Chief of Staff to the CPO

Director/Senior Director, Chief of Staff – Global People Team

Reports to: Chief People Officer
Location: SF Bay Area (SF HQ a minimum of 2x week) 

Role Overview

The Director/Senior Director, Chief of Staff is a highly visible, strategic, and highly operational leadership role designed to serve as the critical "glue" that makes everything fit together across Okta's Global People & Places organization. Reporting directly to the Chief People Officer (CPO), you will act as a true strategic thought partner and operational proxy for the CPO, building deep, trust-based relationships across the People Leadership Team (PLT) and the broader business.

This role requires a rare and sophisticated dual capability: you must be deeply strategic with a commanding executive presence, yet remain relentlessly operational in execution. Crucially, you possess the business acumen and discernment to ensure we focus on the right priorities. You will bring a vibrant, high-energy presence to the team, serving as the connective tissue that bridges functional silos, coordinates global efforts, and drives high-velocity execution in our fast-paced, AI-driven landscape.

What You'll Do

Executive Proxy and Strategic Thought Partnership

• CPO Proxy & Advisor: Serve as a trusted advisor, strategic thought partner, and proxy for the Chief People Officer, representing the Office of the CPO in key leadership forums and decision-making bodies.
• The Connective "Glue": Cultivate deep, authentic relationships across the People Leadership Team (PLT)—including PBPs, L&D, Recruiting, People Ops, Total Rewards, and Workplace—ensuring all separate programs align and fit together seamlessly.
• Strategic Filtering: Evaluate operational requests and initiatives with critical rigor, acting as a gatekeeper to ensure we do not waste organizational energy over-engineering or operationalizing the wrong processes.
• Special & High-Impact Initiatives: Lead high-stakes, cross-group special projects from concept to completion, ensuring precise work-back schedules, clear ownership, and definitive output.

High-Velocity Operations and Program Integration

• Central Program "Hub": Manage and synchronize all global People & Places program timelines, including product launch dates, program releases, and policy effective dates.
• Planning and Resource Optimization: Lead the People organization through annual and quarterly business planning (QBRs), streamlining headcount allocation, and optimizing global resources.
• Process Simplification: Identify systemic friction points and redesign complex corporate workflows into elegant, simple, and highly scalable processes.
• Operational Risk Management: Monitor global HR operational risks and strategic opportunities, delivering clear recommendations to navigate ambiguity and protect our high talent density.

Financial Stewardship and Budget Management

• Budget Oversight: Manage and oversee the global People & Places organization budget in close partnership with the Chief People Officer and Finance.
• Resource Prioritization: Work with functional People leaders to build, manage, and audit program-specific budgets, ensuring financial resources are directly mapped to our most critical strategic priorities.

What Success Looks Like

• Commanding Partnership: You are recognized as a trusted, seamless proxy for the CPO, highly capable of driving alignment and making high-velocity decisions on their behalf.
• Cohesive Alignment ("The Glue"): The People Leadership Team operates with flawless synchronicity; major launches, system releases, and policy rollouts are integrated into a single global roadmap.
• Strategic Operational Discipline: The organization avoids low-leverage work; execution cycles are spent only on high-value initiatives, and over-engineered, low-value processes are actively dismantled.
• Fiscal Optimization: The global People budget is meticulously managed with zero unexpected variances and clear ROI on talent programs.
• Vibrant Team Connection: Your high-energy presence has successfully fostered a highly connected, transparent, and collaborative community across our global workforce.

Leadership Expectations

• Deeply Strategic with Strong Executive Presence: You command respect at the C-suite and board levels, articulating complex operational and talent concepts with clarity, confidence, and authority.
• Highly Operational & Discriminating Operator: You possess a relentless bias toward action, measuring success by concrete outcomes and delivered projects rather than mere activity or busywork. Detail-obsessed yet highly strategic, you possess the critical judgment to balance strategy with execution, serving as a strategic filter to ensure the team moves with high velocity while fiercely preventing them from operationalizing the wrong things.
• The Ultimate Connector: You possess outstanding relationship-building skills and a high-energy approach that naturally connects people, breaks down functional walls, and creates a sense of shared purpose.
• Continuous Bar-Raiser: You reject incrementalism and mediocrity, continually pushing yourself and the leadership team to elevate performance standards.
• Agile Change Champion: You view ambiguity, priority shifts, and platform transitions as opportunities to improve and innovate, helping others navigate uncertainty with confidence and momentum.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, or a related field
• 10+ years of experience in HR, operations, strategy, or a related field
• Strong leadership skills and ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas and concepts
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to use data to drive decision-making
• Experience in talent management, performance management, and employee engagement
• Knowledge of HR laws, regulations, and compliance requirements is preferred
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment
• High level of integrity, with the ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information

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