Chief People Officer

Job Title

Chief People Officer

Agency

Texas A&M Engineering

Department

Vice Chancellor Engineering

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Why work for Texas A&M Engineering?

Who We Are

Texas A&M Engineering is a large employer in the great and growing cities of Bryan/College Station, offering thousands of career opportunities in a wide variety of fields. We are deeply committed to recruiting and retaining a talented workforce that embraces our core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity, and service. Texas A&M Engineering offers competitive salaries, full benefits, an extensive support network, and above all, an enriching and highly collaborative working community that is deeply passionate about our vision for higher education, research, and public service.

Job Description

Purpose:

The Chief People Officer (CPO) is a senior executive responsible for shaping the employee experience and fostering a people-first workplace culture within the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the Texas A&M College of Engineering. This role oversees all aspects of human resources – including talent acquisition, employee engagement, and leadership development – with the goal of maximizing employee potential and aligning people strategies with the organization’s broader objectives. As the strategic leader for all people-related matters, the CPO plays a key role in driving organizational success through its workforce.

Responsibilities:

Leadership Management (35%)

Leads with a strong focus on customer service, ensuring the division remains a dependable and accessible resource that provides direct support across all relevant functions, including:

Talent Management:

• Develop comprehensive strategic recruiting and retention plans to meet the human capital needs of strategic goals.
• Oversee talent acquisition, career development, succession planning, retention, training, leadership development, and compensation and benefits.
  
  

New Employee Engagement

• Oversees the onboarding process for hiring events held on the 1st and 16th of each month, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience for new hires while fostering a positive and engaging culture from day one.
  
  

Compensation & Benefits:

• Manage comprehensive compensation and benefit plans that are competitive and cost-effective.
• Ensure that compensation structures align with market trends and business objectives.
• Educate employees about various leave categories, manage leave pools and provide counsel on complex leave situations.
• Ensure wellness initiatives are offered to all employees.
  
  

Employee Relations:

• Implement initiatives to maintain and improve employee relations, including counseling and coaching in performance management, career paths, conflict resolution, and leadership development.
• Administer employee grievance procedures, investigate employee complaints, mediate disputes, and recommend appropriate administrative actions.
  
  

Performance Management:

• Develop and oversee the implementation of performance evaluation management systems to align individual performance with organizational goals.
• Foster a high-performance culture through continuous feedback and improvement initiatives.
  
  

Compliance & Analytics:

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Utilize HR analytics to measure and improve workforce performance, engagement, and retention.
  
  

Training & Development:

• Lead initiatives for employee training and professional development.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and growth.
  
  

Immigration Services:

• Maintain compliant processes relative to employment visas, visiting scholars and unpaid interns.
  
  

Organizational Effectiveness (30%)

• Provides vision and leadership for a full-service people focused division.
• Develops and executes strategic outreach initiatives for recruitment purposes.
• Develop HR plans and strategies to support overall business operations objectives.
• Function as a strategic advisor to each unit regarding key organizational and management issues.
• Establish a sound management succession plan in alignment with organizational strategy and objectives.
• Serves as the primary liaison on HR matters to Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) administration, governance groups, subcommittees, and personnel agencies of the State of Texas.
• Ensures compliance with applicable, legal guidelines, employment agreements, TAMUS policies, regulations, rules, and procedures.
• Articulates the mission, objectives, and programs of the office.
• Collaborates with the executive management team to develop and implement plans for the operational infrastructure of personnel.
• Engages administration, faculty, and staff employees and remains in close contact with divisional/departmental personnel to monitor personnel practice trends and facilitate bottom-up communication.
• Actively involve special interest groups and work-groups for process improvements and efficiencies and serve on committees and peer groups which enhance the ability to engage the workforce.
  
  

Compliance & Process Improvement (30%)

• Maintain compliance with required federal, state and A&M System reporting requirements.
• Maintain records as required by federal, state and Texas A&M University System.
• Serve as consultant for organizational change and process improvement.
• Monitors HR legislation and trends to evaluate its impact on TEES/College and recommend associated action items. Provide feedback to executive administration with regard to the compliance initiatives and measures associated with HR.
  
  

Other Duties as Assigned (5%)

What we need:

• Bachelor’s degree and ten years of related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
  
  

What is helpful:

• Demonstrated ability to lead cultural change and foster a positive work environment.
• Proven experience in developing and implementing human resource strategies aligned with business goals.
• Strong knowledge of employment laws and regulations.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strategic thinker with strong communication skills.
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Proven track record of successfully managing complex projects and initiatives.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
  
  

Work Location:

• Main Campus – College Station, TX.
  
  

Texas A&M Engineering provides an outstanding benefits package including but not limited to:

• Competitive health benefits.
• Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays.
• Vision, Dental, Life, and Long-Term Disability insurance options.
• Teachers Retirement System of Texas (TRS), a defined benefit retirement plan with 8% employer contribution.
• Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Deferred Account 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation Program 457(b).
• Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses
• Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional development opportunities.
• Tuition assistance https://engineering.tamu.edu/information/esac/educational-assistance-programs.html
• Wellness program release time offered to employees to promote work/life balance.
  
  

Helpful Applicant Information

Required Materials for Application:

• Resume/CV
• Three work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor/former supervisor.
• Letter of interest
  
  

Compensation Philosophy:

• Recruit and retain a high-performing workforce through competitive compensation and career development including career pathing, coaching and skills development.
• Recognize and reward exceptional performance based on individual and team contributions to the growth and success of Texas A&M Engineering.
• Offer total rewards through flexible benefits, professional development, and work-life balance. Maintain an equitable and transparent process for compensation decisions.
• Support, reinforce, and align compensation decisions with budgetary and financial strategies to ensure growth and sustainability.
  
  

Employment Eligibility Verification

• If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in delay of start date.
  
  

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.