Duties
Reports To: Superintendent of Schools
Directly Supervises:
- Talent Acquisition
- Employee Relations & Labor Relations
- Human Resources Operations
- Compensation & Benefits
- Organizational Development
- HRIS / Human Resources Information Systems Manager
POSITION SUMMARY
The Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) serves as the District’s senior executive leader responsible for recruitment, hiring, retention, labor relations, evaluation systems, and leadership succession planning.
The CHRO ensures the District attracts, develops, supports, evaluates, and retains a highly qualified, diverse, and mission-driven workforce aligned to student achievement goals.
This role provides strategic oversight of all human capital systems and ensures that HR practices directly support school performance and district strategic priorities
The CHRO serves as a key member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet and advisor to the Board on workforce strategy and labor relations.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Recruitment & Talent Acquisition
- Develops and implements a comprehensive recruitment strategy to attract high-quality, diverse educators and staff.
- Builds national, regional, and local recruitment pipelines.
- Develops grow-your-own and alternative licensure pathways.
- Implements equitable screening and selection systems.• Ensures timely hiring aligned to school needs.
2. Retention Systems & Workforce Stability
- Designs and implements retention strategies aligned to school performance goals.
- Oversees exit interview systems and workforce trend analysis.
- Implements employee engagement and climate surveys.
- Develops employee recognition and incentive programs.
- Aligns retention strategies to hard-to-staff schools and subject areas.
3. Labor Relations & Collective Bargaining
- Leads strategic labor relations and negotiations.
- Provides expert guidance in employee relations and collective bargaining.
- Ensures compliance with Federal, State, and local employment laws.
- Develops bargaining strategies aligned to district fiscal and academic priorities.
- Maintains collaborative relationships with union leadership.
4. Evaluation & Performance Management Systems
- Oversees implementation of performance evaluation systems for all staff.
- Ensures evaluation systems are structured, reliable, and aligned to district instructional priorities.
- Implements progressive discipline and improvement plans.
- Develops performance analytics dashboards for leadership decision-making.
- Ensures principals are equipped as building-level talent managers.
5. Leadership Succession Planning
- Develops and oversees districtwide succession planning systems.
- Aligns leadership development with Chief of Schools pipeline strategy.
- Identifies high-potential staff for leadership advancement.
- Implements structured talent review processes.
- Builds internal capacity to reduce leadership vacancies.
6. Organizational Effectiveness & HR Operations
- Aligns HR systems to district strategic plan.
- Oversees HRIS systems and HR technology integration.
- Ensures compliance with background checks, licensure verification, and onboarding processes.
- Develops compensation and classification systems.
- Implements HR metrics and workforce analytics.
- PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS
- Reduce teacher vacancy rates
- Decrease hard-to-fill positions
- Increase retention of high-performing educators
- Improve employee engagement survey results
- Establish formal succession planning process
- Strengthen labor-management collaboration
- Implement workforce analytics dashboard
Qualifications
Education
- Master’s degree in Human Resources, Public Administration, Business Administration, or related field
- Doctoral degree preferred
- Illinois Professional Educator License preferred
Experience
- Minimum five (5) years of senior HR leadership experience
- Experience in PreK–12 education preferred
- Demonstrated success leading organizational change and workforce transformation
- Experience in labor negotiations and compliance
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES
The CHRO must demonstrate:
- Strategic workforce planning expertise
- Data-driven talent management
- Strong negotiation and labor relations skills
- Organizational transformation leadership
- Commitment to equity and fair employment practices
- Ability to build trust across stakeholder groups
GOVERNANCE & REPORTING
- Reports directly to the Superintendent
- Serves as a member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet
- Provides workforce and labor updates to the Board
- Evaluated annually on recruitment, retention, and workforce stability outcomes
Salary/Benefits
Expected salary range from $195,000 to $230,000, fringe benefits, and work year as established by the Board of Education.
Evaluation: Performance evaluated annually by the Superintendent.
FLSA Status: Exempt
Status: Revised February 2026
Additional Notes
JG Consulting has partnered with Champaign Unit 4 School District to facilitate the search for this role.
:PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR THE FULL JOB DESCRIPTION:
Champaign Unit 4 School District is a large unit school district serving more than 10,000 students in grades pre-K through 12 in Champaign, Savoy, and Bondville, Illinois. Our 19 campuses employ more than 2,000 teachers, administrators, and support personnel, including some of the brightest educators in the region. Our District represents the diversity of our world, fosters positive learning environments to prepare students for college and careers, and our schools empower students to succeed on any path they choose.
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How to Apply
Please submit your resume through the application on our website.
Link to District/Third Party Online Application Web Page
https://jobs.jgconsulting.us/jobdetail/ZR_94_JOB