Chief People Officer (CPO)

johnson-lambert-careers; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 200,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days paid time off

Half-day Fridays in summer

Employer-subsidized medical & dental

401(k) with employer match

2 paid days off for community service

Job summary

Johnson Lambert seeks a Chief People Officer to align human capital with firm growth, lead HR, talent acquisition, and L&D, and cultivate a high-performance culture across eight offices.

The role emphasizes governance, compliance, data-driven people analytics, and strategic influence on practice areas with focus on talent development and retention.

Qualifications

• Experience leading HR/L&D in professional services.
• Ability to translate talent strategies into firm growth actions.
• Comfort with executive-level governance and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead Strategic HR Management & Compliance to align people with growth.
• Define Recruiting Strategy and Employer Branding to attract top talent.
• Oversee L&D to upskill staff and shape leadership pipelines.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Executive presence

Stakeholder management

Communication

Data analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

MBA preferred

Tools

Rippling

Quantum Workplace

LCvista

Job description

Johnson Lambert is a progressive public accounting firm, specializing in providing audit, tax, and advisory services to the insurance, not-for-profit and employee benefit plan industries. From our eight offices we provide services to clients on a national scale. Our highly trained professionals bring a unique depth of knowledge and specialization to our industry clients. We are proud of our 40 year history and excited about our future.

Johnson Lambert’s core values: agility, trust, and respect guide us as an organization and an employer. Our mission is to provide the highest quality services within the distinct industry markets that we serve, and to earn our clients’ trust as a valued business partner. We aim to be the choice employer for our profession’s most innovative and dedicated talent.

Johnson Lambert is searching for a Chief People Officer (CPO) to serve as a strategic executive leader. This role aligns human capital initiatives with overall firm growth objectives. The CPO leads a team spanning human resources, talent acquisition, and learning and development (L&D), driving strategy while empowering the team to execute with excellence. The position focuses on cultivating a high-performance culture, scaling internal technical capabilities, and positioning the firm as a premier employer in the accounting industry.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic HR Management & Compliance

• Executive Leadership & Governance: Partner with the COO, Managing Partner, and Executive Committee to align people strategies with business growth and service objectives, providing vision and foresight on critical people-related opportunities and challenges before they impact the firm.
• Risk Mitigation: Ensure total compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Data Intelligence: Develop analytics-based approaches to track engagement, turnover risk, and operational workforce costs, translating findings into targeted action that improves retention and workforce efficiency.
• Culture Cultivation: Foster a strong, inclusive, and values-driven internal culture that keeps top talent engaged and committed to the firm.

Strategic Talent Acquisition

• Recruiting & Hiring Strategy: Set the firm’s overall hiring strategy—rethinking who we hire and how at every career stage in light of the impact of technology on the profession, evolving screening approaches, and evaluating the right mix of outsourced/offshore resources to balance economics while maintaining workforce continuity through retirements and evolving work demands. As needed, take a hands‑on role in unique, specialized, and executive-level hires, while providing light‑touch oversight of standard recruiting programs (including campus recruitment) led by the team.
• Employer Branding: Build and promote the firm’s external reputation and market presence to attract high‑caliber tax, audit, and advisory professionals.
• Onboarding Excellence: Standardize automated integration processes to accelerate new-hire productivity. Own onboarding strategy in partnership with other leaders across the full first year of employment.

Learning & Development (L&D)

• CPE Compliance: Ensure the L&D team maintains compliance automation so all professional staff meet mandatory state board credit requirements.
• Technical Upskilling: Own the strategic vision for how AI and automation should reshape our training priorities—determining what we train, who needs it, and when, as the profession evolves. Ensure L&D partners closely with practice leaders to translate that vision into training on tax changes, audit methodologies, and software/tool adoption that genuinely upskills staff.
• Leadership Pipelines: Create structured programs preparing high-potential seniors and managers for Partner/MD track positions.
• Performance Frameworks: Continuously improve and modernize performance cycles and goal‑tracking systems, and design how feedback from performance management informs L&D programming through macro trend analysis.

Required Qualifications

Required Skills/Abilities/Characteristics

• Performance Drive: High level of personal accountability with a consistent orientation toward achieving measurable business results.
• Relationship Management: Capacity to cultivate deep, trust-based partnerships across all levels and business units within the firm.
• Professional Discretion: Demonstrated ability to maintain objectivity and apply sound judgment and confidentiality in all matters.
• Effective Communication: Superior listening and coaching abilities with the faculty to engage stakeholders throughout the organization.
• Operational Scaling: History of successfully expanding HR & L&D functions within complex or rapidly growing professional environments.
• Strategic Integration: Proven expertise in synthesizing talent initiatives with overarching corporate growth strategies. Streamline processes for efficiency and data accuracy.
• Executive Presence: Ability to articulate and advocate for people strategies, learning and development initiatives before senior leadership and the firm at large.
• Communication Excellence: Masterful proficiency in both verbal and written professional communication.

Education & Experience

• Degrees: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field required. Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
• Professional History: Minimum 10 years of progressive HR leadership experience.
• Industry Background: Minimum 3 years of executive management experience within a CPA firm or professional services environment.

Certifications & Tech Stack Competencies

• HR Credentials: SPHR or SHRM‑SCP certification highly preferred.
• Technical Knowledge: Understanding of public accounting career paths, utilization rates, and billable hour business models.
• Systems Expertise: Hands‑on experience or strategic oversight of Rippling (HRIS), Quantum Workplace (Performance/Engagement), and LCvista (LMS/CPE tracking) is highly desirable.

Benefits

We are looking for a candidate who would be located in one of the firm’s eight locations. Johnson Lambert offers a generous benefit package, and a collaborative and engaging team environment which supports the growth and development of our employees and the firm.

How JL will support you and your career:

• 25 days of paid time off for all professional level employees
• Half-day Fridays during the summer
• Employer-subsidized medical & dental benefits for both employee and family
• 401(k) with employer match
• 2 paid days off annually for personal community service activities

Salary Range $200,000 - $240,000 + potential profit sharing distributions

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Johnson Lambert considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Equity note: Research suggests that women and Black, Indigenous, and other persons of color are less likely than men or White job seekers to apply for positions unless they are confident they meet 100% of the qualifications. We strongly encourage interested individuals to apply, and allow us to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and abilities you demonstrate, using an internal equity lens.

Johnson Lambert prides itself for the hands‑on approach and relationships we build with future employees, employees, and clients. We believe each application is the potential for a future relationship with JL. Therefore, a member of our HR team personally reviews all applications submitted.