Assistant Vice President, Talent and Leadership Development

Selective Insurance Company of America•Short Hills, NJ

12d

About The Position

The Assistant Vice President, Talent and Leadership Development serves as the enterprise lead for leadership development, succession planning, talent readiness, and leadership pipeline strategy. Reporting to the Head of Talent, this role is responsible for designing, leading, and continuously enhancing programs and processes to ensure a robust pipeline of leadership talent capable of delivering the company's long-term strategic and business objectives. As a trusted advisor to senior executives, business leaders, and HR partners, this role leads enterprise-wide talent review and succession planning processes, executive assessment and coaching initiatives, and development planning for senior leaders, high-potential employees, and emerging talent. The role evaluates organizational bench strength, identifies leadership capability gaps, and implements strategies to strengthen leadership readiness and succession depth across the enterprise. The role requires expertise in executive assessment tools such as Hogan or similar methodologies and a demonstrated ability to coach and influence leaders at the highest levels of the organization. All job duties and responsibilities must be carried out in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Requirements

Experienced user of leadership assessment methodologies, including Hogan assessments or other personality and leadership potential assessments.
Strong consulting, facilitation, and relationship management skills with the ability to influence executive stakeholders.
Strong analytical skills with experience utilizing talent metrics and organizational insights to guide decisions.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and lead through ambiguity in a dynamic environment.
Bachelor's degree required.
10+ years of progressive experience in talent management, leadership development, executive development, organizational effectiveness, or related discipline.
Proven experience coaching executives and senior leaders.
Experience designing innovative leadership development strategies and programs that drive measurable business impact.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Organizational Development, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
Training or certification in executive coaching, leadership coaching, or related development methodologies preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the enterprise talent review process, including talent assessment and calibration practices, to evaluate leadership talent, performance, potential, and readiness. Leverage talent insights to identify capability gaps and inform succession planning, leadership development, and strategic talent decisions.
Lead succession planning for executive, senior leadership, and critical business roles by assessing bench strength, identifying talent risks and gaps, and implementing strategies that strengthen leadership readiness and organizational continuity. Monitor succession metrics and talent trends to support workforce planning and leadership pipeline development.
Provide strategic oversight for executive, officer, and high-potential talent development programs, serving as a trusted advisor and coach to senior leaders. Leverage assessments and feedback to enhance leadership effectiveness and guide development planning for key talent and succession candidates.
Design and implement innovative, scalable leadership development experiences, including leadership academies, mentoring, stretch assignments, executive education, and experiential learning opportunities.
Leverage talent analytics and insights to assess leadership readiness, succession health, bench strength, talent mobility, and program effectiveness. Translate data into actionable recommendations and executive reporting that inform talent and workforce planning decisions.
Manage partnerships with external coaches, assessment providers, and leadership development partners to deliver effective talent solutions. Evaluate emerging practices and AI-enabled capabilities to ensure alignment with business priorities and talent strategy.
Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leaders and HR Business Partners on leadership effectiveness, talent readiness, succession planning, and organizational capability. Facilitate talent and succession discussions while supporting workforce planning, organizational change, and leadership development.