Chief People & Workforce Officer (CPWO)

Description

Help Shape the Future of Behavioral Healthcare Through People, Leadership, and Workforce Innovation.

Are you a strategic, forward-thinking executive passionate about building strong teams, developing future leaders, and transforming the workforce behind exceptional community-based behavioral healthcare?

Riverbend Community Mental Health is seeking an experienced Chief People and Workforce Officer (CPWO) to lead our organization-wide workforce, talent, culture, and leadership development strategy. This is an exciting opportunity to influence organizational direction, strengthen our workforce infrastructure, and ensure Riverbend is positioned to meet the evolving behavioral health needs of the communities we serve.

As Riverbend advances toward Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) certification and participates in New Hampshire's behavioral health transformation and Rural Health Transformation initiatives, the CPWO will play a critical role in ensuring we have the people, capabilities, leadership, and sustainable talent pipelines necessary to support continued growth and high-quality care.

Working in close partnership with the CEO, executive leadership, clinical leaders, and operational teams, the CPWO will align workforce priorities with organizational strategy, financial sustainability, regulatory expectations, and community needs.

This position goes beyond traditional human resources leadership. It is an opportunity to shape how Riverbend attracts, develops, supports, and retains the people who make our mission possible.

Why Join Us?

At Riverbend Community Mental Health, our people are at the center of everything we do. We are committed to strengthening our communities through accessible, comprehensive, and compassionate behavioral healthcare.

Joining Riverbend's executive leadership team means having the opportunity to influence organizational strategy, shape the future of our workforce, and contribute to meaningful transformation across New Hampshire's behavioral health system.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Influence organization-wide strategy and executive-level decision-making.
• Lead meaningful workforce transformation during an important period of organizational growth.
• Build innovative talent pipelines that strengthen the future of behavioral healthcare.
• Develop leaders and cultivate a culture where employees can thrive.
• Make a lasting impact on the communities and individuals we serve.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Workforce Planning & Organizational Development

• Develop and implement a multi-year workforce strategy aligned with organizational growth, service delivery needs, CCBHC requirements, and long-term financial sustainability.
• Partner with executive and program leadership to evaluate staffing models, workforce capacity, skill mix, role design, and succession planning.
• Establish workforce forecasting strategies that anticipate emerging service needs, recruitment challenges, and evolving organizational priorities.
• Utilize workforce analytics, dashboards, and organizational data to guide executive decision-making related to vacancies, turnover, retention, staffing capacity, and workforce trends.
• Translate organizational strategy into actionable workforce initiatives that support operational effectiveness and long-term growth.

CCBHC & Behavioral Health Transformation Readiness

• Provide executive leadership for workforce-related CCBHC readiness, including staffing plans, competency development, training oversight, and ongoing workforce compliance.
• Collaborate with clinical and operational leadership to align workforce strategies with Community Needs Assessment findings, access standards, integrated care expectations, and service delivery requirements.
• Advance workforce initiatives that support culturally responsive, trauma-informed, person-centered, and recovery-oriented behavioral healthcare.
• Lead workforce development initiatives supported through Rural Health Transformation funding, with an emphasis on measurable outcomes, sustainable infrastructure, and long-term organizational impact.
• Ensure workforce planning evolves alongside state and federal behavioral health transformation priorities.

Talent Acquisition, Retention & Professional Development

• Establish organization-wide recruitment, retention, and talent development priorities, with particular attention to hard-to-fill clinical and specialized behavioral health positions.
• Develop sustainable talent pipelines through internships, academic partnerships, clinical supervision opportunities, licensure support, and internal career pathways.
• Championing a \"grow our own\" philosophy that encourages employee advancement, professional development, and internal mobility.
• Establish measurable workforce goals and evaluate recruitment effectiveness, retention trends, employee engagement, and talent development outcomes.
• Partner with leaders to strengthen recruitment strategies, improve the candidate experience, and position Riverbend as an employer of choice within New Hampshire's behavioral health workforce.

Organizational Culture, Employee Engagement & Leadership Development

• Lead organization-wide strategies that strengthen employee engagement, workplace culture, organizational effectiveness, and change management.
• Establish leadership competencies and development opportunities that build accountability, strengthen management capabilities, and support organizational growth.
• Partner with executive and program leaders to identify and develop future leaders and establish succession plans for critical positions.
• Foster a workplace culture grounded in collaboration, transparency, inclusion, professional growth, and commitment to Riverbend's mission.
• Support leaders in navigating organizational change, building high-performing teams, and creating an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered.

External Partnerships & Workforce Investment

• Cultivate strategic partnerships with colleges, universities, professional training programs, workforce development agencies, and statewide behavioral health organizations.
• Identify and pursue workforce-related funding opportunities, grants, and collaborative initiatives that expand recruitment, training, professional development, and career pathways.
• Represent Riverbend in regional and statewide workforce development, behavioral health transformation, and talent investment initiatives.
• Strengthening Riverbend's presence as a collaborative partner in addressing New Hampshire's behavioral health workforce challenges.

The Impact You Will Make

As Chief People and Workforce Officer, your leadership will directly influence Riverbend's ability to:

• Build a sustainable, highly skilled behavioral healthcare workforce.
• Expand access to integrated behavioral health services throughout our communities.
• Advance CCBHC readiness and organizational transformation.
• Strengthen employee retention, engagement, and professional growth.
• Develop the next generation of behavioral health professionals and organizational leaders.
• Create workforce strategies that support both immediate operational needs and long-term organizational sustainability.

Requirements

What You’ll Bring

• Master’s degree in a relevant field is strongly preferred; bachelor’s degree with substantial relevant executive leadership experience considered.
• SHRM-SCP (Society for Human Resource Management – Senior Certified Professional) or SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) certification strongly preferred.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible senior leadership experience in human resources, workforce development, organizational development, healthcare, or human services, including demonstrated knowledge of HR best practices and employment law compliance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead enterprise workforce strategy, organizational change, talent development, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience in community mental health or a complex healthcare or human-service setting is strongly preferred; educational or workforce partnerships are preferred.
• Strong skills in workforce analytics, strategic planning, executive communication, collaboration, and translating strategy into measurable results.

Outstanding Benefits & Perks:

• Competitive wages depending on level of education and experience.
• Comprehensive benefits package to include:
  • Choice of 3 Medical plans
  • Prescriptions Benefits
  • Health Reimbursement Account (HRA)
  • Flex Spending Account (FSA)
  • Doctor on Demand
  • Harvard Pilgrim Well-Being Program Benefits
  • Choice of 2 Dental plans
  • Vision Plan
  • Short- and Long-Term Disability, Life, and Supplemental Life Insurance Plans
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) accrual and Extended Illness Leave
• 8 Paid Holidays
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with company match
• Tuition reimbursement, discounts on tuition through partnered colleges and training opportunities to grow your career
• Qualifying Employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and NH State Loan Repayment Program

Ready to take the next step toward independent licensure?

Riverbend provides structured clinical supervision, ongoing training, and a collaborative environment designed to help Graduate Level, license-eligible clinicians build skills, confidence, and a long-term career

Equal Opportunity Employer:

We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Be part of the leadership shaping the future of Riverbend.