Director, Talent - Talent Management

MERGE•Denver, CO

8h•$110,000 - $120,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Talent – Talent Management owns the execution and continuous improvement of MERGE’s core Talent Management programs and oversees the operating discipline behind the broader Talent roadmap. This is a hands-on role focused on creating structure, anticipating risks, establishing accountability and driving work through completion. The position leads the day-to-day delivery of performance management, talent reviews, employee relations and employee programs, while ensuring broader Talent initiatives have clear owners, milestones and visibility. It also provides payroll continuity support during planned leaves, unexpected absences and other coverage periods. The role partners across Talent, Finance, Legal, Operations and agency leadership; advises managers and employees on employee relations and performance matters; maintains process documentation and reporting; and mentors junior Talent team members. Success requires accurate, consistent delivery of Talent programs, visible roadmaps, sound employee relations practices, dependable process documentation and payroll continuity.

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 between matters to resolve directly and 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.
Applicants for employment in the US must have 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.

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 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 independently, 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, organizational restructurings and other employee actions.
Maintain complete, accurate and appropriately confidential employee relations records.
Identify recurring themes, organizational risks and gaps in manager practice, and recommend appropriate action.
Own the integrated Talent roadmap, operating calendar and portfolio-management cadence across Talent functions.
Translate priorities into project plans with defined owners, milestones, dependencies, decisions and deadlines.
Hold initiative owners accountable for timely execution while ensuring functional leaders retain ownership of deliverables and outcomes.
Identify risks, resource constraints and competing priorities, escalating issues that require 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 effectively into ongoing operations.
Cross-train on payroll processes and provide designated 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 keep payroll 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.