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General information

Location
Cambridge, MA
Ref #
41790
Job Family
Administration
Date published
24-Feb-2025
Time Type
Full time

Description & Requirements

The Broad Institute is seeking an accomplished, transformational human resources professional to serve as its next Chief People Officer (CPO). The successful candidate will have the opportunity to lead a vitally important function in one of the world’s leading scientific and research organizations. The new CPO will bring human resources operational expertise and the ability to execute on new strategies and approaches in a complex environment, providing strategic vision, empathy, and emotional intelligence. The new CPO should be passionate about serving in a mission-driven organization that is accelerating biomedical research and improving human health.

The next Chief People Officer at the Broad Institute, will be accountable for stewarding the Broad’s most valuable asset - its people -by developing and galvanizing the community around thoughtful strategies and operational activities that best enable scientific excellence and ensure a supportive workplace culture. The CPO will provide vision, expertise, and direction across the Human Resources (HR) function in ways that sustain and enhance the Broad’s collaborative, innovative, and inclusive environment where talented people can thrive and contribute maximally to the organization's mission.

Importantly, the CPO will ensure that strategies and ideas are translated into actionable plans that can be implemented efficiently and effectively. Offering extensive leadership experience across all HR domains and exceptional communication skills, the CPO and team will influence outcomes, introduce better practices and programs, and strengthen relationships across the Broad. As an advisor to Institutional Leaders, the CPO will inform ideas by acquiring a sophisticated understanding of the Broad’s distinctive operating model and will defend those ideas with rigor by presenting sound data and analysis. The CPO is expected to be viewed by Institutional Leadership as a key contributor and leader in the furtherance of the Broad’s mission. This position currently oversees nine direct reports and reports to the Chief Operating Officer.

The CPO will ensure that the Human Resources team best supports the Institute by delivering thought leadership and consistent, high-quality results within the areas of talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, onboarding, learning and development, employee relations, performance management, reporting and analytics, organizational design and change, and engagement and inclusion in the workplace. The HR team consists of approximately 60 people, serving a total employee population of approximately 2,200 and a total community (inclusive of affiliates from partner institutions) of more than 6,000.

Opportunities for Impact

  • Develop a cohesive HR function that provides thoughtful, consistent, highly competent customer service, and community engagement and partnership, to support the Broad’s continued growth and evolution. Working shoulder-to-shoulder with the team, improve the HR function’s organizational structure, strategic alignment, and day-to-day coordination to ensure easily accessible, transparent, common-sense programs, policies, and procedures that help create a positive workplace experience for all Broadies. Improve the HR team’s visibility and connection to both the administrative and scientific communities at the Institute by intentionally building and strengthening collaborative relationships with key stakeholders and holding the HR leadership team accountable for the same.
  • Serve as the key connection to leadership on the Broad’s people management, focusingon organizational evolution as it relates to HR policies, plans, and initiatives. Cultivate relationships with Program, Platform, and Administration leaders, Core Institute Members, and Broadies at all levels in the organization. Become thoroughly familiar with lab structures through a keen sense of curiosity, and partner with scientists on their plans for future expansion or restructuring and provide HR expertise in strategic support of both.
  • Earn the trust of the team and inspire collaboration across HR subject area silos.
  • Support HR team members in achieving operational excellence by fostering the consistent use and transparent sharing of relevant metrics. Champion a team culture where HR functions are collaboratively and synergistically identifying and executing on shared priorities. Demonstrate a commitment to the team’s growth and learning by making available opportunities to strengthen its expertise and maximize its potential.
  • Establish thoughtful, practical frameworks and tools for leadership development and succession planning to maximize the performance and retention of the Broad’s complex and highly talented workforce. Provide and/or support leadership and executive coaching, as warranted or as requested, to Broad leaders and managers, adapting strategies and techniques tailored to the needs of the situation and the individual’s style and position.

