Vice President of People and Culture

This search will be led by DSG | Koya, please apply for this role by filling out this Talent Profile for DSG, not through the College Track Website.

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Vice President People and Culture

College Track | Oakland, CA (Hybrid) | Full-Time ExemptCompensation: $200,000 – $225,000

The Opportunity

College Track is seeking a Vice President of People & Culture to serve as the chief architect of our human capital ecosystem. We are at a pivotal inflection point, transitioning from a foundation of thoughtful design to a scaled, future-ready organization. We are seeking a visionary leader who can move beyond the status quo to evolve our existing people strategy into a high-impact engine for organizational growth.

Reporting to the Chief Finance and Operating Officer, the VP will serve as the leader of the People & Culture function and extension of the executive leadership team, ensuring that our "North Star" mission is mirrored in our internal culture, talent architecture, and organizational discipline.

The VP will be tasked with guiding the organization beyond functional management to drive enterprise-wide change. Success in this role is defined by your ability to:

• Architect the Future: Transform long-term organizational ambitions into a sophisticated people roadmap, ensuring our talent pipelines are built for scale and sustainability.

• Lead with Intention: Move beyond urgency to lead with clarity, ensuring that every people-related system—from performance frameworks to total rewards—is designed with consistency and impact.

• Cultivate Executive Partnership: Serve as a high-level advisor to senior and peer-level leaders, guiding them through complex organizational design and talent decisions with a focus on long-term health and risk mitigation.

What You’ll Step Into

The VP of People & Culture will join an organization with strong momentum, a clear strategic direction, and a thoughtful foundation already in place—alongside a meaningful opportunity to elevate execution, consistency, and enterprise alignment. This includes:

• A multi-year people strategy with defined priorities, KPIs, and quarterly deliverables

• An organization at an inflection point, with the opportunity to translate strategy into enterprise-wide practices, behaviors, and systems

• Core HR infrastructure that will benefit from continued refinement, stabilization, and scaling across compliance, payroll, leave, and employee relations

• A diverse, mission-driven, and largely early-career workforce, with the opportunity to strengthen employee experience, engagement, and retention at scale

• A collaborative and committed senior leadership team seeking a strategic partner in organizational design, talent strategy, and workforce planning

Primary Responsibilities

1. Architect and Steward Enterprise People Strategy

• Own and evolve the organization’s multi-year People Strategy, ensuring tight alignment between workforce planning and College Track’s programmatic goals.

• Ensure full alignment between people strategy, organizational design, and business priorities

• Translate long-term vision into clear strategic priorities, sequencing, and execution roadmaps across the organization

• Bring an external, forward-looking perspective on workforce trends and the future of work to ensure continued relevance and competitiveness

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the executive team, influencing enterprise-level decision-making on talent, structure, and organizational direction

• Serve as a strategic "North Star" for the Senior Leadership Team, bringing a forward-looking perspective on workforce trends and organizational effectiveness

2. Lead Organizational Design, Workforce Strategy, and Change Management

• Lead organizational design efforts to ensure structures, roles, and operating models support scale, clarity, and accountability

• Develop and drive long-term workforce strategy, including workforce planning, capability building, and leadership development

• Partner with senior leaders to align team structures and talent strategies with evolving organizational needs

• Lead enterprise change management efforts, ensuring the organization can effectively adopt and sustain new ways of working

• Establish frameworks that define high performance and enable consistency across teams and geographies

• Design and implement integrated, scalable systems across the entire employee lifecycle (Attraction, Development, Retention, and Succession)

• Shift the People & Culture function from a service provider to a strategic partner, optimizing vendor relationships and internal systems to drive data-informed decision-making

• Define and establish frameworks for organizational accountability, connecting high performance to professional development and total rewards

3. Design and Institutionalize Scalable People Systems

• Design and institutionalize integrated, scalable people systems across talent acquisition, performance management, total rewards, employee experience, and workforce analytics

• Ensure systems are cohesive, data-informed, and aligned to enterprise priorities

