Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Chief of Employee Experience

🎯 Role Definition

The Chief of Employee Experience (Chief EX) is a senior people leader who defines and executes a holistic employee experience strategy that aligns culture, processes, physical and digital workplaces, and people systems to drive engagement, well-being and business outcomes. This role partners closely with HR/People Operations, Talent, Internal Communications, IT, Real Estate, Legal and executive leadership to design frictionless, data-driven employee journeys, measure impact with people analytics, and embed inclusive, equitable experiences across a hybrid and global workforce.

The Chief EX leads cross-functional programs to optimize onboarding, manager effectiveness, performance enablement, rewards & recognition, DEI initiatives, and workplace experience while owning employer brand and internal communications that reinforce organizational values and priorities.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Head of Employee Experience / Director of Employee Experience
VP People Operations / Senior HR Business Partner
Head of People, Director of People Programs
Head of Culture or Organizational Development

Advancement To:

Chief People Officer / Chief Human Resources Officer
Executive VP of People & Culture
Chief Operating Officer (for operationally focused leaders)
General Manager for People-Centric Business Units

Lateral Moves:

Head of Talent & Employer Brand
Head of People Analytics / Workforce Intelligence
Head of Learning & Organizational Development
Head of Workplace & Facilities

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and own a multi-year Employee Experience (EX) strategy that aligns with company mission, business objectives and talent strategies, including measurable KPIs (engagement, retention, productivity, NPS) and a clear roadmap to deliver year-over-year improvement.
Lead the design and continuous improvement of employee journeys across the full lifecycle — candidate experience, offer-to-join, onboarding, ongoing development, rewards & recognition, career mobility and offboarding — to remove friction and increase retention.
Build and run a centralized Employee Experience function that partners with HR, Talent, Internal Comms, IT, Facilities and Business Leaders to operationalize programs, campaigns and channels that shape culture and experience.
Define and lead people analytics and EX measurement frameworks (e.g., pulse and annual surveys, onboarding surveys, manager feedback, engagement dashboards) and translate insights into prioritized action plans for leaders.
Drive manager enablement programs that equip people leaders to build high-performing teams through coaching, performance calibration, career conversations and inclusive management practices.
Own employer brand and internal communications strategy to create consistent narrative and storytelling across candidate marketing, onboarding materials, internal comms, and leadership messaging that reinforce culture and strategic priorities.
Architect workplace and hybrid work policies and programs that optimize employee productivity, well-being and collaboration — including workplace reservations, ergonomic standards, flexible work guidance and global office strategy.
Design and implement scalable onboarding and new-hire activation experiences that accelerate time-to-productivity and embed cultural norms from day one.
Lead employee lifecycle systems strategy and vendor relationships (HRIS, LMS, recognition platforms, engagement tools, employee apps) to ensure integrated, low-friction technology-enabled experiences.
Partner with Talent Acquisition to improve candidate experience, streamline offers, and reduce time-to-hire while ensuring equitable, consistent experiences across locations.
Champion inclusion and belonging initiatives as an operational imperative — embed DEI principles into onboarding, performance, recognition, and career mobility programs to reduce bias and improve equitable outcomes.
Oversee total rewards communications and recognition strategies that align compensation, benefits, and non-monetary recognition with organizational values and employee needs.
Run regular cross-functional EX governance (steering committee, working groups) to prioritize high-impact initiatives, remove barriers, manage change and allocate resources.
Create and execute change management plans for major people or workplace transitions (e.g., mergers, large-scale reorganizations, system implementations) to minimize disruption and maintain engagement.
Develop and manage the EX budget, define ROI and business case for investments, and ensure efficient use of vendors, tools and internal resources.
Lead qualitative research programs (focus groups, stay interviews, exit interviews) and synthesize findings with quantitative data to surface root causes and design interventions.
Drive career architecture and mobility programs — competency frameworks, role leveling, internal mobility campaigns and talent marketplaces — to increase internal promotions and career satisfaction.
Establish recognition and wellbeing programs (peer-to-peer recognition, mental health resources, flexible benefits) tailored to a diverse, global workforce to support retention and productivity.
Advise executive leadership and the board on people-related risks and opportunities tied to employee experience metrics, talent trends and organizational health.
Foster a culture of feedback and continuous improvement by building mechanisms for rapid experimentation, pilot programs and fast learning cycles across global teams.
Design and measure leadership development programs focused on inclusive leadership, coaching skills and career conversations that scale effectively across levels.
Ensure compliance and alignment with local employment laws and regulations when creating global EX programs, while balancing consistency and localization needs.
Serve as a visible champion for culture — model desired behaviors, participate in town halls, leadership forums and employee listening sessions to maintain credibility and trust.

