Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)

Location: Knoxville, TN
Reports to: President & CEO


Organization: UT Federal Credit Union (UTFCU)

The Opportunity

UT Federal Credit Union (UTFCU) seeks a dynamic, visionary, and collaborative Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) to join its senior leadership team. This is a mission-driven opportunity to partner with the CEO and Board to shape the future of a people-centric, community-focused credit union committed to improving lives. As CHRO, you will lead all facets of UTFCU's human capital strategy-from talent acquisition and organizational development to total rewards and DEI. You will be a critical architect of the credit union's ongoing transformation, developing people strategies that strengthen culture, increase engagement, and prepare the organization for future growth and innovation.

What You'll Do

Human Capital & Culture Leadership

• Develop and execute a forward-thinking human capital strategy aligned with UTFCU's mission, aspirations, principles, and strategic priorities.
• Foster a strong, inclusive, high-performance culture that enhances employee engagement, retention, and satisfaction.
• Partner with the CEO and Board to develop executive succession planning and leadership pipeline.
• Design and implement a Total Rewards strategy to ensure competitive and equitable compensation and benefits.
• Champion internal communication, recognition, and well-being initiatives that support employee morale and performance.

Strategic HR Leadership

• Create, lead and mentor a high-performing HR team, evolving the function into a true strategic partner to the business.
• Align HR policies, systems, and practices with UTFCU's long-term objectives and evolving workforce needs.
• Drive organizational change and transformation efforts to enhance agility, adaptability, and operational excellence.
• Oversee compliance with all federal and state employment laws and ensure risk mitigation across HR operations.

Advisor, Coach & Culture Champion

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and senior leaders, offering strategic counsel on people matters.
• Provide leadership coaching and mentorship, enhancing team dynamics and cross-functional collaboration.
• Act as a cultural steward-modeling and reinforcing behaviors and values that define UTFCU's identity.

Talent Management & Learning

• Lead end-to-end talent management, including recruitment, onboarding, succession planning, and career pathing.
• Build and implement a robust Learning & Development strategy that supports continuous learning and leadership growth.
• Utilize personalized, data-driven learning pathways to empower employee development and improve capability-building.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB)

• Embed DEIB into all HR programs and practices to create a welcoming, respectful, and empowering workplace for all.
• Monitor and measure DEIB impact across the organization and drive continuous progress in inclusive leadership.

HR Technology, Analytics & Workforce Planning

• Implement HR systems that enable real-time workforce insights and predictive analytics.
• Leverage data to improve decision-making in retention, recruitment, and engagement.
• Build a scalable and agile HR infrastructure that supports UTFCU's growth trajectory and future needs.

Employer Branding & EVP

• Shape and promote UTFCU's employer brand, showcasing a workplace culture rooted in purpose and service.
• Refine the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to attract and retain top talent aligned with UTFCU's mission.
• Collaborate with Marketing to ensure consistent messaging around employee experience and organizational culture.

What You Bring

• Proven success as a CHRO or senior HR executive in a dynamic, growing, and mission-driven organization.
• Strong business acumen and ability to align HR strategies with broader organizational goals.
• Deep expertise in human capital functions, including talent acquisition, L&D, compensation, DEIB, and performance management.
• Experience leading culture transformation, change management, and organizational development.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and executive coaching skills.
• Commitment to values of transparency, collaboration, innovation, and inclusion.
• Bachelor's degree in HR, Business Administration, or a related field required; Master's degree and/or HR certifications preferred.
• Prior experience in the credit union movement is a plus.

You Are

• A strategic thinker and hands-on leader comfortable operating at both the boardroom and frontline levels.
• A cultural influencer who leads with empathy, humility, and integrity.
• A people-first leader who creates environments where individuals thrive and teams excel.
• An advisor, mentor, and change agent who builds trust and inspires accountability.

Why UTFCU?

At UT Federal Credit Union, we strive to improve lives. We believe that starts with our people. This is more than an HR leadership role-it's a chance to shape an organization's future, committed to making a difference.

Thank you for your interest in joining UT Federal Credit Union. As part of our commitment to ensuring a safe and secure work environment, all offers of employment at UT Federal Credit Union are contingent upon the successful completion of a comprehensive background check.

The background check may include, but is not limited to, checks of your criminal record, employment history, educational credentials, credit history, motor vehicle record, and references. You may be required to provide additional information and complete further documentation to facilitate these checks.

By proceeding with this application, you hereby authorize UT Federal Credit Union and its designated agents and representatives to conduct such investigations and request such information as is necessary to evaluate your suitability for employment.

In the event that information from a consumer report obtained about you from a consumer reporting agency is used in whole or in part in making an adverse decision with regard to employment, you will be provided with a copy of the consumer report and a description in writing of your rights under the law.

Should there be any discrepancies or disputes regarding the information obtained during the background check, or should you otherwise wish to discuss the report's contents with us, you will have an opportunity to discuss and/or dispute the content with us before a final employment decision is made.

All information received during the background check process will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and sensitivity, in accordance with the law. It will be used solely for the purpose of evaluating your potential employment at UT Federal Credit Union.

Please complete the application if you understand and agree to the above-mentioned conditions. In doing so, you acknowledge that you have carefully read and understand this Disclosure and Authorization and authorize UT Federal Credit Union to obtain and/or its agent to obtain and furnish to the Credit Union information related to your background to be used for employment purposes.