This executive leadership position is responsible for building and sustaining the people, culture, organizational capabilities, and infrastructure to advance the Institute's world-class basic medical research mission. The Chief People Officer (CPO) partners closely with the CEO/Chairman, scientific and executive leadership, and Board of Directors to create an environment where exceptional scientists, research professionals, and administrative colleagues can thrive. The CPO will help shape a culture grounded in scientific excellence, collaboration, inclusion, accountability, integrity, curiosity, and respect, while ensuring a consistent and engaging employee experience.
Responsibilities
Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO/Chairman and executive leadership on people, workforce, organizational, and cultural matters
Align the people strategy with the Institute's scientific and institutional priorities
Translate strategic direction into workforce, talent, leadership, culture, and organizational priorities
Anticipate future workforce needs and provide insights on organizational health, talent opportunities, and people risks
Establish meaningful people metrics to inform executive and Board decision-making
Steward and continually strengthen the Institute's culture and employee experience
Ensure the employee lifecycle reflects the Institute's mission, values, and commitment to scientific excellence
Foster trust, collaboration, inclusion, accountability, and mutual respect
Establish effective employee listening mechanisms and translate insights into action
Monitor engagement and organizational health and drive continuous improvement
Lead the Institute's performance management philosophy and practices, including goal setting, feedback, coaching, evaluation, recognition, and accountability
Promote high performance and continuous improvement appropriate to scientific and research work
Partner with leaders on organizational structure, role clarity, decision-making, collaboration, and accountability
Strengthen management capabilities and organizational effectiveness across scientific and administrative functions
Lead strategies to attract, develop, engage, and retain exceptional scientific and professional talent
Partner with leaders on workforce planning, critical roles, succession, and leadership pipelines
Strengthen the Institute's reputation as a destination for outstanding talent
Support career development and meaningful pathways for scientists, research staff, technical professionals, and administrative employees
Identify and proactively address critical talent and workforce risks
Provide strategic oversight of compensation, recognition, and total rewards
Millions of jobs, with real people getting hired every day
200,000+
New jobs added daily
7,000,000+
Verified job listings
1,000,000+
Tailored applications submitted
Ensure programs are competitive, equitable, mission-aligned, and responsive to the talent marketplace
Regularly assess internal equity and external competitiveness across roles and levels
Partner with executive leadership and the Board on executive compensation and related governance
Align total rewards with attraction, performance, retention, and institutional priorities
Oversee specialized immigration services supporting international scientists, scholars, and staff
Develop proactive strategies for visa management and permanent residency sponsorship to support retention of critical scientific talent
Serve as an institutional point of contact for relevant federal immigration and labor agencies
Provide high-touch onboarding, relocation, tax, housing, Social Security, and family support
Ensure rigorous compliance with I-9, E-Verify, Public Access Files, visa tracking, and related requirements
Provide strategic direction for leadership and management development
Strengthen capabilities in coaching, feedback, communication, team effectiveness, conflict management, and change leadership
Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO/Chairman and executive leadership
Support leaders through organizational change while maintaining trust, engagement, and scientific productivity
Lead a high-performing, service-oriented HR function aligned with the needs of a sophisticated research institution
Oversee HR policies, processes, systems, governance, and service delivery
Ensure HR technology effectively supports recruiting, performance, compensation, talent, learning, engagement, and the employee experience
Drive efficiency, consistency, accessibility, compliance, and continuous improvement
Develop the HR organization, capabilities, structure, and operating model needed to support the Institute's evolving needs
Foster an environment that values diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and traditions
Promote cultural awareness and understanding across the Institute's global scientific and professional community
Ensure individuals feel respected, welcomed, and valued
Leverage the Institute's international and multicultural community to strengthen collaboration, learning, innovation, and institutional effectiveness
Provide strategic oversight of employee relations and workplace practices
Equip leaders to address employee concerns, conflicts, conduct matters, and workplace issues fairly and constructively
Maintain effective mechanisms for raising concerns and providing candid feedback
Balance employee advocacy with institutional values, responsibilities, and operational needs
Advance the use of people analytics and workforce data in institutional decision-making
Monitor key indicators including engagement, retention, turnover, recruiting, compensation, performance, leadership, and workforce capacity
Translate insights into actionable recommendations for leadership
Regularly assess and improve people programs, policies, and practices as institutional needs evolve
Requirements
Bachelor's degree in human resources, business, organizational development, psychology, or related field
Significant progressive experience in senior HR/people leadership, preferably as a CPO, CHRO, or equivalent
Demonstrated success developing enterprise people strategies and leading organizational change
Deep expertise in compensation, performance management, talent, succession, organizational effectiveness, and employee experience
Experience advising CEOs, executive teams, and Boards
Strong knowledge of employment law, HR governance, and contemporary people practices
Exceptional strategic, interpersonal, communication, influencing, judgment, and relationship-building skills
Nice to have:
Advanced degree
Experience working with technical experts (scientists, researchers, informaticists, engineers, etc.)
Leadership Profile
Bring strategic vision, organizational and business acumen, executive presence, operational discipline, data-driven decision-making, integrity, discretion, and a demonstrated ability to build trust and lead through complexity and change
Application Process
Submit a cover letter
Submit a resume
About the Company
The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is a world-class basic medical research institution.
