Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
Covenant House Texas, Houston, TX, United States
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
Covenant House Texas
Houston, Texas Reports to: Chief Executive Officer Member of Executive Leadership Team
Position Summary:
The Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) will serve as the executive leader responsible for building and overseeing a comprehensive, enterprise-level human resources strategy that supports Covenant House Texas' mission, growth objectives, and operational excellence. The CHRO ensures organizational integrity through disciplined workforce planning, regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, leadership development, performance management systems, and compensation strategy. This role is responsible for architecting scalable HR infrastructure to support a $50MM+ nonprofit organization serving youth experiencing homelessness in a trauma-informed, highly regulated environment.
Executive Responsibilities:
Develop and implement a 35-year workforce plan aligned with revenue and program growth.
Create a clear talent map using the 9-box or talent matrix for all senior leaders.
Design scalable organizational structures.
Lead succession planning across executive and senior leadership roles.
Align staffing models with financial projections and program capacity.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
Oversee audits, investigations, and employee relations matters.
Maintain updated HR policies and employee handbook.
Mitigate legal and reputational risk.
Partner with external legal counsel as needed.
Implement structured performance management framework.
Establish measurable KPIs by department.
Train managers in documentation, corrective action, and coaching
Build systems that reinforce accountability and clarity of expectations.
Conduct compensation benchmarking (nonprofit, housing, healthcare sectors)
Design equitable salary bands and pay philosophy.
Oversee benefits strategy and vendor relationships.
Align compensation with retention and performance goals.
Oversee recruitment strategy for clinical, programmatic, and administrative roles.
Reduce time-to-fill and improve retention in high-impact positions.
Strengthen onboarding and orientation processes.
Develop workforce stability metrics.
Create supervisory training standards.
Develop leadership competency framework.
Support executive team development.
Strengthen internal promotion and succession pathways.
Oversee HRIS and data integrity.
Develop workforce analytics dashboard.
Modernize HR processes for efficiency and transparency.
Manage HR team structure and budget.
Process bi-weekly payroll, quarterly and annual tax reporting.
Qualifications:
Required:
12+ years progressive HR leadership experience
7+ years in senior HR leadership role
Experience leading HR in organizations of 75+ employees.
Demonstrated experience in compliance-heavy environments.
Experience supporting executive leadership and Board reporting.
Preferred:
Nonprofit, healthcare, housing, or social services experience.
SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification
Experience in growth-stage or scaling organizations
Experience in trauma-informed environments
Core Competencies:
Enterprise systems thinker
Regulatory expertise
Executive presence
High emotional intelligence
Conflict resolution expertise
Data-driven decision maker
Courageous and clear communicator
Key Performance Indicators (First 12 Months):
Reduce staff turnover by 25+%
Reduction in time-to-fill critical roles.
Create a 3-year workforce plan linked to strategy.
Implementation of updated performance management system
Completion of annual compensation benchmarking study
Strengthened compliance posture with zero major audit findings.
Strong Leadership and Staff Development Plan in Place
Create a structured leadership pipeline for succession planning for mid-level and above.
Culture Diagnosis and Action Plan with engagement data tied to business outcomes.
Compensation Range:
Negotiable and commensurate with experience
Comprehensive benefits package
What Success Looks Like:
By Year Two: HR is viewed as a strategic executive function, not administrative.
Leadership accountability culture is strengthened.
Clear compensation philosophy and pay structure implemented.
Workforce planning aligned with financial modeling
Board has confidence in talent depth and risk management.
CEO can focus on growth, knowing internal infrastructure is sound.
Covenant House Texas
Houston, Texas Reports to: Chief Executive Officer Member of Executive Leadership Team
Position Summary:
The Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) will serve as the executive leader responsible for building and overseeing a comprehensive, enterprise-level human resources strategy that supports Covenant House Texas' mission, growth objectives, and operational excellence. The CHRO ensures organizational integrity through disciplined workforce planning, regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, leadership development, performance management systems, and compensation strategy. This role is responsible for architecting scalable HR infrastructure to support a $50MM+ nonprofit organization serving youth experiencing homelessness in a trauma-informed, highly regulated environment.
Executive Responsibilities:
Develop and implement a 35-year workforce plan aligned with revenue and program growth.
Create a clear talent map using the 9-box or talent matrix for all senior leaders.
Design scalable organizational structures.
Lead succession planning across executive and senior leadership roles.
Align staffing models with financial projections and program capacity.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
Oversee audits, investigations, and employee relations matters.
Maintain updated HR policies and employee handbook.
Mitigate legal and reputational risk.
Partner with external legal counsel as needed.
Implement structured performance management framework.
Establish measurable KPIs by department.
Train managers in documentation, corrective action, and coaching
Build systems that reinforce accountability and clarity of expectations.
Conduct compensation benchmarking (nonprofit, housing, healthcare sectors)
Design equitable salary bands and pay philosophy.
Oversee benefits strategy and vendor relationships.
Align compensation with retention and performance goals.
Oversee recruitment strategy for clinical, programmatic, and administrative roles.
Reduce time-to-fill and improve retention in high-impact positions.
Strengthen onboarding and orientation processes.
Develop workforce stability metrics.
Create supervisory training standards.
Develop leadership competency framework.
Support executive team development.
Strengthen internal promotion and succession pathways.
Oversee HRIS and data integrity.
Develop workforce analytics dashboard.
Modernize HR processes for efficiency and transparency.
Manage HR team structure and budget.
Process bi-weekly payroll, quarterly and annual tax reporting.
Qualifications:
Required:
12+ years progressive HR leadership experience
7+ years in senior HR leadership role
Experience leading HR in organizations of 75+ employees.
Demonstrated experience in compliance-heavy environments.
Experience supporting executive leadership and Board reporting.
Preferred:
Nonprofit, healthcare, housing, or social services experience.
SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent certification
Experience in growth-stage or scaling organizations
Experience in trauma-informed environments
Core Competencies:
Enterprise systems thinker
Regulatory expertise
Executive presence
High emotional intelligence
Conflict resolution expertise
Data-driven decision maker
Courageous and clear communicator
Key Performance Indicators (First 12 Months):
Reduce staff turnover by 25+%
Reduction in time-to-fill critical roles.
Create a 3-year workforce plan linked to strategy.
Implementation of updated performance management system
Completion of annual compensation benchmarking study
Strengthened compliance posture with zero major audit findings.
Strong Leadership and Staff Development Plan in Place
Create a structured leadership pipeline for succession planning for mid-level and above.
Culture Diagnosis and Action Plan with engagement data tied to business outcomes.
Compensation Range:
Negotiable and commensurate with experience
Comprehensive benefits package
What Success Looks Like:
By Year Two: HR is viewed as a strategic executive function, not administrative.
Leadership accountability culture is strengthened.
Clear compensation philosophy and pay structure implemented.
Workforce planning aligned with financial modeling
Board has confidence in talent depth and risk management.
CEO can focus on growth, knowing internal infrastructure is sound.