Chief Talent Placement Officer

Overview

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Who We Are

The Academy Group (AG) is a mission-driven social enterprise that leverages earned revenue from financial investments to create world-class opportunities for young people from the nation's most resilient communities. We demonstrate the promise of a new model for identifying, developing, and sustaining a diverse national pipeline of future leaders, employers, and change agents.

Our mission is simple and urgent : to prepare Black and Brown young people from resilient communities to build wealth for themselves and their communities as an act of justice and self-determination. Talent is ubiquitous. Opportunity is not. We exist to close that gap.

The Role

The Academy Group seeks a Chief Talent Placement Officer (CTO) to lead our national efforts to prepare and place AG members (7th grade through college) and Amplify Talent (justice-impacted adults) into wealth-building, career-track roles across the country. This leader will architect the bridge between AG's college and career development ecosystem and real economic outcomes—driving employer engagement, placement strategy, and alumni persistence across industries that shape generational wealth. This role serves as a key driver of AG's Five-Year Strategic Framework, with a particular focus on strong first jobs, selective career access, digital platform integration, and justice-impacted Talent pathways.

Duties And Responsibilities

Design and lead national placement strategy to achieve at least 200 strong first job placements annually by FY30 and expand wealth-building career pathways aligned to AG's strategic goals.

Center AG's core values of justice, excellence, and determination by modeling our norms of accountability, courage, growth, and zeal in all Talent Placement work.

Develop and maintain corporate, public, and nonprofit partnerships that generate selective, high-earning career tracks in consulting, finance, tech, and entrepreneurship.

Screen and co-design with employers to ensure inclusive, anti-racist, advancement-minded environments that retain and promote AG members and Talent.

Lead a team of 8–10 staff, including four directors, to deliver exceptional placement, employer partnership, and career preparation outcomes.

Oversee the Career Preparation and Internship Program for Black and Brown young people from resilient communities, integrating labor market insights to shape curriculum and partner strategy.

Collaborate closely with AG's Digital Platform Team to align virtual tools, advising content, and employer pipelines with placement objectives and expand access to career resources nationwide.

Partner with Amplify to move justice-impacted Talent into career-track roles and ownership pathways exceeding $60K annual earnings.

Build and oversee an alumni coaching and tracking strategy to ensure persistence, advancement, and ongoing wealth-building beyond the first job.

Use disaggregated data (race, gender, first-gen status, resilient community, justice involvement) to monitor and close placement and advancement gaps, not just track aggregate numbers.

Develop and deliver employer-facing support—coaching, tools, and expectation-setting—to help partners retain and elevate AG Talent.

Serve as a member of the National Leadership Team, shaping organization-wide strategy and growth.

Manage budgets, resources, and fiscal accountability for placement operations and staff.

Ensure compliance and quality standards across regional and national placement programs.

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred.

10+ years of leadership experience in talent acquisition, workforce development, or employer relations.

Successful experience serving Black and Latino students and communities.

Proven record in building and scaling pipelines that lead to strong employment and wealth-building outcomes.

Experience managing internship programs and employer partnerships across multiple sectors.

Core Competencies

Deep understanding of current trends in talent placement, equity in employment, and workforce innovation.

Exceptional strategic planning, communication, and partnership skills.

Demonstrated history of advancing racial and economic justice in talent pipelines—including challenging inequitable practices in partner organizations when necessary.

Strong analytical capacity to leverage data for equity-driven decision-making.

Entrepreneurial spirit and capacity to thrive in a dynamic, evolving environment.

Passion, integrity, idealism, positive attitude, and mission focus.

Location

Preferred location : Chicago, IL. Remote candidates considered provided willingness for frequent travel to Chicago and regional sites.

Compensation And Benefits

The Academy Group offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) coverage. The position pay range is $160,000 - $210,000.

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