Chief People Officer Jobs for OPT Students
Chief People Officer jobs on OPT are rare but not impossible. Most CPO roles require 15-plus years of HR leadership experience, which makes them a realistic target only for students on STEM OPT extensions. Employers filing H-1B or O-1 petitions for executive HR roles do exist, particularly at high-growth startups and mid-size tech companies.
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Get Access To All JobsTitle: Chief Schools Officer
Division: School Support Office
Location: School Support Office
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Status: Full-time, Exempt
Salary Scale: $175,000-$210,000 (based on experience and expertise)
- Scales are competitive with other charter school organizations and local districts.
Caliber Schools: Overview
Our mission at Caliber Schools is to shift the experiences, expectations, and outcomes for students in historically underserved communities. We provide students with a challenging and engaging personalized education that equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in competitive colleges, careers, and communities. Caliber graduates will be academically college ready; have emotional intelligence or ‘EQ’; be critical thinkers, and have the skills and desire to be changemakers in their communities and the world. Caliber’s four graduate pillars - Heart, Smart, Think, Act - guide our work. We are a community-based organization that celebrates the diversity of the communities we serve. Our parents are active partners, frequently engaging through school events, restorative practices, and academic support.
We are looking for educators and leaders who want to use their expertise to strengthen a mission-driven organization. This is an opportunity to join a collaborative team focused on refining practice, improving systems, and delivering an excellent, equitable experience for students and families every day. Caliber’s first school, Beta Academy in Richmond, CA, opened in 2014, followed by ChangeMakers Academy in Vallejo, CA, in 2016. Today we serve nearly 2,000 students between our two campuses. As we continue to mature as an organization, our focus is on excellence that is grounded in our values and unwavering in our commitment to student outcomes.
The Opportunity
Caliber Schools is searching for a Chief Schools Officer to provide strategic direction and leadership towards improving student outcomes, to increase leader effectiveness, and to continue to refine the Caliber model as we move into a phase of sustainable success for students. The Chief Schools Officer will oversee schools and school leaders and will report directly to the Executive Director. They will play a role in the continued development of our schools’ guiding principles, framework, vision, and growth. The Chief Schools Officer will lead the charge to define our measures of academic success at Caliber by coaching and managing Principals and additional SSO-based staff as appropriate. The Chief Schools Officer will be responsible for designing relevant and engaging professional development and developing sustainable systems and structures at Caliber. Working with stakeholders across both schools, this leader will move Caliber along our path to established excellence. The ideal candidate will take initiative and constantly adapt, driving all decisions from a student-centered approach and a dedication to social-emotional learning and equitable practices. Our Chief Schools Officer will have school leadership experience, instructional and coaching expertise, and an exceptional ability to work across and motivate teams.
This position will start before June 2026.
Responsibilities
Managing and Developing Staff
- Manage, evaluate and coach Principals at Caliber: Beta Academy and Caliber: ChangeMakers Academy.
- Oversee school leadership to integrate the four pillars: Heart, Smart, Think and Act into curriculum, assessment, instruction, and school culture.
- Manage, evaluate and coach members of the Education Team including the Managing Director of Social Emotional Learning and Mental Health, the Managing Director of Special Education and Student Services, the Director of ELD and Multilingualism, and the Head of Data and Assessment.
- Develop and coordinate professional development for school leaders and school leadership teams to build instructional leadership capacity in areas such as pedagogy, data analysis, intervention, culture building, and coaching and development of teachers.
Defining and Driving our Vision
- Support the implementation of the Caliber Vision over a 3-5 year period: a curriculum aligned to rigorous standards that foster inquiry, college-readiness and further development of our social emotional learning model: best practices, measurement, assessment.
- Use comprehensive student outcome data, community context, and school performance trends to define Caliber's strategic priorities and set ambitious, measurable goals, ensuring that our vision and the resources we direct toward it are always anchored in the greatest areas of need across both campuses.
- Maintain quality and alignment of teaching and learning, special education, operations, talent, finance, and communications across schools.
Leading Curriculum and Instruction
- Work collaboratively with the education team and schools to plan and oversee the execution of staff training and professional development. This training will align to our instructional design and teaching methods that are grounded in research and best practice.
- Lead the development and implementation of educational policies, procedures and planning to ensure students’ success.
- Lead the development and implementation of data systems and structures that build school leaders' and teachers' capacity to regularly analyze student performance data to drive instructional decisions, identify gaps, and design targeted interventions that accelerate growth for all learners, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners.
- Lead the education team and school leadership teams to ensure all courses are aligned to previously agreed upon standards and frameworks potentially including CAASPP (SBAC), iReady, Nextgen science standards, CA state standards, and various critical thinking and CS frameworks.
Overseeing Operations and Growth
- Partner with principals to determine staffing and configuration based on year to year growth.
- Work closely with the SSO Operations & Finance staff to improve Caliber’s operational systems and practices that enable educators and school leaders to prioritize instructional leadership at their sites.
- Partner with talent management to provide support in recruiting, identifying, and promoting excellent teachers, administrators, and SSO staff.
- Respond to staff and parent concerns as appropriate in a progressive appeals and grievances process, and advise the CEO on all related matters when necessary.
Qualifications
Experience
- 3-5 years administrative leadership as a principal in a K-8 high performing charter school.
- Administrative leadership overseeing academic achievement, curriculum and instruction.
- Teaching experience (K-8) with a proven record of success and impact on student learning and growth.
- Experience integrating and developing Social and Emotional Learning Curricula.
- Experience with Special Education program: evaluations, interventions, compliance.
- Experience teaching or working in schools serving a large percentage of multilingual learners.
Skills
- Outstanding organizational skills and high attention to detail.
- Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
- Manages multiple priorities simultaneously to accomplish urgent and important needs.
- Highly collaborative and team-oriented.
- Proactive problem solver who demonstrates initiative.
Mindsets
- Strong work ethic coupled with an enthusiastic and passionate approach to this work.
- Unwavering belief that all children can learn; high expectations for all students.
- Commitment to equitable practices.
- Respect and humility: seeks to understand other perspectives; capacity to respond to new information, adapt, and learn.
- Entrepreneurial energy for an innovative new model.
- Intellectual curiosity.
Caliber Values
Caliber staff…
- are committed to a culture of feedback, development and continuous improvement.
- validate and affirm the identities, strengths and passions of each person.
- know that It is everyone’s collective responsibility to work in service of and alongside our school communities.
- approach situations and people with empathy and kindness.
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Admin credential preferred
TO APPLY
Please go to http://www.caliberschools.org/careers.html to apply.
Caliber Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at careers@caliberschools.org.
Title: Chief Schools Officer
Division: School Support Office
Location: School Support Office
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Status: Full-time, Exempt
Salary Scale: $175,000-$210,000 (based on experience and expertise)
- Scales are competitive with other charter school organizations and local districts.
Caliber Schools: Overview
Our mission at Caliber Schools is to shift the experiences, expectations, and outcomes for students in historically underserved communities. We provide students with a challenging and engaging personalized education that equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in competitive colleges, careers, and communities. Caliber graduates will be academically college ready; have emotional intelligence or ‘EQ’; be critical thinkers, and have the skills and desire to be changemakers in their communities and the world. Caliber’s four graduate pillars - Heart, Smart, Think, Act - guide our work. We are a community-based organization that celebrates the diversity of the communities we serve. Our parents are active partners, frequently engaging through school events, restorative practices, and academic support.
We are looking for educators and leaders who want to use their expertise to strengthen a mission-driven organization. This is an opportunity to join a collaborative team focused on refining practice, improving systems, and delivering an excellent, equitable experience for students and families every day. Caliber’s first school, Beta Academy in Richmond, CA, opened in 2014, followed by ChangeMakers Academy in Vallejo, CA, in 2016. Today we serve nearly 2,000 students between our two campuses. As we continue to mature as an organization, our focus is on excellence that is grounded in our values and unwavering in our commitment to student outcomes.