• Establish clear standards, processes, and governance that enable consistency and operational excellence at scale

• Assess and optimize how work gets done across the People function, including systems, vendor partnerships, and team structure

• Use data and insights to inform decision-making, measure impact, and drive continuous improvement

4. Elevate Employee Relations as a Strategic Enterprise Capability

• Elevate employee relations as a critical enterprise function that shapes culture, mitigates risk, and enables leadership effectiveness

• Oversee complex and sensitive employee situations with sound judgment, consistency, and legal integrity

• Coach and equip leaders to effectively manage performance, provide feedback, and navigate challenging personnel decisions

• Ensure the organization has clear, consistent, and values-aligned approaches to employee experience and conflict resolution

• Strengthen trust, accountability, and clarity across the organization through strong people practices

5. Drive Communication, Alignment, and Leadership Effectiveness

• Serve as a clear, confident, and influential communicator on complex people-related topics at the executive and organizational levels

• Architect communication systems that ensure transparency, alignment, and a deep sense of connection across a diverse, distributed workforce.

• Navigate differing perspectives with diplomacy and authority, aligning stakeholders toward shared outcomes

• Strengthen leadership capability across the organization through coaching, guidance, and consistent expectations

• Foster enterprise-wide clarity on performance, expectations, and organizational priorities

6. Shape Talent, Culture, and Employee Experience

• Develop and drive a forward-looking talent strategy that strengthens College Track’s ability to attract, retain, and develop high-impact talent

• Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into talent strategy, leadership practices, and organizational systems

• Enhance employee engagement, experience, and retention across a diverse and distributed workforce

• Lead and develop a high-performing People & Culture team, setting a strong standard for enterprise impact, service, and execution

• Oversee People & Culture budgeting and resource planning in partnership with Finance

• Foster a high-performing culture that is both inclusive and reflective of the communities we serve, ensuring our values are woven into the architecture of the organization rather than treated as a separate initiative.

• Strengthen College Track’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to ensure we remain a destination for mission-driven talent in a competitive market.

What We’re Looking For

• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience with a proven track record of architecting people functions in complex, multi-state, or scaling organizations.

• Executive Presence: Ability to influence, challenge, and partner with C-suite leaders, peer-level leaders, and with Board members as necessary.

• Systems Thinking: A demonstrated ability to see the "big picture" and build durable structures that outlast any individual leader.

• Analytical Fluency: The ability to use data not just to report on the past, but to predict and prepare for the future.

• Expert Communicator: A direct, confident, and independent communicator who can navigate nuances and align stakeholders toward shared outcomes.

• Deep expertise in employee relations, including navigating complex and sensitive situations with sound judgment

• Ability to serve as a credible, influential advisor to senior leaders and drive high-stakes decision-making

• Experience operating in fast-paced, evolving environments with a balance of urgency, strategic discipline and change management

• Proven ability to coach and develop leaders in performance management and team leadership

• Bachelor’s degree required

Preferred

• Experience navigating organizational growth within both nonprofit and for-profit sectors.

• Advanced degree (MBA, Org Development) or executive HR certification (e.g., SPHR, SHRM-SCP).

• Multi-state HR leadership experience

• Experience supporting organizations serving first-generation college students or historically underserved communities

Compensation and Benefits

This position is full-time exempt with a compensation range of $200,000–$225,000, depending on experience.

College Track provides access to extensive benefits centered around three core areas of wellness: health care, work-life balance, and financial security. Employees receive up to 27 discretionary time off days (sick and vacation), in addition to 28 paid office closures and holidays in the first year of employment.

Additional Expectations

• Location: Bay Area presence strongly preferred; proximity to the Oakland office will support effectiveness in this role

• Travel: Willingness to travel periodically to College Track sites

Values Alignment

This leader will embody College Track’s values in action—fostering an environment where people feel connected to the mission, supported in their growth, and clear on expectations. They balance empathy with accountability and help build a culture where individuals and teams are both inspired and empowered to perform at their highest level.

Interested? Apply HERE