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Uplyft Talent
CHRO / Head of People search

People leaders who build the operating system, not just the HR policies.

We place CHRO, Chief People Officer, VP People, Head of Talent, and Head of People Operations leaders. Calibrated against your stage, culture, and the specific scope (compliance, talent, L&D, DEI, total rewards) you need owned.

The chro / head of people market — the honest version.

People leadership scope has fragmented over the last five years. What used to be "HR" now splits into talent acquisition leadership, people operations, L&D, total rewards, DEI, and compliance — with different leaders running different combinations at different stages. We calibrate against the specific operating problem you're solving: a post-layoff reset, a scale-up from 80 to 400, a compliance-first acquisition integration, or a first head-of-people hire at Series A. The right candidate for each is meaningfully different.

Screening criteria

What we actually screen for.

Every chro / head of people candidate goes through a structured technical screen conducted by an ex-engineer recruiter before you see their profile.

  • Stage fit — have they operated at the stage you are entering, not just the stage you are in today
  • Scope experience — full CHRO vs Head of Talent vs Head of People Ops — not interchangeable
  • Crisis arc — how they handled a real restructure, layoff, compensation correction, or culture reset
  • CEO + board partnership — credibility in the room, not just with the org
  • Compliance depth — multi-geography employment law awareness, specifically PK/CA/US if relevant
  • Operating cadence — reviews, promotions, comp cycles, performance systems they've authored
Typical cycle

How we run a chro / head of people search.

  1. Days 0–3

    Intake + scope definition

    Deep intake with CEO + COO / founders. Clarify scope, stage, and critical first-90-day priorities.

  2. Days 3–18

    Targeted sourcing

    Candidates whose last role matches your scope and stage, not just generic People leaders.

  3. Days 18–28

    Shortlist + back-channels

    4–5 candidates with written assessments, off-list references from former CEOs and team members.

  4. Days 28–42

    Interviews + offer

    Multi-round including CEO, COO, and if relevant a board observer. Offer structure with cash + equity.

Compensation benchmarks

Real salary bands across our three markets.

Pakistan (multinationals / global companies)

USD $80K–$180K + equity

Canada

CAD $220K–$400K + equity

United States

USD $300K–$600K + meaningful equity

Titles we place under this role type.

  • CHRO
  • Chief People Officer
  • VP People
  • Head of People
  • Head of Talent
  • VP HR
  • SVP People

CHRO / Head of People hiring — questions we hear.

Yes. Our cross-border operating model across PK / CA / US makes multi-country CHRO searches a core use case. We calibrate for candidates with direct experience in the employment-law, benefits, and compliance frameworks you operate under.

Yes. Post-crisis CHRO searches are a specific subtype we run regularly. The screen is different — we look for candidates who have rebuilt trust, not just managed steady-state.

Ready to run this search?

Submit a brief and a senior recruiter will reply within 24 business hours with a proposed timeline, calibrated fee structure, and sample profiles.