[Hiring] Head of People @Clinton Health Access Initiative

Role Description

CHAI aims to be the employer of choice in global health by attracting, developing, and retaining top talent. The Head of People will drive this ambition, transforming CHAI's People function into a disciplined, strategic enabler of a workforce of 1,800+ across 40 countries, with measurable progress towards this goal within 18 months.

The work demands a leader with a clear strategic vision for the People function, relentless focus on outcomes, and the willingness to commit to a multi-year journey while still moving quickly. They should be equally comfortable setting long-range direction and working deep in the detail when execution requires it. They must also be genuinely scrappy, with the creativity to find workable solutions and navigate obstacles in a decentralized, highly matrixed, multi-country environment where the path to success is rarely straightforward.

The ideal candidate also brings demonstrated experience transforming a complex function (People or otherwise) in a multi-country organization. They have the cross-cultural fluency to operate credibly across a distributed workforce, as well as the resolve to uphold a strong standard of excellence across the People team. The role reports to the Chief Operating Officer and can be based in any of our CHAI program countries.

What Success Looks Like

• CHAI is the employer of choice for top talent in global health.
• The People function is a source of strategic advantage for CHAI.
• The People team is trusted across the organization as a genuine thought partner.
• Key priorities to be rolled out effectively within the first 18 months include:
• Clear performance standards for every role and level, alongside an updated career ladder and compensation framework.
• Targeted L&D offerings that are proven effective at helping employees meet and exceed performance standards.
• An AI-native HRIS that integrates with the rest of CHAI’s technology stack and unlocks efficiencies throughout the HR function.
• A revamped Talent Acquisition operating model that allows CHAI to attract and hire high-quality talent quickly.

Responsibilities

• Own CHAI's end-to-end People agenda: the strategic vision, practical execution, and management of the global HR team of around 30 people.
• Drive a multi-year transformation agenda for the People function spanning talent acquisition, development, and retention.
• Build the strategic approach to the transformation agenda on data and rigour rather than convention.
• Set clear direction for the People team and translate CHAI's talent strategy into concrete priorities.
• Lead the end-to-end modernization of CHAI's People infrastructure.
• Position CHAI's People function to be AI-native by anticipating how AI and evolving models of work will reshape the workforce.
• Reshape the structure, capabilities, and roles of the People team while holding it to a high standard of performance.
• Build trust-based relationships with CHAI's leaders to drive difficult organizational changes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent and at least 15 years of relevant professional experience, including senior leadership responsibility for People or a comparable complex function.
• Demonstrated track record of transforming a function or organization at scale in a multinational context.
• Prior success in landing difficult organizational changes in decentralized, matrixed environments.
• Evidence of concrete achievements in resource-constrained settings.
• Significant cross-cultural experience.
• Genuine commitment to CHAI's mission and the role CHAI plays in the global health landscape.
• Willingness to travel internationally, up to 30% annually.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading a People function at an organization of comparable scale and geographic complexity.
• Experience in global health, international development, or a comparable mission-driven sector.
• Experience using AI to redesign how a function operates, with measurable impact on its performance.