadership team on key organizational, management, and staff development strategies and issues
• Evaluate and improve the performance management systems for all campuses
• Mentor and coach managers across the organization – including School Principals and leadership team members – to develop their skills as effective leaders and people managers
• Set high expectations for accountability and delivering targeted, candid feedback to direct reports in order to drive top performance across the network and schools

Employee Relations & Benefits

• Manage the human resources team; work in collaboration with the finance department to ensure timely and effective administration of all employee benefits and recommend improvements to benefits packages
• Play a proactive role in resolving employee concerns, investigating employee issues and developing positive employee relations
• Research and evaluate compensation levels across the organization and benchmark against similar organizations, collaborating with senior leadership to develop a long-term compensation strategy for the organization
• Develop and manage systems to gather feedback on employee satisfaction; based on the results, share feedback with senior leaders and improve retention strategies

Recruitment

• In partnership with the existing Directors, serve as strategist, designer and implementer of best- in-class talent recruitment, retention systems and processes
• Provide support in managing and leading the recruitment team to develop and achieve placement goals to meet deadlines
• Implement innovative, competitive and cost-effective strategies for recruiting and selecting diverse, high-quality talent
• Use data to inform best practices for application and selection processes while ensuring that candidates have a consistent, positive experience with LEARN

What You'll Need

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• A minimum of 10 years of professional leadership experience with a majority of time spent in Human Resource roles, coupled with a strong track record of experience and driven results
• Strong thought partner to the CEO and other C-Suite leaders
• Ability to gain trust and respect to Influences other leaders and stakeholders
• Demonstrated results building and or improving an organization's culture
• Deep understanding of people management, with the ability to coach and mentor direct reports, peers, and executives on sound talent management practices
• Strong familiarity with the talent challenges facing urban schools strongly preferred (especially issues of principal/teacher development and retention)
• Experience with being responsible for the general human resources function, including: compensation, benefits, labor relations, legal etc
• Exceptional organizational, project management, meeting facilitation, communication (both verbal and written), and interpersonal skills
• A track record of leadership, including the ability to encourage, motivate, manage conflict, team build, mentor, coach, set goals, prioritize and plan
• Previous experience in a fast-paced, rapidly growing entrepreneurial organization
• Proven ability to hire, develop, and retain high-performing teams

Leadership Competencies

• The successful candidate will possess knowledge and leadership qualities to impact the experience for employees and the overall culture of the organization and demonstrate a high desire to be a part of LEARN’s mission.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders and effectively communicate tough messages to diverse audiences
• Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to develop long-term plans and execute against goals
• Excellent consultative, collaborative, influencing, and communication skills
• Adaptive and flexible, capable of moving in a variety of directions while being focused on achieving the required results
• Energetic, possessing the fortitude and stamina necessary to lead an organization with high expectations of excellence
• Passionate and committed to LEARN’s mission
• Strong communicator, proven ability to create high impact processes and internal communications

Key Relationships

Reports to: CEO

Manages: Sr. Director of Talent, Director of Talent Acquisition, & Human Resources Manager

Benefits Summary

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package for all full time employees, including:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Paid vacation, personal time, & paid holidays
• Short and long term disability
• Paid life insurance
• Pet Insurance
• 403(b) Contribution of 4.5% + 4.5% matching with a 2-year vesting period