Chief People Officer

About Kapor Center

Building a more equitable tech sector, economy, and society.

From systemic racism and increasing economic inequality to the growing role of tech in all aspects of our lives, we are in a moment that requires urgent, bold, and innovative solutions. The Kapor Center’s work focuses at the intersection of racial justice and technology, and we are doubling-down on our work to fight for racial justice and create a more inclusive technology sector. We understand that systems of inequality are at play–and we work to intentionally dismantle barriers to the creation and deployment of technologies across the Leaky Tech Pipeline through research, STEM and CS programs, strategic partnerships, policy/advocacy, and investments.

The Kapor Center is a family of three distinct organizations working under a shared mission to remove barriers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, tech careers, and tech entrepreneurship for underrepresented people of color.

• SMASH: A 501c(3) public charity which operates STEM education programs.
• Kapor Capital: A seed-stage investment fund.
• Kapor Foundation: A 501c(3) private operating foundation.

The three organizations are supported by a robust operations team - employed by a separate entity, Kapor Enterprises, Inc. (KEI)- which provides finance, accounting, people operations, IT, events, and other operational support and houses some additional special initiatives.

We believe that when technology includes diverse perspectives and is harnessed to address societal challenges, we can collectively transform future opportunities for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and communities of color.

Our work focuses on three key areas necessary to enhance racial justice and equity in the technology sector:

• CS Educational Equity: To ensure Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students have access to rigorous and culturally relevant CS education, we highlight racial inequality through research, build the capacity of educators and administrators, and advocate for education policy change.
• Strengthening Tech Ecosystems: To create inclusive technology ecosystems and enable equitable participation in the technology economy, we support the critical foundational needs of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities while advocating for technology policy change.
• Advancing Racial Equity in Tech: To advance racial equity in tech, we provide resources, training, and networks to DEI leaders and social justice champions throughout the industry. We address issues such as upskilling and hiring models, the future of work, worker protection, DEI competencies, data transparency, and systemic racism.

For more information on Kapor Center, please visit our website.

The Opportunity

The Chief People Officer (CPO) will play a pivotal leadership role in staffing, people management, learning, and culture-building across organizations. The CPO provides organizational leadership, across the Kapor entities (SMASH, Kapor Enterprises Inc. “KEI,” Kapor Capital, and the Foundation), on human resources policies and practices and building a diverse, inclusive, and high-impact organizational culture. In addition to these people-related responsibilities, the position manages the facilities, office services, and reception functions.

This position operates under a shared service model and jointly reports to the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation and Managing Partner for Kapor Capital. The CPO serves on the Kapor Center Senior Council as well as on the Leadership Team, bringing perspective and leadership on organizational culture across the organizations. The CPO will supervise a team of People Operations professionals, including Facilities and Office Services and partners, and will closely partner with the Chief Operating Officer to effectively steward departmental resources, budgets, and capacity.

Key responsibilities and priorities include:

Organizational Health and Culture

• Lead and facilitate efforts to define a collaborative, high-performing, inclusive, and equitable workplace culture by developing policies, practices, and strategies to cultivate a healthy, accessible, productive, and honest work environment.
• Develop and implement workplace practices that reflect Kapor Center values and support the welfare, wellness, and ability to thrive of all employees
• Lead the Kapor Center’s employee events, gatherings, and communications to cultivate healthy culture, productivity, impact, and elevated levels of employee satisfaction and engagement.
• Regularly assess staff and management feedback on workplace culture and satisfaction.

Compensation, Benefits, Policies, and Procedures

• Align the Kapor Center’s internal policies, practices, and systems with its mission and values and translate their implications and impact to team members across functions and verticals.
• Assess and refresh current performance management and compensation processes to facilitate a culture of high performance and impact, provide career development pathways/opportunities for staff across all career levels, and, and create a competitive, transparent, and fair process for the entire employee journey at the Kapor Center.
• As a strategic and trusted advisor, counsel and strategize with senior management to build an effective, nimble, and best-in-class people operations function.
• Identify and implement emerging technologies that drive collaboration, facilitate effective project management, and enhance opportunities for co-creation and innovation.

