Director, Inclusive Culture- Strategic Partnerships & Programs
About The Position
This is a delivery-focused leadership role responsible for ensuring that Nationwide’s inclusive culture strategy is executed effectively, consistently, and at scale. The role operationalizes the inclusive culture and partnership strategy established by the Senior AVP, ensuring consistent execution across the enterprise. It integrates external partnerships with internal priorities across HR, Talent Acquisition, Marketing, ARGs, and Business Units. The Director acts as a people leader, enterprise integrator, and external facing execution leader, ensuring that partnerships, programming, and recognition efforts are aligned to business priorities, deliver return on investment, and reinforce Nationwide’s reputation as an inclusive employer of choice. Success in this role is defined by the ability to translate strategy into disciplined execution at scale within a highly cross-functional and visible environment. This leader ensures that Nationwide’s inclusive culture strategy is effectively operationalized and consistently delivered, bringing clarity, structure, and measurable impact to complex work.
Requirements
- Undergraduate degree in human resources, multicultural or diversity studies, business, marketing, or a related field.
- Master’s degree strongly preferred.
- Typically, ten or more years of progressively responsible experience developing and delivering inclusion, culture, belonging, branding, or strategic partnership programs in a large, complex organization, preferably a Fortune 500 company.
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives, managing external partnerships or sponsorships, and delivering large-scale programming and events is required.
- Deep knowledge of inclusion and belonging principles, inclusive culture strategies, and enterprise programming that drive engagement, talent, and reputation outcomes.
- Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment while leading multiple, high-impact initiatives with clarity, focus, and alignment to strategy.
- Strong capabilities in strategic planning, program and event design, execution, and evaluation, including the use of metrics, dashboards, and ROI analysis.
- Proven ability to build and manage strategic partnerships, including governance, contract and vendor management, and resource optimization.
- Excellent communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively with senior leaders, associates, and external partners.
- Strong data analysis, insight generation, and consulting skills to translate complex information into clear recommendations and action plans.
- Thorough understanding of federal and state employment laws and regulations; knowledge of the insurance and financial services industry preferred.
- Operates as a connector across complex stakeholder environments
- Demonstrates strong judgment, influence, and execution discipline
- Leads with inclusion, clarity, and accountability
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree strongly preferred.
- knowledge of the insurance and financial services industry preferred.
Responsibilities
- Operationalize inclusive culture and partnership strategy established by the Senior AVP, ensuring consistent execution across the enterprise
- Integrate external partnerships with internal priorities across HR, Talent Acquisition, Marketing, ARGs, and Business Units
- Serve as the primary owner of execution plans, timelines, and delivery for strategic partnerships and inclusive programming
- Manage the day-to-day health, performance, and activation of assigned strategic partnerships
- Implement and maintain a structured partnership lifecycle (evaluation, activation, optimization, sunsetting)
- Ensure compliance with enterprise governance standards, contracts, and financial controls
- Escalate strategic, reputational, or investment decisions to the Senior AVP as appropriate
- Oversee planning and delivery of inclusive culture programming, events, sponsorships, awards, and experiential activations
- Ensure programming drives engagement, connection, and meaningful associate and leader participation
- Coordinate executive involvement in key moments while maintaining operational ownership of delivery
- Own operational metrics, dashboards, and reporting related to partnerships, programming, and ROI
- Analyze performance data and trends to inform recommendations to senior leadership
- Support external survey submissions, recognition efforts, and benchmarking activities from an execution and data standpoint
- Lead, develop, and coach a team of consultants responsible for partnership execution and program delivery
- Set priorities, manage capacity, and ensure accountability and consistency across workstreams
- Manage budgets, forecasts, invoice approvals, and vendor relationships tied to partnerships and programs
- Represent Nationwide in external forums, events, and partner engagements aligned to execution and relationship management
- Partner with Marketing and Communications to amplify initiatives internally and externally
- Build strong, trust-based relationships with internal stakeholders and external partners
- Identify tools, technologies, and best practices that improve scalability, efficiency, and impact
- Monitor industry and marketplace trends to continuously elevate the partnership and program model
Benefits
- medical/dental/vision
- life insurance
- short and long term disability coverage
- paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date
- nine paid holidays
- 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off
- 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off
- 401(k) with company match
- company-paid pension plan
- business casual attire
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
