Director Early Career Development

Tyson Foods, Inc.•Springdale, AR

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Early Career Development is responsible for creating and leading Tyson Foods’ enterprise early career talent strategy, including university recruiting, internship programs, rotational development experiences, and early career talent acceleration initiatives. This role owns the end-to-end early talent lifecycle—from identifying and attracting top university talent through successful integration into enterprise talent, leadership development, and succession pipelines. The Director serves as a strategic talent leader responsible for building Tyson Foods’ future leadership bench.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Education, Psychology, or related field.
10+ years of progressive experience in Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Organizational Effectiveness, Workforce Planning, or related disciplines
Experience designing and leading enterprise talent, leadership development, or workforce programs
Experience managing large-scale cross-functional initiatives across multiple business units
Experience partnering with senior leaders and HR Business Partners to address strategic talent needs
Demonstrated people leadership experience
Strategic talent management and workforce planning expertise
Deep understanding of leadership development, succession planning, and high-potential identification practices
Ability to design and scale enterprise-wide talent programs and experiences
Exceptional stakeholder management and executive influencing skills
Strong consulting, facilitation, presentation, and communication capabilities
Ability to balance immediate business staffing needs with long-term enterprise talent objectives
Experience utilizing talent analytics, workforce metrics, and succession data to drive decision-making
Strong project management, change management, and program management capabilities
Ability to build new capabilities, programs, and operating models from inception
Demonstrated ability to partner effectively across Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partners, and business leadership teams
Responsible for leading a team of university recruiting and early career program professionals. Initial team size expected to be small with anticipated growth as the capability scales.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Organizational Development, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, or related discipline.
Experience leading university recruiting, internship, rotational, or early career development programs
Experience building leadership pipelines, succession programs, or high-potential development initiatives
Experience within a large, complex, multi-site organization
Experience utilizing talent analytics and workforce data to drive business and talent outcomes
Professional certifications in Human Resources, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Organizational Development, or related disciplines preferred

Responsibilities

Develop and execute an enterprise-wide early career talent strategy aligned with Tyson Foods’ long-term business, workforce, and leadership pipeline needs
Design, implement, and continuously improve internship, rotational, and early career development programs across all business units and corporate function
Lead university recruiting strategy and oversee the identification, attraction, assessment, selection, and conversion of top undergraduate, graduate, and MBA talent
Establish frameworks, standards, and assessment methodologies to identify high-potential early career talent with future enterprise leadership potential
Partner with HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, business leaders, and Talent Management teams to align early career programs with critical talent and succession priorities
Create developmental experiences, rotational assignments, mentoring opportunities, and learning pathways that accelerate participant growth and enterprise capability
Monitor and analyze talent outcomes including offer acceptance rates, conversion rates, retention, promotion velocity, and progression into leadership pipelines
Serve as the enterprise owner of the early career talent lifecycle, ensuring participants successfully transition into broader talent management, leadership development, and succession processes
Build governance, operating models, reporting mechanisms, and executive updates that demonstrate program effectiveness and return on investment
Lead, develop, and scale a high-performing early career development team while fostering strong partnerships across the organization