Chief People Officer

Chief People Officer

Position Summary

The Chief People Officer is an executive leader responsible for architecting and driving OVD Insurance’s people strategy, shaping organizational structure, and ensuring talent capabilities align with long-term business strategy.

This role requires an aspiring HR executive skilled in scaling organizations, leading change, building leadership capability, and designing people systems that support performance and rapid growth. They must thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment at a national scale that aims to continue its winning streak.

They oversee talent acquisition, workforce planning, HR operations, leadership development, culture, engagement, and total rewards in partnership with executive leadership. They play a central role in strategic planning and are a core advisor to the CEO, CFO, and leadership team.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Executive People Strategy & Organizational Design

• Leads the design of OVD’s organizational architecture, ensuring alignment to business performance, scalability, and future-state needs.
• Serves as the executive coach and thought partner to senior leadership, influencing decision-making and leadership effectiveness.
• Establishes and drives a multi-year People Strategy that supports growth, profitability, and talent readiness.

Enterprise Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning

• Provides strategic oversight of recruiting operations and long-term workforce planning.
• Develops an employer brand presence in the insurance market and broader talent ecosystem.
• Cultivates external networks to enhance brand visibility and deepen executive and specialized talent pipelines.

People Operations, Technology & Compliance

• Manage and develop team of two direct reports within HR, aligning their goals to company objectives, and holding them accountable for performance.
• Supports optimization of HRIS and ATS systems; promotes data-driven HR decision-making.
• Oversees HR operations, compensation strategy, benefits stewardship, and risk management.
• Ensures compliance and proactively elevates policies, systems, and internal controls.

Leadership Development, Culture & Engagement

• Designs and delivers enterprise-wide leadership development programs, including succession planning and high-potential development.
• Champions culture-building initiatives and oversees employee engagement, recognition, and retention strategies.
• Facilitates senior leadership offsites, strategic planning sessions, and organizational health reviews.

Performance, Change Management & Strategic Enablement

• Oversees performance management, goal-setting, and alignment processes.
• Leads major cross-functional initiatives such as restructuring, integrations, or new business launches.
• Guides the organization through change with structured communication, training, and stakeholder alignment.

Strategic Business Partnership

• Partners with the CFO on workforce budgeting, salary strategies, compensation model and headcount investment planning.
• Able to proactively provide suggestions at an organizational and individual level for compensation models that are attuned to business goals, industry norms and motivations.
• Uses people analytics to influence forecasting, productivity targets, and operational strategy.
• Serve as the trusted face of OVD, in partnership with OVD agents, to partner with client executives who desire strategic coaching on HR topics.

Required Skills & Capabilities

• Proven experience of progressive HR experience, with at least 5 years in a senior or executive role.
• Demonstrated success leading organizational design initiatives and enterprise-wide transformation.
• Expertise in executive coaching, facilitation, negotiation, and conflict resolution.
• Proven ability to scale HR functions and implement HR technology solutions.
• Deep business acumen, data-driven decision-making, and strong financial partnership capability.
• Experience designing and delivering leadership development and talent management frameworks.
• Strong stakeholder management and discernment on prioritization of efforts.
• The ability to thrive in a startup like, high growth, high change environment.
• Insurance industry experience a plus.
• In-person collaboration 80-100% weekly at new headquarters in Grand Rapids, MI

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Psychology, Communications, Organizational Development or related field required
• Certifications in coaching, organizational development, or HR leadership (SHRM-SCP/PHR, CCE, OD credentials) are a plus