Chief People and Culture Officer

Chief People And Culture Officer

Reporting to: CEO

Years of experience: 20+ years

Location: This role may be based remotely within the Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone, with a preference for candidates located in Toronto headquarters or near one of RTV's office locations. Regular collaboration across global time zones and periodic international travel are required.

Position type: Full-time

Working conditions: Remote candidates located within the Eastern Standard Time (EST) zone will also be considered. International travel up to 30% is required depending on the candidate's location.

About Raising The Village

Raising The Village's (RTV's) mission is to build and strengthen pathways out of ultra-poverty through an approach guided by data, designed with communities, and scaled by partnerships. We work with last-mile communities to implement solutions that raise incomes, sustain impact, and chart sustainable pathways to possibility within 24 months. To date, we have supported more than two million people in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with support from our partners and our team in North America.

Why Join RTV

Raising The Village is building one of the most ambitious and innovative approaches to ending ultra-poverty in rural Africa. Through its integrated development model and partnerships with governments and communities, RTV helps last-mile communities build sustainable pathways out of poverty. The VP of People and Culture will play a critical role in this next chapter scaling the organization and building the infrastructure needed to expand impact across Sub-Saharan Africa. This is a rare opportunity to scale a proven model that combines community-driven development, data systems, and technology to improve the lives of millions.

Position overview

The global Chief People Officer (CPO) is a senior executive responsible for shaping and leading RTV's global people strategy across all regions. This role will unify and elevate the HR function to drive organizational effectiveness, strengthen leadership capability, and cultivate a high-performing, values-driven culture aligned with RTV's mission and growth.

As a key member of RTV's Executive Leadership Team, the Chief People Officer serves as the principal advisor to the CEO and Board on organizational strategy, leadership, culture, talent, and workforce transformation. The CPO sets the strategic direction for talent, culture, and organizational design. They ensure consistent, equitable, and scalable people practices across East Africa, North America, and future regions, while building the systems and capabilities needed to support continued global expansion.

The CPO will play a critical role in shaping enterprise strategy, enabling organizational scale, and ensuring the organization's leadership, talent, and culture evolve to meet long-term business and mission objectives.

This is a pivotal role for a systems-minded leader who brings both strategic vision and operational rigor, and who thrives in complex, multicultural, mission-driven environments.

Key responsibilities

• Define and lead a multi-year global people strategy aligned with RTV's mission, values, and growth priorities.
• Partner with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team to shape enterprise strategy, organizational priorities, and long-term growth plans.
• Embed and operationalize RTV's values across the organization, ensuring they shape leadership behavior, decision-making, and people practices.
• Build and sustain a high-performing, inclusive culture that strengthens engagement, accountability, and organizational impact.
• Drive organizational design and development to ensure structures, roles, and ways of working enable scale and effectiveness.
• Lead enterprise-wide workforce planning and succession strategies to support long-term sustainability.
• Oversee executive succession planning and leadership pipeline development in partnership with the CEO and Board.
• Build leadership capability across all levels through targeted development, coaching, and mentorship.
• Coach and advise the CEO and Executive Leadership Team to strengthen leadership effectiveness, alignment, and impact.
• Partner with regional leaders to attract, develop, and retain high-performing, mission-aligned talent.
• Establish and govern consistent global people practices, policies, and frameworks across all regions.
• Lead and mentor a distributed global HR team, ensuring alignment, capability, and accountability.
• Oversee HR operations across all countries, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and compliance.
• Guide the integration and optimization of HR systems, data, and people analytics to inform decision-making.
• Ensure equitable and competitive compensation and benefits practices across diverse geographies.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the executive team on organizational effectiveness, culture, talent risks, and workforce decisions.
• Establish and uphold global standards for employee well-being, safety, and duty of care while leading change management efforts to support growth and expansion.
• Lead enterprise change management and transformation initiatives associated with organizational growth, scaling, and evolving operating models.
• Provide regular insights and reporting to the CEO and Board regarding organizational health, leadership capability, succession readiness, culture, and workforce risk.
• Represent RTV externally as an ambassador for the organization's culture, leadership philosophy, and employer brand.

Required qualifications

• 20 plus years of progressive HR leadership experience, including at least 7 years in global or multi-country roles.
• Previous experience serving as a Chief People Officer, CHRO, or equivalent enterprise-level people executive.
• Experience in the technology sector or supporting technology-enabled organizations.
• Strong background in organizational development, leadership transformation, and culture evolution within complex global organizations.
• Deep expertise in organizational development, enterprise change leadership, and executive team effectiveness.
• Demonstrated success building and executing people strategies in fast-growing, complex organizations.
• Proven experience serving as the senior-most HR leader during a period of significant organizational transformation or in an early-stage organization, with responsibility for building or rebuilding the HR function from the ground up, including scalable people programs, processes, systems, and infrastructure.
• Experience leading distributed teams and driving large-scale organizational change.
• Deep expertise in organizational development, talent strategy, and leadership development.
• Strong track record in mission-driven, nonprofit, or international environments.
• Exceptional strategic thinking, executive presence, and cross-cultural leadership capability.
• Demonstrated ability to influence executive stakeholders and Board-level leaders on enterprise-wide organizational matters.
• Relevant HR certifications such as SHRM-SCP, CIPD, or HRCI preferred.

Preferred qualifications

• Master's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred.
• Experience working in emerging markets, including Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Background scaling organizations through periods of rapid growth and transformation.
• Executive coaching experience and/or formal coaching training preferred, particularly in supporting senior leaders through organizational transformation and growth.
• Experience implementing and optimizing HR technology platforms and people analytics.
• Familiarity with global employment practices across both developed and emerging markets.
• Demonstrated ability to balance innovation with operational discipline in complex, multicultural environments.
• Experience partnering with Boards of Directors, executive committees, or governance bodies on succession planning, executive compensation, and organizational strategy preferred.

Disclaimer

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. RTV reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties as necessary.

RTV uses artificial intelligence to screen and assess applicants for this position, including through an applicant tracking system (ATS) that helps sort applications based on job related criteria. Our hiring team reviews all candidates and makes all final decisions.

Ontario Inclusion and Accessibility Statement

RTV is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and accessible workplace. We comply with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Accommodations are available upon request for candidates participating in all aspects of the employment process.