Chief Human Resource Officer

Job Title:

Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO)

Reports to:

Chief Executive Officer

Status:
Full-Time, Exempt

Location:

On-site, In Person 5 days a week, primarily M-F (250 Turnpike Street, Canton MA)

School Type:
Private, Nonprofit Special Education School

The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC) is a Residential Educational School and Adult Services Provider which is highly structured, innovative, and employs a consistent behavioral approach to education and treatment. Since 1971, JRC has provided very effective education and treatment to both emotionally disturbed students and clients with conduct, behavior, emotional, and/or psychiatric problems, as well as those with intellectual disabilities, or on the autism spectrum.

JRC has an open admissions policy throughout the year. Any person or agency may refer applicants. Students are typically funded by public school districts and various state agencies. Some of our Special Features include: success educating the difficult-to-serve student, near-zero rejection/expulsion policy, highly structured education and treatment programs based on Applied Behavior Analysis, minimization of psychotropic medication, reward systems of unparalleled variety and extent, positive programming, effective treatment procedures, 24-hour video monitoring, behavioral counseling, open visiting policy, website for parents and agencies.

This position represents the first Chief Human Resources Officer role for the school and presents a unique and exciting opportunity for a senior HR leader who embraces change management, values operational excellence, and is motivated to build upon existing talent to elevate the HR function in support of a large, complex workforce.

• Serve as a trusted executive advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and senior leadership team on enterprise-wide people strategy, workforce planning, organizational design and effectiveness.
• Build and foster a culture of excellence and evolution to enhance the employee experience and productivity through partnership with operations and alignment with the school strategy.
• Translate the school’s mission, strategic priorities, and operational needs into scalable human capital strategies that support long-term sustainability, workforce stability, and service excellence.
• Lead and mature the Human Resources function as a strategic business partner, establishing clear governance, accountability, and performance expectations.
• Provide leadership on change management initiatives, organizational growth, and workforce transformation, particularly as this inaugural CHRO role shapes the future of HR at the school.
• Establish, monitor, and report on key workforce metrics and trends (e.g., turnover, retention, time-to-fill, workforce readiness, absenteeism) to inform executive and organizational decision-making.
• Provide workforce insights, risk assessments, and talent updates to executive leadership and, as appropriate, the Board of Directors.

• Set and execute comprehensive talent acquisition and workforce planning strategies across direct care, instructional, clinical, residential, administrative, operational, property management, and leadership roles.
• Oversee end-to-end recruitment, selection, and onboarding systems to ensure consistent, compliant, and mission-aligned hiring practices.
• Partner with executive and operational leaders to forecast staffing needs, manage workforce capacity, and proactively address staffing shortages and hard-to-fill roles.
• Ensure staffing models align with licensure, credentialing, regulatory requirements, and 24/7 operational needs.
• Oversee employer branding and talent market positioning, ensuring employment messaging accurately reflects the school’s mission, expectations, and work environment.

• Provide executive oversight of employee relations strategy, ensuring fair, consistent, and legally compliant practices across the school.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex employee relations matters, investigations, disciplinary actions, and terminations.
• Advise and coach senior leaders and managers on performance management, corrective action, documentation, and risk mitigation.
• Oversee performance management frameworks that promote accountability, role clarity, professional growth, and organizational effectiveness.
• Lead labor relations strategy and engagement with employee representatives, as applicable.
• Serve as a confidential advisor to the CEO and leadership team on sensitive workforce matters, ethics, and employment risk.

• Establish and oversee enterprise/school-wide professional development strategies for educators, clinicians, supervisors, and operational staff.
• Ensure training programs support regulatory…