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About One City Schools

One City Schools is different. It’s not traditional public education, and it’s not just any charter school. Built upon a foundation of innovative, out-of-the-box thinking to approach the challenges of educating scholars with diverse backgrounds and needs, One City Schools has been recognized by the philanthropic venture capital fund Charter School Growth Fund as one of the most impactful independent public charter schools in the country. The Wisconsin legislature has identified One City as the horse to bet on. It’s a new model of education, dedicated to working with parents and community to cultivate young readers and thinkers from birth through 8th grade who are on track to succeed in a college or career preparatory education, with plans to add a high school, as intentional expansion allows. In a fast-moving and changing future, One City offers a vision of a Greater Madison community where there are no persistent achievement and opportunity gaps, where all children are prepared to contribute and succeed as adults, as free, global, and deep thinkers, curious learners, effective problem solvers, and humanitarians - happy people who care about the world around them.

One City operates three schools: One City Preschool (OCP), an accredited 5-star preschool serving children ages 1 – 3, One City Elementary School (OCES) a public charter elementary school that presently enrolls children in 4K through fifth grade, and One City Preparatory Academy (OCPA) that presently enrolls children in sixth, seventh and eighth grade.

For more information, please see: One City Schools | Preparing Children for School Success, Leadership and Life

About the Chief People Officer Position

One City Schools’ is leading the way in educating children, and processes and practices to support exceptional talent recruitment, retention, professional development and an inclusive, forward-momentum culture are top priority in achieving this. The Chief People Officer (CPO) will serve as the strategic leader overseeing all aspects of One City Schools’ human resources functions, including talent recruitment, employee relations, compliance, compensation and benefits, and leadership coaching. Reporting to the CEO, the CPO will develop and execute a people strategy that supports the school’s mission, fosters a strong and inclusive culture, ensures legal and regulatory compliance, and drives staff engagement and professional development.

The Chief People Officer will be responsible for the strategy and execution driving superior processes supporting hiring, retention, professional development and evaluations of teachers and staff. This person will work closely as a key leadership team member alongside the Chief Operations Officer, Chief Academic Officer, Chief Growth Officer, VP of Government Relations and Policy, Vice President of Admissions, Enrollment & Family Engagement and Director of Finance. They will provide the framework, both regulatory and cultural, for all to hire and retain their best teams. They will serve as a strategic thought partner, advising on HR practices that will best serve leadership’s functional responsibilities, and the school’s success as a thriving, dynamic organization. They will recognize the value of both the human, empathetic aspects of a school environment, and the necessity of compliance with DPI guidelines and education best practices. Specifically, the CPO will:

Provide Talent Expertise

• Work in collaboration with the CEO, COO and department leaders to develop goals, objectives, systems, and metrics for recruitment, onboarding, and retention of top talent.
• Develop and implement best-in-class HR processes and systems that support efficiency, compliance, and a positive employee experience. Optimize Human Resources Information System (HRIS) and data-driven decision-making to drive retention, workforce planning, and engagement strategies.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local employment laws, including FMLA, ADA, Title IX, and DPI educator regulations. Serve as a key advisor on employment-related risk mitigation, workplace investigations, and legal matters.
• Work with team leaders and individual staff members to develop and implement personal professional learning plans, staff evaluations and trainings in accordance with Educator Effectiveness as well as evaluations and training of non-mandated employees, ensuring One City staff has the licenses and skills needed to perform work at the highest level.
• Develop and continually update succession plans and cross-training programs for all key roles.
• Develop detailed and effective onboarding and new hire processes and ensure they are carried out with fidelity and integrity.
• Provide clarity around the definition of roles and job descriptions.

Review and Maintain HR Practices and Policies

• Develop, recommend, implement and maintain personnel policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with all federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Oversee HR risk management, including employee relations, workplace investigations, legal compliance, and labor law adherence. Ensure all policies align with best practices and legal standards.
• Develop and update job descriptions, conduct annual salary surveys, analyze compensation, determine COLA and merit pay increases, and monitor One City’s performance evaluation program for continuous improvement.
• Develop and drive a positive and trusting workplace culture.
• Manage and maintain OCS’ employee benefits program, contractual relationships and HR partnerships.
• Develop and maintain One City’s Equal Employment Opportunity Program, file EEO-1 annually with local and state agencies, and maintain other records, reports and logs to conform to EEO and other regulations.
• Ensure maintenance and regular updates of One City’s Human Resource Information System (HRIS).

Leadership Development & Coaching

• Champion a leadership coaching culture by equipping school leaders and managers with tools to develop, support, and retain high-performing teams.
• Develop structured professional development and leadership training programs to build internal capacity and strengthen leadership capabilities.
• Provide executive coaching, leadership training, and performance management strategies to ensure staff are equipped for success.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• A minimum of five years Human Resources leadership experience serving as a strategic thought partner to a leadership team.
• Proven ability to design and implement innovative HR strategies that drive organizational excellence, talent development and mission alignment.
• Success working in an urban setting with individuals from diverse racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
• Strong knowledge and application of federal and state employment laws, labor regulations, and HR compliance best practices with experience mitigating HR-related risk.
• Experience in creating and implementing top tier recruitment, retention and professional development processes for teams at all levels.
• Success in shepherding an organization through change management processes in a fluid or ambiguous environment.
• Strong coaching and leadership development expertise, with a track record of fostering a culture of trust, high performance, and continuous learning.
• Knowledge of, and experience with, educator recruitment, evaluation, and certification, preferred but not required.
• Experience in teacher and staff training requirements and education policy, including special education, desired not required.
• A willingness to attend occasional after-hours recruitment and donor engagement events.
• Experience using data to inform decisions that have positively impacted outcomes.
• Bachelor’s degree required; Masters preferred
• SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification preferred.

Required Attributes

• Strong commitment to the mission, vision, goals and objectives of One City, and to working to support young children from diverse racial/cultural populations and their families.
• Extremely high interpersonal skills, EQ, with a balanced temperament and resiliency.
• Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, with healthy boundaries.
• Exceptional communication skills, to have crucial conversations and model trust-based dialogue for effective relationship-building throughout the school environment.
• Energetic, flexible, collaborative, with a proactive passion to help staff grow.
• High integrity, exemplary leader persona, with the ability to motivate others to see a future that is positive and to be able to tell that story in the recruitment process.
• A willingness to challenge the status quo and to respectfully “push back” or explore topics from all sides with colleagues.
• Innovative, forward thinking.
• A good eye for identifying strong talent.
• High learning aptitude and desire to stay abreast of education policy, licensing requirements, and evolving professional development pathways.

One City Schools is an equal opportunity employer: committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all team members and applicants, and to maintaining a work environment in which everyone is treated with respect and dignity.