Director of People Operations

Description

Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick (CCK) is a nationally recognized law firm committed to providing exceptional client service in the areas of Veterans Law, ERISA law, and Bequest Management. CCK is headquartered in Providence RI, has over 375 employees, and is engaged in rapid growth. 

The Director of People Operations (“DPO”) is a key strategic and operational role that reports to the Managing Partner. The DPO will help shape the future by designing, implementing, and overseeing the firm’s human capital strategy to support its growth. CCK seeks a collaborative, empathetic, leader with sharp business judgment and creative problem-solving skills to drive talent acquisition; employee engagement, retention and performance management; compensation and benefits; and compliance 

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Organizational Development

• Partner with the Managing Partner and Executive Team to develop and execute a comprehensive people strategy aligned with the firm’s growth objectives.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to firm leadership on organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, and change management.
• Lead initiatives to strengthen culture, accountability, and performance across all departments.
• Develop data-driven insights and KPIs to inform people-related decision-making and resource allocation.

HR Operations

• Lead the HR team that handles talent acquisition, employee engagement, retention and performance management, compensation and benefits, compliance. Where appropriate, develop additional capacity to serve CCK’s growth.
• Oversight and responsibility for all employee on-boarding, off-boarding, and termination processes; including, new hire orientation, documented termination processes, conducting exit interviews and identifying trends for improvement.
• Mitigate employment-related risk in partnership with legal counsel.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations.
• Optimize scalable and compliant processes to support a multi-state workforce.
• Evaluate HR systems, tools, and analytics to improve efficiency, insight, and employee experience.
• Project manage transitions to new service providers and systems.
• Oversight of the learning and development team that authors and administers CCK’s in-house training programs.
• Oversight of the office service team responsible for the physical office space and office related services.      

Employee Engagement and Development 

• Drive employee engagement initiatives and recognition programs, fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture. 
• Plan and lead employee engagement activities and firm events.
• Provide leadership coaching and development to managers and employees, promoting a culture of continuous learning and growth.
• Partner with leaders to address performance challenges using a balanced approach that combines coaching, clarity, and accountability.

Payroll, Benefits and Other Compensation  

• Responsibility for all payroll, benefits and other compensation.
• Lead compensation strategy to ensure competitiveness, internal equity, and alignment with firm performance.
• Manage benefits programs to remain attractive and compliant while balancing cost control.
• Conduct market benchmarking and develop incentive structures that reward performance. 
• Lead annual salary reviews, bonus planning, and benefit enrollment.
• Oversee employee relations matters, investigations, and policy development.
• Maintain and update employee handbook and HR policies.
• Provide consultation to leadership on compensation and promotion planning and career progression pathways aligned with company growth.
• Lead 401K annual audit process and benefit compliance reporting.
• Partner with finance team on budget forecasting.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, business administration, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive HR leadership experience with demonstrated success in developing teams.
• A true hands-on approach, with individual competence in all areas, as well as the ability to successfully monitor the capacity and abilities of the HR department to ensure a high level of HR services.
• Strong understanding of comprehensive HR operations including employee benefits, talent acquisition, and payroll systems
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to work effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Proven track record maintaining confidentiality with sensitive employee information.
• Strong excel skills required and demonstrated ability to report and analyze information.
• Experience collaborating with remote teams a plus.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary: Competitive salary and benefits package  
• Location: In-office, Providence, RI, with 35 work from home days annually.
• Gym membership reimbursement
• 15 days of PTO (increasing to 20 days after 1 year) plus 12 paid company holidays in 2026.
• 401k matching
• Paid Parental Leave