Job description template
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Job Description
Chief human resources officer (CHRO) job description: duties, skills and qualifications, how the role differs from an HR director, and a template to adapt.
The role in brief
A chief human resources officer (CHRO) is the executive who owns an organisation's people strategy: workforce planning, leadership and talent, reward, culture, employee relations and HR operations, reporting to the CEO and often working with the board. The CHRO sits in the executive team alongside the CFO and COO and turns business plans into a plan for the people needed to deliver them. Some companies use the title chief people officer (CPO) for the same role, and in the UK the equivalent seat is often called HR director or people director. Use this template for a group-level or enterprise CHRO and trim it for a smaller company.
- Set the people strategy and the multi-year workforce plan in line with the business strategy, and report progress to the CEO and board
- Sit on the executive team and advise the CEO and peers on organisation design, leadership appointments, restructures and change
- Own leadership and talent: succession plans for critical roles, executive hiring, performance management and leadership development
- Set reward principles and work with the board's remuneration committee, where one exists, on executive pay policy and incentive plans
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Applying for a role like this? Practise the assessment free →Responsibilities
- Set the people strategy and the multi-year workforce plan in line with the business strategy, and report progress to the CEO and board
- Sit on the executive team and advise the CEO and peers on organisation design, leadership appointments, restructures and change
- Own leadership and talent: succession plans for critical roles, executive hiring, performance management and leadership development
- Set reward principles and work with the board's remuneration committee, where one exists, on executive pay policy and incentive plans
- Lead culture, engagement and inclusion work, and measure it with data the executive team trusts
- Oversee employee relations and compliance with employment law in every country the organisation employs people, working with legal counsel
- Run the HR function: its structure, budget, HR business partners, centres of expertise, shared services and HR systems
- Lead the people side of mergers, acquisitions, divestments and large transformation programmes
- Build the HR data and reporting the board needs, such as headcount, attrition, hiring and diversity metrics, and act on what it shows
Required skills
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Nice to have
Qualifications
- 1Bachelor's degree in human resources, business, psychology or a related field; a master's degree such as an MBA is preferred by some employers
- 2Extensive senior HR leadership experience, typically including a head of HR, HR director or HR vice president role
- 3A record of leading HR through growth, restructuring or major change
- 4Experience managing HR leaders and a function-wide budget
- 5Professional HR certification or chartered membership is an advantage in most markets
Work environment
Work environment
Career growth
CHRO is usually the top HR role. Some CHROs move to larger or more complex organisations, take non-executive director or remuneration committee seats, or move into chief operating officer or general management roles.
Common questions
What does a chief human resources officer do?
A CHRO leads the organisation's people strategy and the HR function. In practice that means workforce planning, leadership and succession, reward, culture and employee relations, plus running HR operations and advising the CEO and board on organisation and leadership decisions.
What is the difference between a CHRO and an HR director?
In large companies the CHRO is the executive-team role that owns people strategy across the whole organisation, while HR directors often lead HR for a division, region or country and report into the CHRO. In many UK and mid-sized organisations, HR director is the most senior HR title and does the CHRO's job. Write the job description around scope and reporting line, not the title.
Is a chief people officer the same as a CHRO?
Usually, yes. Chief people officer (CPO) is a common alternative title for the same executive role. Some companies use it to signal a wider remit over culture and employee experience, so spell out the actual scope in the job description.
Who does the CHRO report to?
Most CHROs report to the CEO and sit on the executive team. Many also attend the board or its remuneration committee on pay, succession and culture matters.
What qualifications should a CHRO have?
Employers usually want a degree and long senior HR leadership experience, and some prefer a master's degree such as an MBA. Certification is optional in most markets; common senior credentials include SHRM-SCP and HRCI's SPHR or GPHR in the US and internationally, and chartered CIPD membership in the UK.
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