Chief People Officer

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Atlanta Track Club is a nonprofit committed to creating an active and healthy Atlanta. Through running and walking, Atlanta Track Club motivates, inspires and engages the community to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.   

With 45,000 members, Atlanta Track Club is the second largest running organization in the United States. In addition to the Northside Hospital Peachtree Road Race – the largest 10K running event in the world, the Northside Hospital Polar Opposite Peachtree Road Race, the Atlanta Marathon, PNC Atlanta 10 Miler and Invesco QQQ Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon, Atlanta Track Club directs more than 30 events per year. Through the support of its members and volunteers, Atlanta Track Club also maintains a number of community initiatives including organizing and promoting the Kilometer Kids youth running program to metro Atlanta youth, honoring high school cross country and track and field athletes through Atlanta Track Club’s All-Metro Banquets. For more information on Atlanta Track Club, visit atlantatrackclub.org.  

Position Overview: Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief People Officer is a member of Atlanta Track Club’s senior leadership team and serves as the strategic architect and operational leader for the human capital that powers the organization—its staff, its volunteers, community partners and residents it serves.

This position provides leadership over three critical functions: Human Resources, Community Engagement, and Volunteer Service and serves as people manager for the Volunteer Services team. The CPO balances high-level organizational strategy with hands-on HR execution. The CPO designs the systems, fosters the culture, and nurtures the partnerships required to attract, develop, and retain exceptional staff; deepens civic ties across metro Atlanta; and mobilizes thousands of volunteers who make each event possible

The ideal candidate is an agile, people-centered leader with 15+ years of progressive and impactful HR experience, strong workforce development acumen, and a deep commitment to using running and walking to positively impact health, wellness, and community. Additionally, this person must be willing to work select weekends, evenings and holidays in support of Club events and community activities. 

Responsibilities Include:  

Human Resources & Talent  

• Lead all aspects of Atlanta Track Club’s human resources function, including day-to-day HR operations, employee relations, policies, compliance, benefits administration, compensation and recordkeeping. 
• Own the hiring process for new positions, including workforce planning, job descriptions, postings, recruitment, interviewing, offers and onboarding, ensuring a consistent and welcoming new-hire experience. 
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and department leaders on organizational structure, staffing, performance management and employee matters. 
• Develop and lead workforce development initiatives, including staff training, professional development, leadership development and succession planning. 
• Build and sustain with others on the leadership team, a mission-driven, inclusive workplace culture that supports employee engagement, wellbeing and retention. 
• Oversee the annual performance review process, compensation and benefits benchmarking, and HR budget. 
• Ensure compliance with federal, state and local employment laws and maintain the employee handbook and HR policies. 
• Manage the Club’s HR information and payroll systems in partnership with Finance. 
• Work with the Chief Financial Officer to develop a benefit package that will aid in the recruitment and retention of talent. 

Community Engagement  

• Community Engagement & Alignment: Lead Atlanta Track Club’s community engagement strategy, strengthening relationships with neighborhoods, residents, neighborhood associations, civic organizations, schools, faith communities and local businesses. Ensure community feedback is meaningfully integrated into Club planning, event operations, and long-term programming, serving as a trusted presence and primary point of contact for neighbors and community stakeholders. Implement and a sustainable transparent feedback loop between the community and the Club. Plan and lead community meetings, listening sessions and outreach efforts, and ensure timely, transparent follow-up on community feedback. 
• Program Expansion & Impact Tracking: Partner with the Leadership team to expand access to Club events and programs across diverse geographics and demographics track, measure and report on community impact metrics to senior leadership and the Board. 

Volunteer Management  

• Strategic Volunteer Leadership: Lead, support and develop the Volunteer Services team in setting recruitment, retention, and training strategies for 40+ annual events, including large-scale mobilizations (1,000+ volunteers) for flagship races.
• Volunteer Experience & Safety: Ensure volunteer onboarding, safety protocols, and operational training align with race-day execution standards and participant expectations. Grow volunteer recognition programs, continuing to improve the volunteer experience.

Leadership & Governance

• Strategy & Board Engagement: Serve as a strategic partner and member of the senior leadership team on talent, culture and organization-wide strategy. Support Board committees on executive compensation and HR governance as requested.
• Team Development & Leadership: Supervise and develop direct reports across HR, Community Engagement and Volunteer Services, fostering an environment of accountability and growth.

• Experience: 15+ years of progressive experience in human resources and workforce development, including experience leading an HR function. Strong working knowledge of employment law and HR best practices. Must be highly organized, efficient, and detailed. Experience in community engagement, volunteer management or nonprofit leadership strongly preferred. 
• Education & Certifications: Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR or SPHR certifications preferred.  Coaching certification preferred.
• HR Operations: Proven ability to balance high-level organizational strategy with hands-on, daily execution of core HR operations, talent acquisition, employee relations, and compliance.
• Cross- Functional Leadership: Demonstrated ability to manage and inspire teams to collaborate across diverse disciplines. 
• Communication: Excellent communication skills, written and verbal, including track record of building trust across varied stakeholder groups.
• Work Environment: Ability to thrive in an event-driven non-profit environment, including availability to work select weekends, evenings, and major race holidays in support of Club events.
• Technology: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and HRIS/payroll systems. 
• Mission Alignment: Creativity and passion for the Atlanta Track Club mission. Demonstrated commitment to running, physical fitness and community wellness.