Staffing and Staff Development

• Provide strategic and logistical talent acquisition and retention support to hiring managers designed to establish high-quality orientations, onboarding, offboarding, and other employee milestone practices.
• Develop and implement a cross-functional organizational learning structure by developing, assessing, and communicating learning and professional development activities aligned to broader organizational needs and helping staff achieve their professional and personal goals.
• Provide strategic advisory, coaching, and resources to managers to foster a professional ecosystem rooted in workplace fairness, learning and development, and organizational effectiveness.
• Promote and define values and practices that result in a diverse and inclusive workforce, including procedures for assuring diverse and inclusive talent pools and pipelines, leading and/or facilitating training for leaders to support and cultivate a diverse workplace, and establishing meaningful and impactful performance management/feedback systems that promote honest and productive dialogue between executive leadership, managers, and staff.

Facilities and Operations Management 

• Assure that the management and operation of facilities at 2148 Broadway provide a productive, safe, and well-maintained environment for staff and visitors.
• Manage building operating systems for facilities including security, maintenance, janitorial, and engineering.
• Organize building systems documentation and procedures that support business continuity in emergencies, urgent and deferred maintenance, and personnel management.
• Oversee consistent staffing and/or on-call availability by staff in urgent building issues or emergencies.

Candidate Profile

We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role and encourage candidates from a variety of professional experiences (including tech, philanthropy, and or nonprofit leadership) to express interest in this opportunity. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

Authentic Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

You value Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) in all its forms and strive to achieve new heights around equity and inclusion for all. An exceptional listener, critical thinker, and effective communicator, you demonstrate a deep commitment to approaching a variety of challenges and opportunities effectively, empathically, and judiciously. A consultative partner and trusted advisor, you promote open dialogue, synthesize divergent views with empathy and respect, and coalesce your organization and team around a shared and inclusive vision for DEIB. At the heart of your work, you recognize that the culture of DEIB supports innovation, improves the employee experience, and will amplify an organization’s impact within the community.

Collaborative and Entrepreneurial Spirit

A self-starter, you thrive in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment and seek a dynamic, diverse work environment with a highly entrepreneurial culture. You have a strong work ethic that values collaboration, have built meaningful and impactful organizational culture, effectively work independently and as part of a team, and hold space for all to thrive. A nimble leader, you identify opportunities to take an organization from good to great and has a track record of being an efficient problem-solver. You think creatively, develop innovative solutions, and have a proven ability to build a culture of excellence in support of the mission and goals of your company.

People Operations

A proactive and collaborative change agent, you possess the technical people operations skills to challenge the status quo while remaining sensitive to Kapor Enterprise's core values, culture, and impact on the community. You have a track record of building a positive, productive organizational culture by implementing effective training, coaching, and development opportunities; creating talent acquisition and retention strategies, administering, and translating benefits to a complex organization, and effectively building HR and people operations frameworks that support a culture of organizational development and high performance. A seasoned HR leader, you partner with senior leaders, your teams, and key collaborators to build a culture that celebrates learning and leadership while humanizing people operations as a strategic, employee-first business function.

Passion for the Mission

You share the Kapor Center’s organizational values and believe that the Kapor Center can be a catalyst for leveling the playing field in tech. Action-oriented, you understand that building and maintaining strong organizational culture and people operations is a foundational aspect for the Kapor Center to increase diverse tech entrepreneurship, access to capital, and access to tech and STEM education; to build strong regional communities; and to build and expand a startup ecosystem of companies that both close the gaps for communities on the periphery of access to opportunity, participation, and influence in the United States. As a Chief People Officer, you believe in maximizing the workplace to ensure that all employees feel valued, connected to this shared purpose, and committed to amplifying the impact of the Kapor center by stewarding an organizational culture of excellence.

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

• A track record of experience working with People and Operations functions, including a demonstrated experience serving in a management capacity.
• Experience developing best practices across People Operations functions including hiring, benefits administration, training, and organizational development.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary for the role is currently anticipated to range from $200,000 to $250,000, commensurate with experience. Kapor Center offers an excellent benefits package including a cafeteria-style health plan for medical, dental, and vision, as well as pre-tax savings, mass transit, and parking plans, and basic life and disability insurance. Benefits also include a 401K with employer matching, generous paid and volunteer time off (including a sabbatical after five years), student loan repayment assistance, matching charitable contributions, and many others.

Contact

Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Molly Brennan, Malissa Brennan, and Dafina Bobo of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express interest in this role please submit your materials here. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

Kapor Center for Social Impact is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.

About Koya Partners

Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.

For more information about Koya Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.