Chief People Officer

Official Job Description

Job Title: Chief People Officer

Department: HR

Salary Range: $140,000 - $160,000/annual

FSLA Status: Full-time, exempt

ABOUT US

The Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC) was founded in 1987 to pursue and promote the conservation, development, and use of Tribes' agricultural resources. Since our founding, the IAC has been guided by our member Tribes, and we have worked diligently to advance Tribes' agricultural priorities on the more than 56 million acres of land in the United States that are under Tribal jurisdiction. In addition to elevating Indian Country's agricultural priorities among policymakers, IAC also provides on-the-ground technical assistance, domestic and international marketing support, natural resource management, small agribusiness development, youth programming, and more to Tribes and individual producers across the United States and within Indian Country.

ABOUT YOU

You are a collaborative, strategic HR leader who thrives at the intersection of people and purpose. You bring 10+ years of progressive HR experience (including at least five years in a senior leadership role) designing and implementing mission-aligned talent strategies that support a multi-generational, knowledge-based workforce. You've assessed organizational needs end-to-end and translated them into clear workplace structures, programs and tools from job architectures and performance-management frameworks to compensation, benefits and HRIS solutions that help managers and staff at all levels excel.

As a professional you have experience navigating complex change and leading an HR team to deliver both broad and specialized programs. You've built credibility as a trusted adviser on sensitive employee relations issues, embedded organizational values into the employee experience, and used data-driven insights to benchmark and continuously improve people processes. Your leadership style is calm and consultative. You listen first, build trust quickly, and inspire teams through flexibility and diplomacy. You set priorities with rigor, make fair decisions grounded in data, and uphold the highest standards of confidentiality, judgment, and ethics. You're passionate about systems and process improvement, thrive on change management challenges, and have a proven ability to forecast talent needs and close skill gaps, ideally within a complex, multi-state nonprofit setting that serves Tribal communities.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Chief People Officer (CPO) develops and builds out multiple key initiatives and programs that are aligned with the organization's goals and objectives. The CPO reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), is a member of the executive management team, and serves as an advisor to the executive team and others on all aspects of IAC's talent management platform. The CPO is responsible for designing, finalizing and updating the HR policies, contributing to business strategy, developing workforce plans and programs that align with the organizations overall strategic objectives, forecasting talent needs and addressing the talent gaps, orchestrating career development of the workforce, designing and implementing a robust Performance Management program and managing compliance issues, policies and procedures, workers compensation administration, wage and salary administration, benefits administration, and employee assistance.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Organizational Leadership

• Provide strategic HR advice to senior leadership while leading and managing a team of HR professionals.
• Through listening, consultation, learning, and engagement at all levels of the IAC, design, implement, and monitor an aligned human resources strategy, including recruitment, staff and leadership development, performance feedback, retention, engagement, recognition, and compliance.
• Develop organization-wide initiatives that embed IAC's mission and core values into IAC's employee experience, in close partnership with IAC's executive team.
• Benchmark the competitiveness of people-related programs and use data-driven insights to inform HR decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Drive organizational change and transformation initiatives fostering a positive and inclusive work culture.

Employee Relations/Engagement

• Establish credibility and trust throughout the organization as an effective, accessible partner on sensitive people-related employee relations issues.
• Model teamwork, effective decision-making, and candor in interactions.
• Work with the HR team to foster connection and belonging amongst colleagues through employee programs such as our employee resource groups and building and belonging committee.

Talent Management

• Partner with leadership to attract, retain, and develop top talent passionate about the IAC's mission, with a focus on hiring talent who have experience working with Native communities.
• Oversee performance management as well as investments in staff skills and career development; ensure manager capacity for performance feedback and a culture of continuous learning and growth.
• Cultivate excellence in team leadership and management through access and exposure to consistent management, best practices, and aligned training, coaching, and support for supervisors.
• Identify the most pressing learning needs of the organization and ensure that training and development programs address key skill gaps for staff through in-house training and communication of external learning opportunities.
• Understand and clarify job architectures, position descriptions, responsibilities, competencies, and accountability across an organization.

Human Resources & Operations

• Work with the HR team to oversee day-to-day HR programs and systems for recruitment, onboarding, benefits, leave administration, payroll, and compliance.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve HR policies, procedures, systems, and tools for employees; actively communicate rationale to create shared understanding.
• Drive initiatives to streamline HR processes and integrate technology solutions that reduce administrative burdens and support efficient workflows across the organization.
• Develop a comprehensive performance evaluation process that encourages meaningful feedback and documentation that empowers decision-making related to advancement, improvement, and other actions aimed at optimizing employee performance and satisfaction.
• Lead the development of fair and competitive compensation and benefits packages, collaborating with Finance to ensure that these offerings reflect the IAC's commitment to a positive workplace environment.
• Serve as a trusted resource on sensitive employee matters and support the resolution of conflicts as they arise.
• Ensure HR best practices of policies and operations in compliance with relevant federal, state, and tribal employment laws.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree required in human relations or a relevant field; however, we will consider SHRM or HRCI certification and experience in lieu of a degree in human relations or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in Human Resources and/or People Operations supporting multi-generational knowledge-based teams and employees.
• 5+ years in a leadership/supervisory role for organizations with 50+ employees across multiple states
• Strong understanding of, and ability to conduct, Human Resource work.
• Experience with conflict resolution and/or mediation of employee and employer relationships
• Proficiency in HRIS and related tools.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with a successful track record of setting priorities and multitasking in a fast-moving environment.
• Keen analytic, organizational, and problem-solving skills that support and enable sound decision-making for the organization.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, written, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage highly confidential information appropriately.
• Flexible, able to adapt to changing demands and work style.

PREFERRED

• HR certifications such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent.
• Experience working with Tribal communities, and/or within the nonprofit, foundation, or philanthropic sectors.
• Master's degree in human relations or relevant field.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Location- Primary location: Work from home office/remote or similar environment.- Secondary locations: Light travel is required for internal and external meetings. Examples include the IAC Annual Conference or in-person team meetings at various times during the year.

Physical Requirements: must be able to remain in a stationary position, working at a desk, 50% of the time.

The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities.

Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned. The Intertribal Agriculture Council has the right to revise this job description at any time. The job description is not an employment contract, and either you or the Intertribal Agriculture Council may terminate employment at any time, for any reason.

Consistent with its obligations under the law (including the American Disabilities Act), the Intertribal Agriculture Council will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of their job.

Intertribal Agriculture Council is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

HOW TO APPLY

Nonprofit Professionals is proud to support the Intertribal Agriculture Council in filling this key leadership position. All applications must include a resume and cover letter.

Application deadline: August 3, 2025

View Full Position Description at: https://tinyurl.com/IACCPO

Apply at: https://tinyurl.com/IACCPOapp

Application Process:Phone Interviews – 7/25/25 -8/7/25 Search Committee Interviews (video) – 8/11/25-8/15/25Final Interviews (video) – TBD jeid-316befb110c542b88e92ad2811a0cfc8