Employee Experience, Listening and Talent Frameworks

Principal Financial Group • Des Moines, IA

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for an HR, Employee Experience, Listening and Talent Frameworks lead to join our HR team—someone who is energized by designing worldclass talent experiences and passionate about turning employee insights into meaningful action. In this role, you’ll lead the strategy and execution of employee experience programs, enterprise listening strategies and talent frameworks. Your work will directly influence how employees grow, connect, and thrive at Principal. You'll partner across HR, the business, centers of expertise global locations to ensure talent programming, especially onboarding, orientation, and knowledge management—is cohesive, scalable, and continuously informed by what employees tell us they need most. This is a high impact, highly collaborative role that blends expertise, innovation, and people leadership to elevate Principal’s talent strategy and strengthen our culture of growth, inclusion, and engagement.
You'll have the opportunity to:
Lead Enterprise Employee Listening Strategy
Oversee the enterprise listening strategy, made actionable via employee surveys, pulse checks, and qualitative listening methods
Build clear feedback loops that translate employee insights into meaningful action
Align insights to evolve talent programming and employee experience design
Drive Employee Experience Strategy & Execution
Oversee onboarding, orientation, and ongoing experience touchpoints
Partner closely with HR Operations, Marketing and Technology teams to ensure seamless, employee-centered experiences
Partner with Talent team to ensure platforms, MSS and ESS deliver employee-centered experiences
Design & Advance Enterprise Talent Frameworks
Partner with Talent & Learning Development team, HRBPs, and leaders across the business to design, evolve, and embed enterprise talent frameworks and best practices
Ensure cohesion across all stages of the talent lifecycle—from onboarding to development to succession
Advance Talent Knowledge Management
Ensure talent frameworks, programs, and expectations are easy for leaders and employees to access, understand, and use
Lead & Develop a High-Performing Team
Manage a small team of employee experience and listening professionals
Set clear priorities, build capability, and model disciplined execution
Turn Insights into Strategy
Translate qualitative and quantitative listening insights into prioritized, actionable recommendations
Influence talent investment decisions and enterprise roadmap development
Governance & Continuous Improvement
Establish rhythms, measurement practices, and accountability structures that keep talent practices evolving and improving
Ensure all talent solutions are scalable, inclusive, and aligned to the culture we strive to build
Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years!

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Organizational Development, Business, or related field; advanced degree preferred
• 8+ years of progressive experience across the talent ecosystem (talent strategy, performance, development, succession planning, employee experience, orientation, and insights)
• Deep expertise in designing integrated, enterprise level talent frameworks
• Demonstrated success building employee listening strategies that drive real change
• Ability to translate insights into clear recommendations and measurable outcomes
• Proven people leader skilled in coaching and influencing in a matrixed environment
• Strong executive presence and stakeholder management with excellent analytical, technical, and communication skills

Responsibilities

• Lead Enterprise Employee Listening Strategy
• Oversee the enterprise listening strategy, made actionable via employee surveys, pulse checks, and qualitative listening methods
• Build clear feedback loops that translate employee insights into meaningful action
• Align insights to evolve talent programming and employee experience design
• Drive Employee Experience Strategy & Execution
• Oversee onboarding, orientation, and ongoing experience touchpoints
• Partner closely with HR Operations, Marketing and Technology teams to ensure seamless, employee-centered experiences
• Partner with Talent team to ensure platforms, MSS and ESS deliver employee-centered experiences
• Design & Advance Enterprise Talent Frameworks
• Partner with Talent & Learning Development team, HRBPs, and leaders across the business to design, evolve, and embed enterprise talent frameworks and best practices
• Ensure cohesion across all stages of the talent lifecycle—from onboarding to development to succession
• Advance Talent Knowledge Management
• Ensure talent frameworks, programs, and expectations are easy for leaders and employees to access, understand, and use
• Lead & Develop a High-Performing Team
• Manage a small team of employee experience and listening professionals
• Set clear priorities, build capability, and model disciplined execution
• Turn Insights into Strategy
• Translate qualitative and quantitative listening insights into prioritized, actionable recommendations
• Influence talent investment decisions and enterprise roadmap development
• Governance & Continuous Improvement
• Establish rhythms, measurement practices, and accountability structures that keep talent practices evolving and improving
• Ensure all talent solutions are scalable, inclusive, and aligned to the culture we strive to build

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried (exempt) employees and provides the opportunity to take time away from the office with pay for vacation, personal or short-term illness. Employees don’t accrue a bank of time off under FTO and there is no set number of days provided.
• Pension Eligible

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees