As the Chief Human Resources Officer, you will be responsible for serving as a strategic executive leader and for designing and executing a people strategy that supports a complex, multi-state and site foster care and child welfare organization. As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the CHRO ensures the agency attracts, develops, and retains a diverse, mission-driven workforce while maintaining compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations governing human services and child welfare operations. The CHRO champions a culture rooted in trauma-informed practice, inclusivity, employee well-being, and high accountability ensuring the workforce is equipped to deliver exceptional care to the children and families we serve. Provide Agency-wide thought leadership that advances SAFY into the future.

• Seeking a candidate located within one of our current SAFY States - AL, CO, IN, KY, NV, OH, SC.
  
  

Who We Are

At SAFY, our mission is Preserving Families & Securing Futures. For 40 years, our work has rested on a single, radical idea – children belong in families. We believe that every child and family deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. We are a team of 500 employees across seven states providing services such as Family Preservation & Reunification, Behavioral Health, Therapeutic Foster Care, Adoption Services and Older Youth Services so the families and children we serve can build resilience and thrive.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and implement a multi-year HR strategic plan in support of the business plans and strategic initiatives aligned with organizational growth, service expansion, and funding sustainability.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board of Directors on workforce strategy, leadership development and supervisory management, succession planning, executive compensation, and organizational design.
• Lead change management initiatives related to program expansion, regulatory shifts, mergers, or restructuring.
• As a key leader of SAFY, provide Agency wide thought leadership and take on (own and lead) agreed upon initiatives or cross functional projects that advance the Agency into its future.
  
  

Workforce Planning & Talent Strategy

• Oversee recruitment and retention strategies for all roles with extra focus on high-demand roles including case managers, therapists, foster parent recruiters, licensing specialists and divisional and state clinical leadership.
• Address workforce shortages and turnover (both overall and quick turn) challenges common in foster care, child welfare, and human services.
• Build leadership development pipelines and succession planning for critical roles.
• Develop internship, fellowship, and university partnerships to strengthen workforce pipelines.
  
  

Culture & Engagement

• Foster a trauma-informed, inclusive, and culturally responsive workplace.
• Assess Agency culture and staff engagement activities and create initiatives to foster an inclusive culture with measurable outcomes.
• Establish and maintain a positive working relationship, sensitive and responsive to the cultural difference with all SAFY staff levels, clients, families, stakeholders, and vendors.
• Oversee employee engagement surveys and implement action planning.
• Champion staff wellness initiatives addressing secondary trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue.
  
  

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance by conducting periodic HR audits including but not limited to the following:
• Federal and state child welfare regulations, including Medicaid
• Department of Labor requirements
• FMLA, ADA, EEOC, OSHA, etc.
• Licensing and accreditation standards
• Partner with Legal and Compliance to mitigate employment-related risks to protect the Agency.
• Oversee the development and implementation of employee-related policies, including updating the employee handbook and miscellaneous policies and procedures, as necessary.
• Oversee internal investigations and complex employee relations matters.
• Develops and recommends the resolution of specific policy-related and procedural problems and inquiries.
• Provides guidance and follow-up on company policies, procedures, and documentation.
• Leads internal investigations and responds to Agency complaints as required.
  

Compensation & Benefits

• Design competitive compensation and benefit strategies, including performance-based incentives.
• Monitor industry trends to ensure Agency is appropriately benchmarked to compensation and benefits best practices.
• Oversee benefits strategy balancing fiscal stewardship and workforce retention.
• Ensure pay equity and market competitiveness.
• Maintains beneficial relationships with insurance brokers and other human resource advisors/vendors.
  
  

HR Operations & Systems

• Lead HRIS strategy, workforce analytics, and data-driven decision making.
• Oversee payroll, benefits administration, onboarding, and HR service delivery.
• Develop KPI dashboards including turnover, quick turnover, favorable and unfavorable turnover, time-to-fill, vacancy rates, and engagement metrics.
• Manage HR budget throughout the year to ensure responsible spending in a non-revenue generating department
  
  

Leadership & Supervisory Development

• Lead, manage, and coach HR team members.
• Provide on-going leadership and supervisory management programs (individual and group) to develop current and future leaders and supervisors to be successful in SAFY’s culture.
• Provide on-going consultation and coaching to managers in administering HR activities, such as disciplinary actions, corrective actions, and employee relations issues.
• Oversee annual goal guide development by State and Functions, individual ADP goal development, performance review process, merit score calibration, and ongoing supervision and coaching.
  
  

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic and systems thinker
• High emotional intelligence and curiosity
• Skilled at leading through ambiguity, complexity, and funding constraints
• Strong executive presence and board-level communication skills
• Data-driven decision maker
• Demonstrated commitment to an inclusive culture
• Leadership development and coaching
  
  

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business, public administration, or related field required, master’s degree preferred.
• SHRM-CP, PHR, certification preferred
• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience
• 5+ years in an executive-level HR leadership role
  
  

Other

• ADP Workforce Now experience preferred
• Experience interacting, meeting and obtaining insights from Board of Directors
• Experience in human services, healthcare, behavioral health, or child welfare
• A strong understanding of foster care, adoption services, residential treatment, or community-based services
• Experience leading/managing HR functions in organizations with $80M+ budgets and 500 employees
• Experience managing multi-site or statewide operations
• Knowledge of and proficiency with HR information systems
• Deep knowledge of employment law and regulatory compliance
  
  

What We Offer

• Targeted hiring range: $95,000.00 - $162,000.00
• Compensation is commensurate with transferable experience, education and licensure of candidate, location of the position, along with internal equity and budgeted amount for the role.
• Comprehensive benefit plan options including Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending and Health Savings account options to meet your needs
• 401(k) Retirement plan with company match
• 10 paid holidays per year + 3 float holidays, generous sick & vacation time and an additional day off for your birthday
• All regular full and part-time staff are eligible for quarterly and/or annual bonuses
• Tuition Reimbursement up to $5,000 each year
• CEU Reimbursement up to $1,000 each year
• On demand access to earned wages through Zayzoom
• Gain leadership skills, develop your clinical expertise, or earn CEUs with access to over 1,000 courses on our learning platform or through our talented in-house training department
• Clinical Supervision Reimbursement up to $300 per month
• Employee Assistance Program with 6 free visits per year
• First Stop Health – A virtual Healthcare benefit
• Free Financial Advisor Services
• Support Services for alternative Health Insurance and benefit credit reimbursement options
• Employee and Foster Parent Referral bonus program
• Leave donation program
• Adoption Assistance
• Mileage reimbursement
• Your choice of company paid cell phone or phone stipend
  

SAFY is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a non-discriminatory work environment. SAFY does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, arrest record, conviction record, or any other personal characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy covers all programs, services, policies, and procedures of SAFY, including recruiting, hiring, training, promotion, and administering all personnel actions, such as compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs or terminations.