Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) has the exciting opportunity to join Schwabe during a period of inflection, innovation, and growth. Building on the momentum of a new strategic plan, the CHRO will help define the future of work at Schwabe. This work requires a bold and visionary leader who understands and can adapt to the ever-changing legal industry. The incoming CHRO will bring significant Human Resources (HR) expertise—including system and process design and implementation, alongside creative and strategic visioning—to an innovative and dynamic firm.
With the CEO and other Chiefs, the CHRO provides leadership and support to Schwabe’s operations, including supporting the firm’s strategic initiatives and committees and engaging in tactics to ensure employee well-being, engagement, and retention. As the CHRO, you will develop effective execution and communication plans around people and culture initiatives. You will provide collaborative leadership, facilitation, and implementation of key initiatives to advance the firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategies.
Areas of Leadership
- Human Resources: The CHRO heads the HR team, providing overall leadership and guidance, including staff hiring and onboarding, career development, performance management, employee relations, succession and workforce planning, retention, leadership development, policy development, compensation, and benefits. The CHRO establishes and oversees all HR processes and policies; ensures compensation, benefits, and legislative compliance in employment-related areas; and analyzes employee data to identify significant trends to improve operational efficiencies and engagement. The CHRO investigates employee grievances and manages the creation and implementation of HR programs across departments.
- Benefits: The CHRO leads the firm’s benefits strategy including proposing, implementing, and maintaining competitive, cost-effective, and compliant benefit programs that support the firm’s short- and long-term strategic objectives.
- Payroll: The CHRO oversees the payroll process to ensure accurate and timely multi-state payroll processing for all employees.
- Legal Support Services: The CHRO oversees the firm’s legal support staff and works closely with the Legal Support Manager to ensure optimal performance and adequate staffing levels. The CHRO designs and implements modern legal support models to improve operational efficiencies and works with leadership to build and implement a competitive and cost-effective total reward system for legal support staff.
- Culture: The CHRO is an ambassador for the firm’s culture and values, making their presence and value known throughout the firm. The CHRO will collaborate with firm leaders to ensure we incorporate the firm’s culture in all we do and create innovative initiatives to embed our culture further.
Core Competencies
- Strategic: The CHRO keeps the firm’s strategic and cultural values at the center of their work.
- Thought Leader: The CHRO brings ideas and best practices to the firm, helping Schwabe be a destination workplace.
- Empathetic: With a desire to help and serve, the CHRO listens to, respects, and seeks to understand the perspectives of others.
- Genuine: The CHRO develops strong relationships, invites collaboration and multiple views, and handles conflict in a healthy and productive manner.
- Optimistic and Flexible: The CHRO views situations through a healthy and optimistic lens and carries out duties with a sense of urgency and an open and flexible mindset.
Qualifications
The CHRO has:
- A minimum of 15 years of progressive HR leadership and management experience and a proven ability to work collaboratively with senior leaders;
- A bachelor’s degree in HR or a related field, master’s degree in HR or a related field, and preferably an SHPR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) certification;
- Professional services industry experience and insight generally, and legal industry experience and insight specifically;
- Expert knowledge of HR principles and financial acumen to perform management and leadership responsibilities.
Traits
The CHRO:
- Builds consensus with other firm leaders and designs and implements important change initiatives;
- Has highly effective communication skills and strong analytical and writing skills;
- Possesses a visionary and strategic approach, uses innovative thinking when solving problems, and has a proactive sense of urgency;
- Collaborates effectively with others to meet firm strategic goals and views issues through organizational and people lenses;
- Exercises outstanding judgment, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.
Salary, Benefits, and Location
Schwabe offers a team-oriented working environment with competitive salaries, bonuses, and excellent benefits including medical, dental, life, long-term disability, 401(k)/profit-sharing retirement, tuition reimbursement, EAP, transit subsidy, and paid time off. This is a hybrid role with two to three days a week in an office—preferably Portland or Seattle—possibly more, with some travel to other offices and conferences. We require proof of COVID vaccination.
Interested and qualified candidates should submit a resume and cover letter to Graciela G. Cowger, Chief Executive Officer, c/o Heidi Fehr at ****.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other statuses protected by law.
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