The Opportunity
Caliber Schools is searching for a Chief Schools Officer to provide strategic direction and leadership towards improving student outcomes, to increase leader effectiveness, and to continue to refine the Caliber model as we move into a phase of sustainable success for students. The Chief Schools Officer will oversee schools and school leaders and will report directly to the Executive Director. They will play a role in the continued development of our schools’ guiding principles, framework, vision, and growth. The Chief Schools Officer will lead the charge to define our measures of academic success at Caliber by coaching and managing Principals and additional SSO-based staff as appropriate. The Chief Schools Officer will be responsible for designing relevant and engaging professional development and developing sustainable systems and structures at Caliber. Working with stakeholders across both schools, this leader will move Caliber along our path to established excellence. The ideal candidate will take initiative and constantly adapt, driving all decisions from a student-centered approach and a dedication to social-emotional learning and equitable practices. Our Chief Schools Officer will have school leadership experience, instructional and coaching expertise, and an exceptional ability to work across and motivate teams.
This position will start before June 2026.
Responsibilities
Managing and Developing Staff
- Manage, evaluate and coach Principals at Caliber: Beta Academy and Caliber: ChangeMakers Academy.
- Oversee school leadership to integrate the four pillars: Heart, Smart, Think and Act into curriculum, assessment, instruction, and school culture.
- Manage, evaluate and coach members of the Education Team including the Managing Director of Social Emotional Learning and Mental Health, the Managing Director of Special Education and Student Services, the Director of ELD and Multilingualism, and the Head of Data and Assessment.
- Develop and coordinate professional development for school leaders and school leadership teams to build instructional leadership capacity in areas such as pedagogy, data analysis, intervention, culture building, and coaching and development of teachers.
Defining and Driving our Vision
- Support the implementation of the Caliber Vision over a 3-5 year period: a curriculum aligned to rigorous standards that foster inquiry, college-readiness and further development of our social emotional learning model: best practices, measurement, assessment.
- Use comprehensive student outcome data, community context, and school performance trends to define Caliber's strategic priorities and set ambitious, measurable goals, ensuring that our vision and the resources we direct toward it are always anchored in the greatest areas of need across both campuses.
- Maintain quality and alignment of teaching and learning, special education, operations, talent, finance, and communications across schools.
Leading Curriculum and Instruction
- Work collaboratively with the education team and schools to plan and oversee the execution of staff training and professional development. This training will align to our instructional design and teaching methods that are grounded in research and best practice.
- Lead the development and implementation of educational policies, procedures and planning to ensure students’ success.
- Lead the development and implementation of data systems and structures that build school leaders' and teachers' capacity to regularly analyze student performance data to drive instructional decisions, identify gaps, and design targeted interventions that accelerate growth for all learners, including students with disabilities and multilingual learners.
- Lead the education team and school leadership teams to ensure all courses are aligned to previously agreed upon standards and frameworks potentially including CAASPP (SBAC), iReady, Nextgen science standards, CA state standards, and various critical thinking and CS frameworks.
Overseeing Operations and Growth
- Partner with principals to determine staffing and configuration based on year to year growth.
- Work closely with the SSO Operations & Finance staff to improve Caliber’s operational systems and practices that enable educators and school leaders to prioritize instructional leadership at their sites.
- Partner with talent management to provide support in recruiting, identifying, and promoting excellent teachers, administrators, and SSO staff.
- Respond to staff and parent concerns as appropriate in a progressive appeals and grievances process, and advise the CEO on all related matters when necessary.
Qualifications
Experience
- 3-5 years administrative leadership as a principal in a K-8 high performing charter school.
- Administrative leadership overseeing academic achievement, curriculum and instruction.
- Teaching experience (K-8) with a proven record of success and impact on student learning and growth.
- Experience integrating and developing Social and Emotional Learning Curricula.
- Experience with Special Education program: evaluations, interventions, compliance.
- Experience teaching or working in schools serving a large percentage of multilingual learners.
Skills
- Outstanding organizational skills and high attention to detail.
- Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
- Manages multiple priorities simultaneously to accomplish urgent and important needs.
- Highly collaborative and team-oriented.
- Proactive problem solver who demonstrates initiative.
Mindsets
- Strong work ethic coupled with an enthusiastic and passionate approach to this work.
- Unwavering belief that all children can learn; high expectations for all students.
- Commitment to equitable practices.
- Respect and humility: seeks to understand other perspectives; capacity to respond to new information, adapt, and learn.
- Entrepreneurial energy for an innovative new model.
- Intellectual curiosity.
Caliber Values
Caliber staff…
- are committed to a culture of feedback, development and continuous improvement.
- validate and affirm the identities, strengths and passions of each person.
- know that It is everyone’s collective responsibility to work in service of and alongside our school communities.
- approach situations and people with empathy and kindness.
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Admin credential preferred
TO APPLY
Please go to http://www.caliberschools.org/careers.html to apply.
Caliber Public Schools provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at careers@caliberschools.org.
How to Get Visa Sponsorship in Chief People Officer
Target companies in active growth phases
Startups scaling from 50 to 500 employees often need to build their people function from scratch. These companies are more open to sponsoring a CPO who brings immediate strategic value and can own talent architecture end to end.
Position yourself as a revenue-adjacent executive
Sponsoring executives is easier to justify when the role ties directly to business outcomes. Frame your people strategy work around retention metrics, hiring velocity, and organizational design that reduced costs or accelerated growth in measurable ways.
Pursue O-1A as your primary visa path
CPOs with industry recognition, published work, or board-level advisory roles may qualify for O-1A status. This visa has no lottery and no annual cap, making it a more reliable sponsorship target for senior HR executives than H-1B.
Build board-level and investor network visibility
Many CPO roles are filled through board referrals and VC networks, not job postings. Engaging with investors and founders who are actively scaling companies increases your chances of being considered before a role is ever publicly listed.
Document your STEM OPT extension eligibility early
A 24-month STEM extension gives employers three full years of OPT-authorized work, which reduces urgency around H-1B lottery timing. Confirm your degree qualifies under the STEM designated degree program list and file the extension before your initial OPT expires.
Engage HR executive search firms that work with international talent
Retained executive search consultants often know which clients are willing to sponsor visas. Building relationships with CHRO-focused recruiters who have placed international executives before puts you in front of the right decision-makers at the right time.
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Can an F-1 OPT student realistically get hired as a Chief People Officer?
Yes, but it requires substantial prior HR leadership experience and the right employer profile. Most CPO hires come from candidates with over a decade of progressive HR experience. OPT students who have held VP or Director-level HR roles before or during their degree program are the most competitive. High-growth startups are the most common path, as they prioritize capability over visa status more than large enterprises do.
Which visa does an employer typically sponsor for a CPO role after OPT ends?
H-1B is the most common post-OPT sponsorship path, but CPOs with a strong profile should also explore O-1A. The O-1A is designed for individuals with extraordinary ability, and senior HR executives who have led large organizations, received industry recognition, or contributed significantly to their field often meet the criteria. O-1A has no lottery, making it a more predictable option than H-1B.
Does a Chief People Officer role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Generally yes, provided the role requires a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific field such as human resources, organizational psychology, or business administration. USCIS evaluates each petition individually. CPO roles at larger organizations with complex people strategy functions are stronger candidates for specialty occupation classification than generalist HR roles at smaller firms.
How can I find Chief People Officer jobs that are open to OPT sponsorship?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international students and filters for employers willing to sponsor work visas, including for senior roles. Searching there focuses your effort on companies that have already demonstrated openness to sponsorship rather than cold-applying to roles where visa status may disqualify you early in the process.
Does my academic background affect my eligibility for a CPO role on OPT?
Yes. Your OPT must be directly related to your degree program. A CPO role is most defensible on OPT if your degree is in human resources, industrial-organizational psychology, organizational behavior, or business administration. If your degree is in an unrelated field, your DSO may flag the connection as insufficient, and H-1B specialty occupation arguments become harder to make later.
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