Core Responsibilities

  • Redefine traditional HR approaches to best suit the Broad’s needs while maintaining and developing effective working relationships across HR functions; foster collaboration while eliminating barriers across functional areas of administrative structure for the continuous improvement of the Broadie experience.
  • Translate, protect, and enhance the Institute’s culture as it grows. Act as a culture carrier for the Broad, ensuring that the Broad’s people practices actively support its current and aspirational culture as described in the Institute's Shared Mission and Statement of Values.
  • Leverage people analytics and data to support recommendations across all aspects of organizational design and HR practice, e.g. communicating, measuring, and understanding employee performance; evaluating learning and development offerings; identifying engagement opportunities, etc.
  • Deliver on programs and processes that increase transparency, feedback, and career development for the Broad’s employees as a way to optimize retention (e.g., job architecture and performance management).
  • Translate strategies and ideas into actionable plans and serve as a trusted advisor and thought leader not only in HR, but as a main conduit for all people strategies that impact the Broadie experience. Assess the efficacy of all HR initiatives and practices, ensuring there is continuous creativity and innovation.
  • Lead the development of annual operating budgets for the HR department, including employee salaries and benefits and departmental expenditures. Work closely with the CFO in evaluating the Institute-wide budgetary implications of compensation practices and employee benefit plans.
  • In partnership with the Institute’s Senior Counsel and her team, maintain knowledge of all employment-related state and federal laws and assure full compliance.
  • Build and sustain genuine, trusted, collaborative relationships throughout all levels at the Broad, by deploying insatiable curiosity to gain a deep understanding of stakeholder objectives and how they fit into the whole.
  • Provide visionary leadership while advising, influencing, coaching, mentoring, and negotiating with organizational leaders.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

  • Compassionate and people-centered leadership.
  • Passion for ensuring the high-quality design and implementation of leading practices that directly and indirectly support the overall strategic goals of the organization.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; the successful candidate must be equally comfortable and confident presenting to the executive leadership team, at a Broad town hall, an all-hands HR team meeting, or 1:1 with faculty and staff scientists.
  • Willingness and ability to invite critique and curiosity from stakeholders in order to gain buy-in.
  • Comfort with accepting risk when needed in service of institutional objectives.
  • Proven experience in building and scaling HR capabilities to support the growth and maturation of an organization, with a demonstrated track record as a builder who develops and implements foundational systems, processes, and strategies to meet evolving organizational needs.
  • An ability to toggle between strategic planning and tactical improvement efforts, to enable near-term and sustainable longer-term impact.
  • A willingness to architect novel solutions for organizational and people challenges.
  • Experience tackling tough issues and ability to manage conflict and volatility effectively; encourage debate and face adversity head-on.
  • High emotional intelligence with strong interpersonal skills. Great intellectual capacity and mental agility; ability to understand complex situations.
  • Mission-driven with a passion for bettering human health through supporting the Broad’s diverse scientific community and partners.
  • Experience driving “people decisions” based on analytics and measured outcomes.
  • Must thrive in a fast-paced, innovative environment while remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful, and efficient.
  • Must embrace and excel at leveraging wide consultation in a highly decentralized environment in order to gain buy-in and enable successful change management for new initiatives through discussion, feedback, and consensus building.

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree.
  • At least 15 years of experience and demonstrated expertise in the management of multiple HR functional disciplines, including at least five years in a significant HR leadership role, preferably in an evolving, complex, and rapidly growing scientific environment.
  • Thorough knowledge of current HR business trends and best practices.
  • Strong working knowledge of federal and state employment laws.

Preferred Qualifications

  • M.B.A. or equivalent Master’s degree with a specialization in progressive HR management.
  • SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or related certifications.
  • Active membership in professional affiliations.
The Broad Institute will not offer visa sponsorship for this opportunity.


How to Apply:
Lindauer, a global search and talent firm, has been retained to conduct this search on behalf of the Broad Institute. Consideration of candidates will continue until the position is filled.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please submit a resume through the Lindauer website.