Chief People Officer

How to Apply

The search for this mission-critical role is being led by our recruiting partner, On-Ramps. All interested applicants must apply to the position directly through the On-Ramps job portal, found here. Applications submitted through The Trevor Project website will not be reviewed.

About Trevor

The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ young people.

For 28 years, The Trevor Project has worked tirelessly to end suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning young people. We achieve this critical mission by connecting highly trained counselors with LGBTQ+ youth through our 24/7 digital and telephone crisis lifelines, and by cultivating an online peer support community via TrevorSpace. Driven by world-class, data-informed research, our teams actively advance nationwide advocacy campaigns—tackling urgent issues like conversion therapy—and deliver public education and institutional training programs to build safer, more welcoming spaces for queer youth.

Guided by our core strategic plan, we are shifting how we operate and frame our mission—moving from a traditional charity to an enduring societal solution. By modernizing our operations and stepping into our power as a "field catalyst," we are increasingly training states and local institutions to dramatically scale our life-saving impact, expand our revenue streams, and cultivate deep organizational resilience.

Core values

• Heart–We care deeply and commit to do what matters
• Integrity–We build trust through our words and actions
• Community-Together, we are an unstoppable force for good
• Belonging-We serve as allies to the mission, and to each other
• Progress-We continually move onward and upward

Key Responsibilities

People Strategy & Executive Leadership

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• Set the overarching vision for a modern, remote people and culture strategy that aligns workforce planning with the organization’s multi-year strategic goals and core values.
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• Act as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the CEO and executive leaders on organizational design, change management, and leadership development.
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• Lead and navigate significant organizational evolution and development, leveraging data and analytics to drive effectiveness and workforce planning.

Team Leadership & Employee Engagement

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Directly lead, mentor, and coach an evolving People team, instilling an inclusive culture rooted in mutual trust, data-informed execution, and clear accountability.

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Design and execute a comprehensive internal engagement strategy to cultivate foundational trust and capture the pulse of the staff.

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Cultivate an inclusive environment for all staff, ensuring that diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging frameworks are embedded deeply into the organization's overarching culture, operational systems, and every stage of the employee lifecycle.

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Foster an open, mission-first culture that skillfully balances deep empathy with clear institutional boundaries and accountability frameworks.

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Partner with the Executive Director and Director of People at Trevor Mexico to ensure alignment, strong collaboration, and cultural integration.

Employee Relations and Professional Development

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In partnership with the General Counsel, serve as an organizational leader in labor relations, effectively managing and honoring the collective bargaining agreement with the union representing employees in the bargaining unit.

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Create robust learning, mentorship, and development pipelines that span from all-staff learning and development initiatives to programs specifically tailored to support and upskill first-time managers.

HR Operations

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Ensure foundational HR infrastructure, systematically rebuilding and stabilizing essential operational systems, including payroll, total rewards, and leave administration where needed.

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Streamline day-to-day transactional workflows, ensuring compliance with internal policies and applicable laws while maximizing data integrity.

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Oversee and optimize the People function’s budget, ensuring that investments in technical resources and headcount directly support macro-organizational priorities.

Required Skills and Experience

Executive Leadership and Change Management

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• 10–15 years of progressive People/HR experience, including at least 5 years in an executive-level leadership role.
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• Demonstrated success leading organizational change, stabilizing HR departments, and guiding teams through strategic transitions.
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• A strong history of balancing high-level strategy with a willingness to get "into the weeds" to strengthen and build operational foundational infrastructure.

Labor Relations and Culture Navigation

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• Direct experience working within unionized environments and managing collective bargaining agreements.
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• Proven ability to engage, lead, and establish healthy boundaries with a highly passionate, mission-driven employee base.
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• Ability to develop personnel frameworks or management styles tailored to high-stress, 24/7, and shift-based crisis-focused environments.

Workplace Inclusion and Cultural Competency

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Deep empathy for the systemic challenges and intersectional realities facing LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities, with the ability to ensure HR systems and benefits maintain cultural competency and affirming language.

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Proven ability to integrate organizational values and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging practices into the employee lifecycle.

Remote and Global Operations

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• Success managing culture, collaboration, and performance metrics across entirely distributed, remote teams. Prior experience with 24/7 and shift-based teams is a plus.
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• Prior experience partnering with international entities (specifically Spanish-speaking or Latin American branches) is a plus.
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• Prior experience navigating progressive, mid-to-large scale non-profit environments is a plus.