Vice President, People

Posted on April 24, 2026 Full Time Operations

Vice President, People

If you need reasonable accommodation in order to complete the application, interview, or some other portion of the selection process for a job at Earthjustice, please contact us at [email protected].

Earthjustice has spent more than five decades proving that the law, wielded with skill and determination, can protect people’s health, preserve our planet, and confront climate change. Behind nearly every landmark environmental legal victory in the United States, you’ll find Earthjustice fighting with urgency, precision, and purpose. Now we’re looking for the people leader to help carry that mission forward.

As our Chief People Officer, you’ll serve as a strategic partner to our President and Executive Leadership Team, shaping culture, building best‑in‑class people systems, and leading a team of 21 across a 670‑person, nationally distributed organization with offices in 15 cities. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (Senior VP, Operations), you’ll have the organizational backing and authority to lead with real impact.

We’ve built something worth building on: exceptional compensation and benefits, high retention, a deeply engaged culture, and a long‑standing commitment to justice that runs through everything we do. Rapid growth has outpaced some of our systems and structures, and we’re ready for a leader who brings the vision, discipline, and momentum to build what comes next.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Earthjustice’s cultural compass by shaping who we are, how we work, and what we aspire to become
• Build a modern, scalable people function capable of serving a complex, fast‑moving organization
• Rationalize and transform a fragmented technology infrastructure across 18 people systems
• Elevate performance and talent management as organizational priorities
• Develop managers and leaders as a core strategic investment
• Establish a total rewards philosophy that is holistic, competitive, and equitable
• Navigate people‑related risk with sophistication, sound judgment, and command of employment law
• Lead workforce strategy with equity centered in every process

Qualifications

• Seasoned HR executive with 15+ years of progressive leadership experience leading people functions through significant organizational growth and change, ideally in a complex, matrixed environment of comparable scale and complexity
• Deep expertise across all HR disciplines: compensation, benefits, talent acquisition, employee relations, learning and development, and compliance; strong compensation expertise desired, and experience managing a self‑insured health plan is a plus
• Experience implementing and optimizing HR technology systems
• A tech‑forward, analytically minded approach to use data and integrated systems to drive insight and action
• Strong employee relations background; labor relations experience a plus
• Experience in mission‑driven or nonprofit organizations of same or greater scale
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
• SHRM‑SCP, SPHR, GPHR, or equivalent certification required

Who You Are

You lead with genuine care and authenticity. You’re a decisive communicator who can hold a position under pressure while remaining open to input. You bring deep empathy as a professional strength and understand that advancing justice is not a program or initiative, but the throughline of everything we do. Mission alignment is essential.

Salary & Benefits

Location: San Francisco Bay Area preferred

Salary is based on location and experience. The annual salary for candidates based in San Francisco, CA is $303,500-$337,200

Earthjustice benefits are listed here: https://earthjustice.org/about/jobs/benefits

Earthjustice is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to employment practices that ensure employees and applicants receive equal opportunities without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other factor not related to the position.

Earthjustice will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act and any applicable local ordinance, such as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Act, or the Los Angeles City Fair Chance Initiative. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made.

After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Earthjustice is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

Earthjustice employs a "team-centered" approach to hybrid work, where teams collaboratively shape their unique workflow, including what work location – virtual or in‑office – is best for them and the tasks at hand.

We offer a competitive compensation plan, comprehensive benefits package, and a generous vacation, sick leave, and disability benefit package. We pay 100% of all health and welfare benefits premiums for the employee. Our health coverage includes medical, dental, prescription, vision and alternative care.

Additional benefits include retirement plan, flexible spending account, company‑sponsored life insurance, and more. We also offer six weeks of fully paid sabbatical leave, following 10 years of continuous employment.