Chief People Officer

Why This Role Matters: An Exceptional Opportunity You will lead one of the most strategic functions in a thriving, growth-focused Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) services firm at a pivotal moment in its evolution. This role sits at the intersection of talent strategy and business transformation — where your decisions directly impact the firm's ability to attract world-class talent, retain top performers, and build the leadership bench required for sustained growth and market leadership. You will partner with an engaged, forward-thinking executive team that views People as a competitive advantage, not an afterthought. If you thrive at building scalable talent systems, transforming organizational culture, celebrating and recognizing team member contributions, and developing leaders who drive real business results, this is your opportunity to make an outsized impact on a firm with the resources, commitment, and ambition to do this work at scale. Role Summary We are a growing and evolving Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC), and Systems Integration firm seeking a strategic Chief People Officer to help drive our next phase of growth. As a key member of the executive leadership team, the CPO will develop and execute the firm's People strategy, ensuring the organization has the talent, leadership, culture, and capabilities needed to achieve its business objectives. This leader will oversee talent acquisition, talent development, performance management, compensation, HR business partnerships, and people operations while partnering closely with business leaders to strengthen organizational effectiveness and advance a high-performance, people-centered culture. Leading a team of approximately 40 People professionals, the CPO will build scalable programs, processes, and systems that support sustainable growth and exceptional business results. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Evolve People Team Operating Model and Structure Assess capabilities of the People Team and how the team is organized and staffed to meet evolving firm needs. Ensure the team has the right skills, roles, and capabilities to deliver maximum support to the business and its leaders. Recruit, develop, and retain top People talent. Continuously improve People processes, shared services, and technology solutions to create efficiency and enable more effective support for current business needs. Lead Talent Acquisition Strategy and Scalable Recruiting Systems Lead an enterprise-wide talent acquisition strategy that positions the firm to attract and retain best-in-class talent and achieve sustainable, balanced, value-accretive growth goals. Partner with senior business leaders to understand organizational goals and hiring priorities, strengthen external pipelines, elevate employment brand, and ensure recruiting resources are aligned to the roles and capabilities most critical to future growth. Assess the recruiting operating model, systems, processes, data, sourcing channels, and team capabilities needed to deliver high-quality hires with speed, consistency, and strong candidate experience. Continuously improve recruiting effectiveness through clear metrics, disciplined execution, market intelligence, and scalable practices that allow the firm to compete for top talent in a highly competitive market. Champion High Performance Culture Drive the organization's evolution toward a high-performance mindset where performance is managed consistently, talent is calibrated against clear standards, merit-based compensation is transparent and earned, and difficult performance conversations happen promptly and constructively. Embed performance management, goal setting, and feedback as organizational norms — not just annual events. Lead Compensation Strategy and Pay Equity Partner with the Executive Compensation Committee to continuously evolve the firm's base pay, incentives, and total compensation practices so they remain competitive with external market demands, internally equitable, and strategically aligned to business goals. Ensure compensation practices reflect the firm's philosophy of paying people fairly and treating them superbly through clear standards, accountability, transparency, and market-informed decision-making. Strengthen communication and leader capability around compensation so team members understand how pay decisions are made and have confidence in the fairness, consistency, and intent behind those decisions. Partner with Senior Leadership and Enterprise Stakeholders Build deep partnerships with the Design Group executive team, business unit leaders, and divisional stakeholders. Serve as a strategic advisor on organizational issues, talent gaps, and culture dynamics. Maintain collaborative relationships with the Barry-Wehmiller People Team and People leaders in other BW platforms, contributing to broader talent initiatives and maintaining alignment with corporate strategy. Lead Culture, Engagement, and Team Member Experience Steward the firm's culture through regular engagement measurement and response, recognition programs, and firm-wide communications. Ensure external talent integrates fully into the culture and feels welcomed into the organization. Create structured experiences that set new team members up for success and build cultural integration. Use team member feedback to identify cultural strengths to protect and gaps to address. Define and Build People Analytics Strategy Assess people-related data, systems, and KPIs and define holistic strategy for routine monitoring and reporting on recruiting pipeline, turnover/attrition, performance, and utilization. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Education And Experience Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, or a related field required; Master's degree (MBA, HR, Organizational Development, or related) preferred. 15+ years of progressive human resources and talent leadership experience; C-suite People leadership experience (CHRO, VP People, Chief Talent Officer) strongly preferred. At least 5 years in a senior or executive People role, ideally within engineering/architecture or other relevant professional services industries. Experience in architecture/engineering, professional services, management consulting, or another complex, project-based business environment where talent quality, client service, and scalable growth are critical to success. Knowledge/Skills Requirements Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-wide talent strategy for organizations of 1,000+ employees in multi-location, decentralized settings with aggressive growth targets. Proven ability to build and lead high-performing HR functions spanning talent acquisition, HR business partnerships, compensation, talent development, and people operations. Strong track record in enterprise talent acquisition, including executive recruitment, early-talent/leadership development programs, and pipeline building at scale. Deep expertise in strategic workforce planning, organizational design, and role architecture — the ability to connect business strategy to organizational structure and staffing decisions. Experience driving high-performance management culture through performance systems, talent calibration, pay-for-performance frameworks, and accountability. Strong business acumen — ability to read P&Ls, understand market dynamics and competitive positioning, and translate business strategy into People priorities. Excellent communicator who can influence across levels and functions without direct authority in a matrixed organization; skilled at building alignment among diverse stakeholders. Proficiency with HRIS platforms and data analytics — ability to use data to drive decision-making and improve People processes; experience with HR technology implementation. Skilled in change management and organizational transformation — guiding leaders and teams through significant structural or cultural shifts. Collaborative leadership style with the resilience and political savvy to navigate complex, partnership-driven cultures; able to balance urgent operational needs with strategic long-term initiatives. Location/Travel This is an on-site position based out of our St. Louis, MO Head Office. Candidates must be local or willing to relocate. Requires travel up to 25–30% to regional offices, client sites, and enterprise locations. #J-18808-Ljbffr