Head of People

Are you a strategic thinker who thrives in shaping workplace culture and fostering employee success? Do you love building systems that show how people are performing - and coaching them to get better? Are you ready to build and lead the People function at a fast-growing national law firm? Can you navigate complex employee dynamics with confidence and empathy? Final question: When faced with a challenge, do you get excited or run away? ** IMPORTANT: TO APPLY ** If you have any questions, please email [email protected] only. Please do not reach out through our website's contact information (telephone, email, or web chat) or via direct messaging on any social media platform. To Apply: Submit your application by clicking the "Apply" button and completing the process on the Crisp Recruit page that opens. **RECRUITERS DO NOT CONTACT** We are a sophisticated, nationally recognized plaintiffs’ law firm that has been around for decades. We have grown to a team of two hundred people fighting for the rights of our clients. Our powerhouse team of attorneys combines deep expertise with innovative litigation strategies to tackle some of the largest and most complex cases in the country. We are relentless in pursuing excellence, taking on high-impact litigation that holds corporations accountable while delivering meaningful results for the clients and communities we serve. We are just as ambitious about our people as we are about our cases. As our firm continues to grow, we are looking for a strategic Head of People to help shape the future of our organization. This is more than a traditional HR leadership role. You’ll build and lead a high-performing, values-driven People function - and at its core, this role is about performance: seeing clearly how our people and teams are performing, coaching them to do their best work, and continually finding ways to get more out of the organization as we grow. From onboarding and talent development to performance management and organizational effectiveness, you’ll help us attract, develop, and retain exceptional talent while driving productivity. What you’ll do: People Strategy: Develop and own the strategic people roadmap that supports business growth, strengthens culture, and drives long-term organizational success. Onboarding and Integration: Design scalable, role-specific onboarding programs that equip new hires for success, accelerate integration, and create a consistent employee experience from day one. Performance Management: Work with the tech team to build the systems that make performance visible - clear metrics, tracking, and reporting that show who is performing and who is not across every team - and analyze that intelligence with firm leadership. Operating with the rigor of a project manager, you’ll track output against goals, diagnose where productivity is being lost as we grow, and partner with management to close those gaps. You’ll design performance processes that foster accountability, continuous feedback, and professional growth. Employee Development and Coaching: Create meaningful career development programs that help employees maximize their potential, and personally coach employees and leaders to raise their performance. Just as important, build the firm’s coaching capability - equipping managers to develop and coach their own people - while growing a strong leadership pipeline for the firm’s future. Compensation Strategy: Design structured, merit-based frameworks for raises, bonuses, promotions, and career progression that recognize performance and support long-term employee growth. Culture and Organizational Development: Shape a high-performing, values-driven culture and design the organization to sustain it - owning org-chart and role planning as we scale, spotting inefficiencies and structural friction early, and building the environment and platform where people can perform at their best. You’ll strengthen communication, address organizational challenges, and create a workplace where employees can thrive. HR Systems and Automation: Evaluate, implement, and optimize the HR systems and People Operations processes that improve efficiency and inform decision-making, championing an AI-forward approach and building automations where they help. Work hand in hand with our tech-forward team to make the firm faster and smarter. What we’re looking for:           Experience and Expertise: Brings at least five years of people leadership experience in a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment, with a proven ability to build scalable programs and lead through change. Strategic Acumen: Proven ability to develop, implement, and continuously refine people strategies that align with business objectives and strengthen organizational culture. Comes to the table with ideas and launches initiatives proactively rather than waiting to be told what to do. Leadership Skills: Demonstrates strong leadership, executive presence, excellent judgment, and the ability to influence department leaders while building and shaping the firm’s People function. Communication Proficiency: Communicates effectively in both written and verbal settings, with demonstrated success in coaching leaders, navigating difficult conversations, and fostering trust and alignment across the organization. Trusted Executive Partner: Operates at a true senior-executive level - low-ego and easy to work with, the kind of leader the CEO can hand a problem to and trust it will be handled with judgment, discretion, follow-through, and the reporting discipline a high-growth firm demands, earning the respect of peers, attorneys, and staff at every level. HR and Compliance Knowledge: Has a strong understanding of New York and federal employment practices, balancing compliance with a progressive, performance-driven approach to People Operations. HR Craft and Fluency: Lives and breathes HR, deeply versed in current best practices, SHRM standard