Talent Development Manager

Talent Development Manager

The Talent Development Manager is responsible for designing, implementing, and continuously improving talent and leadership development strategies that strengthen organizational capability, build leadership effectiveness, and support the growth and retention of employees.

This role partners closely with business leaders, HR Business Partners, and other HR functions to identify organizational, and talent needs and translate them into practical, scalable development solutions. The Talent Development Manager will lead programs and processes related to leadership development, career development, talent reviews, succession planning, employee development, and organizational capability.

The successful candidate will balance strategic program design with hands-on execution and will be comfortable building and evolving talent practices in a fast-paced, growing organization.

Key Responsibilities

Talent Development Strategy

• Develop a comprehensive talent development strategy aligned with organizational priorities, workforce needs, and business growth.
• Partner with HR and business leaders to identify critical capabilities, leadership needs, and talent gaps.
• Build scalable talent practices that support employees and leaders across functions and levels.
• Translate business and workforce priorities into actionable development programs and initiatives.
• Evaluate existing talent programs and recommend improvements based on organizational needs, employee feedback, and business outcomes.
• Establish a consistent approach to employee development while allowing flexibility for unique business and functional needs.

Leadership Development

• Design and implement leadership development strategies for emerging, new, and experienced leaders.
• Develop programs that strengthen core leadership capabilities, including coaching, feedback, performance management, communication, decision-making, accountability, and team effectiveness.
• Partner with senior leaders to identify leadership capability gaps and appropriate development solutions.
• Support leaders in creating meaningful development plans for themselves and their teams.
• Develop tools, resources, and experiences that reinforce leadership expectations and organizational culture.
• Facilitate leadership development sessions, workshops, and other development experiences as appropriate.

Talent Management & Succession

• Lead and support talent review and succession planning processes across the organization.
• Partner with HR Business Partners and leaders to identify critical roles, high-potential talent, successors, and talent risks.
• Establish development strategies for high-potential employees and identified successors.
• Support leaders in assessing talent consistently and making informed development and succession decisions.
• Monitor succession pipelines and development progress for critical roles.
• Develop tools and frameworks that improve talent visibility and support internal mobility.

Career & Employee Development

• Develop frameworks and resources that help employees understand career opportunities and take greater ownership of their development.
• Support the creation and implementation of career paths, development guides, competency models, and capability frameworks.
• Establish practical approaches to individual development planning.
• Promote development through multiple channels, including stretch assignments, mentoring, coaching, job experiences, formal learning, and internal mobility.
• Partner with HR Business Partners and leaders to identify development opportunities for key talent.
• Create resources that help managers have more effective career and development conversations with employees.

Performance & Development Integration

• Partner with HR leadership and HR Business Partners to connect performance management with employee and leadership development.
• Translate performance and talent insights into targeted development priorities.
• Support development planning following performance reviews, talent reviews, and other talent assessment activities.
• Help leaders differentiate between performance issues, skill gaps, readiness gaps, and longer-term development opportunities.
• Develop tools and resources that strengthen the quality of manager feedback and development conversations.

Learning & Capability Development

• Conduct organizational and functional needs assessments to identify capability and skill gaps.
• Design, source, or implement development solutions based on identified business needs.
• Partner with subject matter experts to create effective technical, professional, and leadership development experiences.
• Evaluate external vendors, facilitators, coaches, assessments, and learning resources as needed.
• Ensure development programs are practical, relevant, and connected to measurable business or talent outcomes.
• Support learning technology and platforms used to deliver or track development activities.

Program Management & Facilitation

• Manage talent development programs from initial concept through implementation, communication, measurement, and continuous improvement.
• Develop program materials, facilitator guides, leader resources, communications, and supporting tools.
• Facilitate workshops, leadership sessions, talent discussions, and development programs for employees and leaders.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders and external partners to deliver high-quality development experiences.
• Manage multiple initiatives simultaneously while maintaining strong execution and stakeholder communication.

Talent Analytics & Measurement

• Establish measures of effectiveness for talent and development programs.
• Use employee, performance, talent, and workforce data to identify trends and development priorities.
• Track participation, completion, effectiveness, and business impact of development initiatives.
• Evaluate talent pipeline health, succession readiness, internal movement, and other relevant talent indicators.
• Provide leadership with insights and recommendations based on talent data.
• Continuously evaluate programs and adjust strategies based on outcomes and organizational needs.

Organizational Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to HR Business Partners and leaders on talent and development matters.
• Partner across HR to ensure talent development strategies align with recruiting, performance management, workforce planning, compensation, and organizational effectiveness initiatives.
• Consult with leaders on team and organizational development needs.
• Support organizational change and growth by identifying the capabilities and leadership behaviors necessary for future success.
• Build strong relationships across the organization and influence stakeholders without relying solely on formal authority.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in human resources, Organizational Development, Business, Psychology, Education, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in talent management, talent development, organizational development, learning and development, HR, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing talent or leadership development programs.
• Experience supporting talent reviews, succession planning, career development, or leadership development processes.
• Strong experience partnering with business leaders and HR professionals.
• Experience facilitating programs and discussions with leaders and employees.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects and multiple priorities.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to use data to identify talent needs and evaluate program effectiveness.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, consultation, and stakeholder-management skills.

Preferred

• Experience in aerospace, defense, engineering, manufacturing, technology, or another technical environment.
• Experience supporting organizations undergoing rapid growth, transformation, integration, or organizational change.
• Experience developing leadership competency or capability frameworks.
• Experience designing career paths and employee development frameworks.
• Experience with talent assessment tools, leadership assessments, or coaching programs.