Vice President of People

Vice President of People Reports To: Chief Operating Officer Status: Full-Time, Exempt Location: Hybrid – Los Angeles (Little Tokyo) Hours of Operation: Monday–Friday, 9AM–6PM; evenings and weekends as needed Salary Range: $210,000 – $240,000 annually (based on experience and qualifications) Lead the people function for one of LA’s fastest-growing youth-serving organizations — at the inflection point where strong culture meets enterprise scale. Woodcraft Rangers has grownnearly tenfoldin five years whilemaintainingprogram quality, organizational culture, and a strong compliancetrack record. We have built something rare: an organization that scales without losing itself. Now we are looking for a VP of People who can carry that foundation into its next chapter — building the compliance architecture, legal risk infrastructure, and talent systems that a $150M+ organizationrequires. ~10x Growth in 5 Years 90%+ Staff Retention 30,000+ Youth Served Annually A Foundation Worth Building On Woodcraft Rangers is a growing organization with real momentum — built on a decade of excellent programming, deep and reliable partnerships with school districts across Southern California, and a staff culture that has held throughnearly tenfoldgrowth. OurLifeCraftprogram provides free college and career advancement to all 2,250 employees. Our internal Management Academy creates leadership pathways from within. We promote from within at every level. We were nameda Best Places to Work for Innovators by Fast Company — one of only 10 large companies recognized nationally — for our staff development programs. We alsooperatea formally registered national apprenticeship program for future educators, the first of its kind in Southern California. What we are looking for now is an executive who can carry that foundation into its next chapter — building the compliance architecture, legal risk infrastructure, and people systems that a $150M+ organizationrequires, without losing the culture that got us here. Ideal Candidate Profile You are a senior people leader who earns credibility in two directions at once: with the executive team, because you think in systems, risk, and organizational design; and with the people you serve, because you genuinely believe that how an organization treats its staff is a strategic choice, not an afterthought. You have built functions, not just managed them — including talent acquisition and employee relations atgenuinescale. At Woodcraft Rangers, recruitment is not a project; it is a continuous operational reality across 210+ sites and 2,250 employees, and the VP of People owns the strategy and infrastructure that makes it work. You are equally at home designing a high-volume frontline TA pipeline, navigating a complex employee relations matter, and presenting compliance posture to the executive team — because you understand that all of it is an expression of the same commitment: that every person who works here deserves a well-run, fair, and supportive experience. You know that California employment law and compliance architecture are not obstacles to people work; they are the foundation it stands on. You believe that growing people is how you grow an organization. You will collaborate with the Learning and Development Team on an existing Management Academy, a nationally recognized apprenticeship program, and a free college advancement benefit that reaches every one of our 2,250 employees — and you will make them better. If you see yourself in most of this profile — but not every line — we encourage you to apply. The right background for this role can take many forms, and we are more interested in how you think and what you have built than in whether your path looks exactly like this. About Woodcraft Rangers Founded in 1922 in Los Angeles, Woodcraft Rangers is a nonprofit, community-based organization providing TK–12 expanded learning programs — including before- and after-school, specialty enrichment, early learning, inclusion services, and summer camps — to more than 30,000 young people annually across 210+ Title I schools in LA, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties. Our headquarters are in Downtown Los Angeles, withadditionaloffices in West Covina and Riverside (coming soon), and a year-round outdoor education retreat center near Big Bear. Guided by the Woodcraft Way, a holistic framework developing body, mind, spirit, and service, we believe all youth are innately good and deserve the opportunity to realize their full potential. Woodcraft Rangers is led by a female, mission-driven CEO with deepexpertisein organizational scaling and a personal commitment to buildingequitable, people-centered institutions. Why Join Woodcraft Rangers Competitive salary – $210,000–$240,000 annually Paid vacation & sick time – generous time off to recharge LifeCraftprogram – free college & career advancement for all staff Upward mobility – promote-from-within culture Health, dental & vision – comprehensive benefits coverage 403(b) retirement plan – invest in your future Pet insurance – because your whole family matters Mission-driven work – impact 30,000+ young people annually The Opportunity The Vice President of People is Woodcraft Rangers’ senior enterprise people leader, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer. You will lead a structured, four-function HR organization — spanning Employee Experience & Readiness, Employee Governance & Risk, Benefits & Payroll, and HR Implementation & Support — and serve as the executive authority on all complex, high-risk peoplematters. This is a unique opportunity to build a complex HR architecture in a dynamically scaling community-based nonprofit organization with one of the largest impact footprints in Southern California. This role carries direct ownership of California labor law compliance, wage and hour risk, workers’ compensation strategy, and labor-related claims — including oversight of investigations, dispute resolution, and external counsel coordination. The ideal candidate bringsdemonstrated, practitioner-level command of California employment law — built through direct ownership of claims, compliance programs, and outside counsel partnerships — alongside deep HR leadership experience. You will have: Full decision authority on HR policy, employee relations escalations, investigations, and terminations — with COO alignment on highest-stakes matters Budget authority over the HR function and input into workforce planning decisions across the organization A COO who is operationally fluent, strategically engaged, and committed to HR as a genuine enterprise function — not an administrative support layer A mandate to build, notmaintain #J-18808-Ljbffr