Chief HR Officer (CHRO) - San Francisco, CA

The Wilkinson Firm (TWF) is an enterprise workforce strategy and solutions company with two divisions: HR Advisory (behavioral health and HHS focus) and Hospitality Staffing. Headquartered in NC and Atlanta, Georgia, respectively. Three active staffing contracts today; the next 24 months are about taking TWF from $1M to $5M+ across both divisions while institutionalizing the HR practice that sets the standard in HHS.

What\'s already built

Three active staffing contracts in delivery. Two division sites live (hr.thewilkinsonfirm.com, hospitality.thewilkinsonfirm.com). MBE-certified, SAM.gov-registered, Hartford-insured. TWF Team Portal in production.

16+ trademarked frameworks: The Workup (8-dimension diagnostic), PlacementCare (18-month placement guarantee, monitored by the Workforce Emotional Index), SCAN. BUILD. STAY. (operating system), the Earned Equity Ladder, and our six TWF Signature Programs.

The bench: former EEOC Administrative Law Judge, employment attorneys (JD, MBA), clinical advisors (LCMHCS, LCMHC, former UnitedHealth Group), PHR-certified Managing Partner, 32-year enterprise operations specialist. 47 combined years HHS experience. 150+ organizations served across 12 states.

You're betting on category build-out and firm scale. The foundation, IP, and bench are already here.

About this role

This is the senior HR architect role at TWF. You\'ll set HR policy for the firm internally, serve as senior advisory presence to flagship Enterprise HR Advisory engagements, and represent TWF at industry events (SHRM, NABH, NCCBH, regional chambers, ASA). You\'ll partner with the PHR-certified Managing Partner who runs HR strategy + implementation today, building together rather than replacing.

TWF is mission-led and builder-grade. This is a senior co-build seat with a real pathway to partnership. Cash base is modest and scales with revenue milestones. Equity is the headline: the Earned Equity Ladder tops out at 10-15% for executives who actually move the company forward over 18-36 months, vesting over 4 years with a 1-year cliff. This isn\'t a paycheck role. If you\'ve made enough money to take a real swing at the next thing you\'ll be known for, or you\'re early enough in your career to bet on yourself with conviction, you\'ll thrive. If you need a guaranteed senior-executive base to make the move, this isn\'t the seat.

The pay and partner upside

• Base: $4,000 to $7,500/month during first 90 days, scales with revenue milestones
• Performance bonuses tied to firm-wide HR maturity benchmarks + flagship engagement contribution
• Y1 OTE at target performance: $80,000 to $200,000
• Equity: Earned Equity Ladder Tier 3 (3-8%) at hire if 6-month trial cleared against the 5-gate evaluation. Tier 4 (8-15%, true partner level) at month 18-24 with sustained performance + strategic ownership. 4-year vest, 1-year cliff.
• The math: A CHRO who institutionalizes TWF\'s internal HR maturity, contributes to 6-10 flagship client engagements per year, and represents the firm at the top industry events earns into Tier 4 equity (8-15%) within 24 months. That equity in a firm targeting $5M+ ARR by Y3 is the real long-term play.

What this is and isn\'t

This is: senior co-build seat, equity-headline comp, internal + external HR leadership, partnering with the existing Managing Partner, partner-track.

This isn\'t: replacing the Managing Partner (you build together, not replace), a traditional CHRO role at a 500-person company, guaranteed senior-exec base.

What you\'ll do

• Set internal HR policy for TWF: hiring framework, comp structure, benefits, performance review cycle, culture initiatives
• Sit on the executive leadership table alongside the founder, CRO (forthcoming), and division Founding Teams
• Serve as senior advisory presence to flagship HR Advisory engagements (Enterprise tier)
• Represent TWF at SHRM chapters, NABH, NCCBH, NCRLA, ASA, regional chambers
• Refine and extend the TWF Signature Programs based on field learnings
• Mentor the PHR-certified Managing Partner and the broader HR Advisory delivery team
• Co-build the HR Advisory practice toward $1.2M+ Y1 ARR and beyond

What success looks like

• Day 90: TWF internal HR maturity benchmarks documented (handbook, comp framework, benefits stack roadmap)
• Day 180: Flagship engagement contribution to at least 2 Enterprise clients, Tier 3 equity grant landed
• Day 365: Internal HR fully institutionalized, presence at 3+ industry events, $400K+ traceable contribution to HR Advisory revenue
• Month 18-24: Tier 4 equity progression, named partner in the HR Advisory division

Who you are

• 15+ years HR leadership, ideally with both internal-HR-team and external-consulting backgrounds
• SHRM-SCP or SPHR credentialed
• Behavioral health, HHS, or healthcare sector experience strongly preferred
• Comfortable building HR function in a sub-100-headcount firm while contributing to senior client work
• You\'ve made enough money in your career to take an equity-heavy swing, or you\'re early enough to bet on yourself
• Track record of culture + policy work at high-growth professional services firms
• Eastern Time (or willing to overlap)

Bonus points

• Former CHRO or VP of HR at a behavioral health, IDD, or HHS-focused organization
• Existing relationships with SHRM, NABH, NCCBH, ASA, or regional behavioral health associations
• Prior experience scaling an HR function from under 50 to over 200 headcount
• Published HR thought leadership in HHS contexts
• Speaking experience at industry events

What we believe

Trust before revenue. Mission before money. We treat every clinical executive like a peer, not a target. We build durable infrastructure, not flashy logos. We pay people in real upside, not in pizza parties.

Application Tips

1. Visit hr.thewilkinsonfirm.com. Five minutes. Understand the firm you\'d be co-leading.
2. Find The Wilkinson Firm on LinkedIn. Look around at our social media presence.
3. In your cover note, tell us two things: (1) the biggest HR policy gap you\'d close in TWF\'s first 90 days, and (2) why you\'re ready to take an equity-heavy swing instead of a traditional CHRO base.

What to expect from us

• Reply within 48 hours of application
• First-round screen within 7 days
• Full process: 4-6 weeks (this is a partner-level hire, not a quick close)
• We tell you yes or no. We do not ghost.