Chief Talent Officer

Chief Talent Officer

The School District of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) seeks an experienced, mission-oriented, and transformational leader to serve as its next Chief Talent Officer (CTO). The CTO will be a critical member of the District’s leadership team and will develop and oversee a comprehensive strategic approach to strengthening all human capital and human resources (HR) functions. This work, along with the CTO’s ability to lead effectively through change, will be essential to achieving Superintendent Watlington’s ambitions for SDP to be the fastest-improving public school district in the nation. This is an exciting opportunity for a human resources executive with a record of strengthening systems and teams to positively impact the District's human capital functions, benefiting all District employees and, by extension, the thousands of students across Philadelphia. Recently, educational outcomes, graduation rates, and more have improved across SDP, and the CTO will play a key role in ensuring staff have the support they need to sustain this momentum and drive student success.

As reflected in the District’s strategic plan, Accelerate Philly, people are at the center of SDP’s momentum and success. SDP, the largest school district in Pennsylvania, enrolls over 198,000 students and employs over 22,000 people. During the 2024-2025 academic year, SDP reduced student dropout rates, increased the percentage of third- and eighth-grade students who scored proficient or advanced in math and reading, and increased the four-year graduation rate. Additionally, SDP recorded the second-highest growth in pandemic recovery in eighth-grade math, outpacing students nationwide and most large urban districts.

Reporting to the Superintendent, the Chief Talent Officer will address areas of underperformance and elevate the work across the entire unit, ensuring all employees across the District have sustained opportunities for professional growth, development, and success. The CTO will drive meaningful transformation of HR policies and programs, guide organizational structure to ensure efficient workflows, and manage a coordinated, high‑functioning talent organization. They will also establish a culture that celebrates innovation and expects best-in-class delivery of essential services, including across payroll, benefits, staffing, hiring, and data reporting.

The successful candidate will bring an entrepreneurial, action-oriented mindset and experience leading complex teams and systems through periods of growth. They will possess strong HR technical expertise, experience with large and diverse workforces, and the ability to work effectively in a unionized environment. Success will be reflected in a high-performing, efficient talent function, where all teams understand and work in service of a shared vision of excellence. The office will be a reliable partner for teams across the District and will deliver consistent, user-friendly HR services and transactions, including accurate data and reporting.

The School District of Philadelphia has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this recruitment. Please direct all inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications in strict confidence to the following:

Katie Rockman, Partner

Tiffany Weber, Managing Associate

Janette Martinez, Senior Associate

Maria Connor, Managing Search Coordinator

Isaacson, Miller

https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/school-district-philadelphia/chief-talent-officer

The School District of Philadelphia provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, age, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, disability, pregnancy, marital status, gender identity, or genetic information. Please refer to Board Policy 348 for further information regarding the District’s commitment to Nondiscrimination in Employment Practices.

This document has been prepared based on the information provided by the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). The material presented in this leadership profile should be relied on for informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, the original source documents and information provided by SDP would supersede any conflicting information in this document.

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https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/school-district-philadelphia/chief-talent-officer