Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)Position Contingency Notice: This position is associated with Bay State Rail's proposal to operate the MBTA Commuter Rail network. Employment opportunities for this role are contingent upon Bay State Rail being awarded the contract and successful contract mobilization. Position Summary The Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) is responsible for providing executive leadership and strategic direction for all human resources, labor relations, workforce planning, talent management, training, and employee engagement functions supporting the Boston Regional Rail operation. Reporting directly to the Operator General Manager (OGM), the CHRO serves as the senior executive responsible for ensuring the organization attracts, develops, and retains a highly skilled workforce capable of delivering safe, reliable, and efficient commuter rail services. The CHRO partners closely with executive leadership, labor organizations, and operational departments to support workforce readiness, regulatory compliance, employee development, organizational effectiveness, and a culture of accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.
We're proud to offer: - Competitive compensation package of minimum $ 200,000 - maximum $ 240,000
- In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for an annual Short-Term Incentive (STI) opportunity
Position Profile - Leads and manages all Human Resources functions supporting the Boston Regional Rail operation.
- Develops and implements workforce strategies that support operational readiness, service delivery requirements, organizational growth, and long-term business objectives.
- Oversees labor relations activities, including collective bargaining agreement administration, labor-management partnerships, grievance management, and workforce compliance.
- Directs workforce planning, talent acquisition, onboarding, succession planning, employee retention, and organizational development initiatives.
- Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, local, labor, employment, and contractual requirements.
- Oversees compensation, benefits, performance management, employee relations, and human resources policies and procedures.
- Leads workforce training, leadership development, and employee engagement programs that support operational excellence and workforce readiness.
- Partners with Operations, Mechanical, Safety, Finance, and executive leadership to ensure staffing levels and workforce capabilities support service delivery requirements.
- Provides strategic guidance on labor relations, workforce trends, organizational effectiveness, employee development, and workforce risk management.
- Oversees HR systems, workforce reporting, compliance monitoring, and human capital analytics to support informed business decisions.
- Collaborates with labor organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, community partners, and industry stakeholders to support workforce initiatives.
- Drives a culture of accountability, employee engagement, inclusion, leadership development, safety, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.
Qualifications Required Experience - Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible professional human resources experience, including significant leadership responsibility within complex operational environments.
- Demonstrated direct responsibility for labor relations, employee relations, workforce planning, talent acquisition, and organizational development functions.
- Extensive experience working within unionized environments and administering collective bargaining agreements.
- Proven experience leading workforce planning, succession planning, employee engagement, retention, and organizational effectiveness initiatives.
- Experience overseeing compensation, benefits, training, performance management, HR compliance, and employee relations programs.
- Strong knowledge of federal and state employment laws, labor regulations, human resources best practices, and workforce management principles.
- Experience working within transportation, rail transit, public sector, critical infrastructure, or other highly regulated environments strongly preferred.
- Experience collaborating with labor organizations, regulatory agencies, educational partners, government agencies, and external stakeholders preferred.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities - Deep knowledge of labor relations, collective bargaining, workforce planning, talent acquisition, employee development, and organizational effectiveness principles.
- Strong understanding of employment law, labor regulations, workforce compliance, employee relations practices, and human resources governance.
- Demonstrated executive leadership and strategic management experience in a 24/7 operational environment.
- Strong understanding of workforce analytics, succession planning, leadership development, employee engagement, and change management strategies.
- Proven ability to build collaborative labor-management relationships and effectively resolve complex workforce challenges.
- Strong stakeholder management skills with experience coordinating across operations, executive leadership, labor organizations, regulatory agencies, and external partners.
- Excellent communication, negotiation, decision-making, problem-solving, and organizational leadership skills.
The ideal candidate is a high-performing strategic leader who drives results and inspires others through integrity, accountability, and strong communication. Combines business acumen and continuous improvement to achieve sustainable business outcomes and enhance customer experience. Builds trust through self-awareness and ethical leadership while empowering others to reach their full potential. Cultivates strong stakeholder relationships, high-performing teams, and creates organizational agility to successfully navigate change and deliver long-term success.
Job Category: Management
Job Type: Full Time
Req ID: 9512
Pay Group: VDD
Cost Center: NONE
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions upon request.
