Director, Talent - Talent Management

MERGE•St. Louis, MO

6h•$110,000 - $120,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Talent – Talent Management owns execution and continuous improvement of MERGE’s core Talent Management programs and oversees operating discipline across the broader Talent roadmap. This hands-on role leads day-to-day delivery of performance management, talent reviews, employee relations and employee programs, while ensuring broader Talent initiatives have clear ownership, milestones and visibility. The role also develops working familiarity with payroll to provide continuity support during coverage gaps. The Director manages performance management cycles, talent reviews, assessments, systems, communications, training and follow-through; maintains Talent toolkits and process documentation; and provides reporting and recommendations to Talent leadership. The role serves as a resource for managers and employees on employee relations and performance matters, managing routine and moderately complex cases, escalating sensitive issues appropriately, and supporting workforce changes and organizational restructurings. The position owns the integrated Talent roadmap, operating calendar and portfolio-management cadence. It establishes plans, owners, milestones, dependencies and deadlines; monitors risks and competing priorities; manages assigned cross-functional initiatives; and reports progress to Talent leadership. It also supports payroll continuity through cross-training and hands-on coverage when needed, maintains relevant procedures and controls, supports compliance and audits, and mentors junior Talent team members. The role is hybrid, with priority for candidates in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Raleigh and St. Louis. U.S.-based remote candidates may also be considered where fully remote is an option. Travel to a MERGE hub may be required for business needs. The salary range is $110,000–$120,000. Applicants must have U.S. work authorization that does not now or in the future require visa sponsorship.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive HR experience.
Significant hands-on experience executing and operationalizing performance management, talent reviews and employee programs.
Demonstrated experience managing complex cross-functional projects and organizational roadmaps.
Strong employee relations judgment and working knowledge of employment law and regulatory requirements.
Proven success building scalable processes, SOPs, controls and operating rhythms.
Experience supporting payroll processes and working knowledge of payroll controls.
Strong leadership, critical-thinking, problem-solving and stakeholder-management skills.
Ability to work independently, make sound decisions, and distinguish matters to resolve directly from those requiring escalation.
Exceptional attention to detail, follow-through, and written and verbal communication skills.
Advanced proficiency with HRIS and performance-management systems, Google Workspace, and people reporting and analytics.
U.S. work authorization that does not now or in the future require visa sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Experience in an agency, technology company or fast-paced professional services environment.
ADP experience is strongly preferred.
Hybrid candidates in Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; Kansas City, MO; Raleigh, NC; and St. Louis, MO are prioritized.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end execution of performance management cycles, including planning, goal setting, talent reviews, assessments, systems, communications, training and follow-through.
Develop project plans, establish ownership, and manage timelines, dependencies and risks.
Ensure leaders and employees understand Talent processes, expectations and required actions.
Maintain and improve Talent Management toolkits, workflows, templates and process documentation.
Monitor completion, exceptions and recurring challenges, and provide Talent leadership with concise reporting and recommendations.
Own offboarding processes, including exit interviews, documentation, reporting and identification of recurring themes.
Partner with Talent leadership to operationalize new or updated agency programs.
Serve as a primary resource to managers and employees on employee relations and performance matters.
Manage routine and moderately complex employee relations matters, escalating sensitive or high-risk issues appropriately.
Guide managers through employee concerns, documentation, coaching and performance development plans.
Address employee matters promptly and consistently in accordance with company practices and applicable employment requirements.
Coordinate processes, documentation, communications and follow-through for workforce changes and organizational restructurings.
Maintain complete, accurate and appropriately confidential employee relations records.
Identify recurring themes, organizational risks and manager-practice gaps, and recommend action.
Own the integrated Talent roadmap, operating calendar and portfolio-management cadence across Talent functions.
Translate priorities into project plans with owners, milestones, dependencies, decisions and deadlines.
Hold initiative owners accountable for timely execution while ensuring functional leaders retain ownership of their deliverables and outcomes.
Identify risks, resource constraints and competing priorities, escalating issues requiring leadership decisions.
Project-manage priority cross-functional initiatives as assigned.
Provide Talent leadership with regular reporting on progress, risks, decisions and next steps.
Document completed initiatives and transition them into ongoing operations.
Cross-train on payroll and provide continuity support during planned or unexpected gaps in primary payroll coverage.
Maintain working knowledge of payroll timelines, controls and ADP processes to provide hands-on support when needed.
Partner with the primary payroll owner and internal stakeholders to ensure payroll remains accurate and on schedule during coverage periods.
Create and maintain SOPs, controls and cross-training plans to reduce key-person dependency across critical Talent processes.
Mentor junior Talent team members and reinforce accountability, accuracy, responsiveness and open communication.
Support compliance requirements, audits and reporting by maintaining documentation, tracking deadlines and driving follow-through.
Partner across Talent, Finance, Legal, Operations and agency leadership to resolve issues and move work forward.