Secondary Functions

Partner with People Analytics to support ad-hoc EX data requests, advanced analytics and exploratory research that inform strategic decisions.
Work with IT and HRIS teams to translate EX needs into engineering or product requirements for platforms used by employees.
Participate in cross-functional planning and agile program delivery ceremonies to ensure EX initiatives are prioritized and delivered on-time.
Support vendor selection, contract negotiations and implementation oversight for workplace and engagement technologies.
Provide subject matter expertise to business units on best practices for remote/hybrid onboarding, manager check-ins and local engagement tactics.
Contribute to the organization's overall data privacy, security and compliance standards as they relate to employee information and experience tools.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

People Analytics & Measurement — strong expertise in designing surveys (engagement, onboarding), building dashboards, and translating metrics into prioritized interventions.
Employee Lifecycle Design — capability to map and optimize candidate-to-alumni journeys, identify friction and implement scalable solutions.
HR Technology & Integrations — experience selecting and implementing HRIS, LMS, engagement platforms, recognition tools and digital employee apps.
Change Management — proven use of formal change frameworks (ADKAR, Kotter) to plan communications, training and adoption for large-scale EX programs.
Project & Program Management — ability to manage multi-year roadmaps, cross-functional budgets, vendor relationships and delivery cycles.
DEI Program Design & Measurement — knowledge of inclusive program design, equitable talent practices and metrics to monitor disparate impacts.
Performance Enablement — design of manager toolkits, calibration processes and continuous performance frameworks that drive development.
Workplace Strategy — experience with hybrid work policy design, office planning, signage, and workplace services that support distributed teams.
Communication Strategy & Internal Comms — strong copywriting and campaign design skills for internal audiences, leadership messaging and change comms.
Legal & Compliance Awareness — familiarity with employment law implications across geographies when designing global EX programs.
Budgeting & Business Case Development — ability to create ROI models and justify investment for EX programs and tools.
Vendor Management & Contract Negotiation — experience leading RFPs, SLAs, and vendor partnerships for HR and workplace services.

Soft Skills

Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and executive presence; able to align people initiatives with company goals and influence C-suite decisions.
Highly collaborative leader who builds trust across functions and can convene diverse stakeholders to deliver complex programs.
Empathetic communicator who listens to employee signals, synthesizes sentiment, and translates insights into human-centered interventions.
Data-informed decision maker who balances qualitative insights with quantitative metrics to prioritize interventions.
Change champion and resilient leader capable of guiding organizations through ambiguity, rapid growth and cultural shifts.
Coaching orientated manager who develops direct reports and scales leadership capabilities across the organization.
Creative problem-solver with a bias for experimentation, rapid prototyping and continuous improvement.
Strong storyteller capable of crafting compelling narratives for employer brand, internal communications and leadership alignment.
Detail-oriented operator who can manage program logistics, timelines, and governance without losing strategic perspective.
Inclusive collaborator who actively fosters psychological safety and designs programs for diverse populations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Psychology, Business Administration, Communications, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MBA, MA Organizational Psychology, MSc HR Management) or advanced certifications in HR, change management or people analytics.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Organizational Psychology
Human Resources / HR Management
Business Administration / Management
Communications / Organizational Communications
Data Analytics / People Analytics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 10+ years total experience with at least 5–8 years in senior leadership roles leading employee experience, people operations, culture, or organizational development functions.

Preferred:

Proven track record building and scaling Employee Experience teams and programs in high-growth, distributed or global organizations.
Experience partnering with C-suite and board-level stakeholders to shape people strategy.
Demonstrated success in deploying HR technologies, driving measurable improvements in engagement and retention, and running cross-functional change programs.
Prior experience in technology, professional services, or similarly fast-moving sectors where hybrid work models, rapid scale and talent competition are core challenges.
Strong portfolio of measurable impact (e.g., improved engagement scores, reduced voluntary turnover, faster time-to-productivity, increased internal mobility).