Park Ridge, IL, USA+7 moreMore locations: Raleigh, NC, USA | Edison, NJ, USA | Charleston, SC, USA | Jacksonville, FL, USA | Vienna, VA, USA | Atlanta, GA, USA | St George, VT, USA
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About the job
Requirements
A bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field is required.
At least 10 years of progressive human resources leadership experience is required.
At least 3 years of executive management experience within a certified public accounting firm or professional services environment is required.
Demonstrated ability to achieve measurable business results and maintain personal accountability.
Ability to cultivate trust-based partnerships across organizational levels and business units.
Ability to maintain objectivity, sound judgment, and confidentiality.
Strong listening and coaching abilities to engage stakeholders throughout the organization.
A history of successfully expanding human resources and learning and development functions within complex or rapidly growing professional environments.
Expertise in integrating talent initiatives with corporate growth strategies and streamlining processes for efficiency and data accuracy.
Ability to advocate for people strategies and learning and development initiatives before senior leadership and the firm.
Strong written and verbal professional communication skills.
Understanding of public accounting career paths, utilization rates, and billable-hour business models.
Responsibilities
Partner with the Chief Operating Officer, Managing Partner, and Executive Committee to align people strategies with business growth and service objectives, and provide foresight on people-related opportunities and challenges.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws.
Develop analytics-based approaches to track engagement, turnover risk, and workforce costs, and use findings to improve retention and workforce efficiency.
Foster an inclusive, values-driven culture that engages and retains talent.
Set the firm's hiring strategy across career stages, evaluate screening approaches and outsourced or offshore resources, and maintain workforce continuity amid retirements and changing work demands.
Participate hands-on in specialized and executive-level hiring as needed, and provide oversight of standard recruiting programs, including campus recruitment, that are led by the team.
Build and promote the firm's reputation and market presence to attract tax, audit, and advisory professionals.
Standardize automated onboarding processes and own onboarding strategy in partnership with other leaders throughout each new hire's first year.
Ensure the learning and development team automates continuing professional education compliance so professional staff meet state board credit requirements.
Set the strategic direction for how artificial intelligence and automation should shape training priorities, and partner with practice leaders to develop training on tax changes, audit methodologies, and software and tool adoption.
Create structured programs to prepare high-potential senior employees and managers for Partner or Managing Director tracks.
Improve performance cycles and goal-tracking systems, and use performance-management feedback and trend analysis to inform learning and development programming.
Desired Qualifications
A master's degree or Master of Business Administration is preferred.
Senior Professional in Human Resources or Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional certification is highly preferred.
Hands-on experience or strategic oversight of Rippling, Quantum Workplace, and LCvista is highly desirable.
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.