Leadership Academy Program Manager

Flow Control Group•Charlotte, NC

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Leadership Academy Program Manager owns the design, build, delivery, and measurement of the FCG Leadership Academy: the enterprise development architecture for every tier of leader at Flow Control Group, from Emerging Leaders and Frontline Managers through Mid-Level Leaders, Senior Leaders, and Executives. This role is central to FCG's enterprise talent strategy and to building a strong internal leadership bench. The output within the first 12 months is leadership pathways identified at all five levels, implemented for the first three, and connected to performance management, individual development plans, and succession so that program participation translates into validated leadership readiness. FCG expects roughly half of its value creation over the strategy horizon to come from organic growth, and that growth depends on leaders who can run larger businesses, develop their people, and execute across brands. With more than 100 operating companies and roughly 700 hiring managers, leadership capability today varies widely by business. Valuable leadership programs already exist, but they are not yet connected into one progression. This role builds that progression and expands the current programs into a robust and comprehensive leadership growth pathway: a common leadership core, clear expectations at each tier, and development experiences that prepare people for the next role before they are in it. This is not a training catalog role. Success is measured in readiness, internal fill, promotion, and retention of leaders, not course counts. Content design is executed in partnership with the Instructional Designer & Curriculum Developer and the Manager, Learning & Development; this role owns leadership architecture, readiness standards, program delivery, facilitator and vendor management, and measurement. The Academy sets enterprise standards while respecting FCG's entrepreneurial, brand-led culture: what must be consistent is consistent, and what should be local stays local.

Requirements

7+ years in leadership development, talent management, or organizational development, including at least 3 years designing and running multi-level leadership programs in a multi-site or decentralized organization
Track record of building a leadership program from a partial foundation, with measured outcomes in readiness, promotion, or retention rather than completion alone
Experience integrating leadership development with succession planning, talent review and nine box calibration, and individual development plans
Strong facilitation skills with audiences ranging from new frontline supervisors to senior executives
Program management discipline across budgets, vendors, and multi-cohort logistics
Data literacy: able to build program measures and present outcomes to HR and executive leadership
Bachelor's degree in HR, organizational development, industrial and organizational psychology, business, or a related field

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in organizational development, I/O psychology, HR, or an MBA
Certification in leadership assessment and 360 tools (Hogan, DiSC, EQ-i 2.0, CliftonStrengths, or comparable)
Experience with established leadership frameworks and providers (DDI, Center for Creative Leadership, Korn Ferry, FranklinCovey, or comparable) and the judgment to decide when to build versus buy
Experience in industrial distribution, manufacturing, field service, or an acquisitive, multi-brand environment, including integrating leaders from acquired companies
Coaching credential (ICF ACC or PCC)
Experience with LMS and HRIS platforms (Dayforce or comparable) and AI-enabled learning tools

Responsibilities

Design and maintain the five-tier leadership architecture (Emerging Leaders, Frontline Managers, Mid-Level Leaders, Senior Leaders, Executives), defining for each tier the audience, entry criteria, expected behaviors and competencies, core experiences, and readiness indicators for the next level
Build an FCG leadership success profile that reflects company values, the Everyone is an Owner mindset, and the capabilities the strategy requires
Sequence implementation to plan: Emerging Leader, Frontline Manager, and Mid-Level Leader pathways implemented within six months, Senior Leader and Executive pathways within twelve months.
Design each pathway around a blend of formal learning, on-the-job experiences (stretch assignments, rotations, action learning), and relationships (coaching, mentoring, sponsorship).
Define the manager fundamentals baseline required of every people leader: performance management, coaching and feedback, hiring and selection, employee relations basics in partnership with HRBPs, business and executive leaders.
Build a first-time manager transition program for the first 90 days in a people leadership role, including technicians and sellers stepping into leadership
Launch and operate cohort-based programs for each tier, with nominations drawn from Talent Review and succession outputs rather than self-selection alone
Facilitate selected sessions directly; recruit and prepare internal facilitators and executive faculty; manage external facilitators where they add value
Evolve the Brand Leadership Accelerator into a multi-year development cadence within the Academy architecture
Coordinate with the Sales Training Program Manager on the Sales Leadership Accelerator: the Leadership Academy owns the leadership core, and Sales Training owns sales-specific content
Build action learning projects around real FCG strategic business priorities, so participants develop while producing visible business value
Deliver at scale across a distributed footprint through virtual, regional, and blended formats, using FCG University as the platform
Partner with the VP, Workforce Development and the FCG Executive team to define behavioral and experience-based readiness standards and the evidence required for a Ready Now designation in leadership roles
Ensure every designated successor and high-potential leader has an active individual development plan connected to Academy experiences, supporting the 85% IDP completion target
Provide program evidence (assessments, 360 feedback, completion, project outcomes) into Talent Review calibration so Ready Now counts reflect validated readiness, not names in boxes
Support quarterly succession reviews by tracking leader movement, readiness gaps, and development actions by Operating Group
Design mentoring and sponsorship programs for high-potential leaders and partner with HRBPs to monitor high-potential retention risk
Evaluate programs at four levels: participant reaction, learning, on-the-job behavior change, and business results
Track and report: participation and completion by tier, IDP completion, behavior change from 360 or pulse feedback, promotion rate of program participants, internal fill rate for leadership roles, contribution to validated Ready Now coverage, high-potential retention, and Manager Engagement Mean Index trend as a contributing signal
Report progress to executive leadership on a regular cadence, including quarterly talent and workforce intelligence reviews
Build the business case for scaling the Academy using staged investment gates: expand only the programs that show adoption, stronger readiness, and increased internal movement
Partner with Operating Group and Technology Group leaders, HRBPs, and the executive sponsor to secure nominations, leader time, and accountability for development actions
Evaluate build versus buy for each tier; select and manage leadership development, assessment, and coaching providers against clear quality and cost standards
Own the Academy budget, including cost per participant and return on investment
Lead change management and communications so leaders understand what is expected at each tier and how the Academy connects to their career
Coordinate with the Service Technician Academy and Sales Training Program Managers so technical and commercial career paths connect cleanly into the Emerging Leader tier