Senior Manager, Talent Management and Leadership Development

Novolex•Lake Forest, IL

4d•$145,000 - $165,000

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Talent Management and Leadership Development is accountable for enterprise talent management and leadership development processes that build leadership capability, strengthen talent pipelines, and enable business performance across Novolex. With an approximately equal focus on both disciplines, this role leads the strategy, design, governance, continuous improvement, and center-led delivery of salaried onboarding; talent and performance management cycles; leadership development and center-led programs; and the Emerging Leaders Program for high-potential mid-level managers. The role partners with field and business HR teams that own local execution, uses data and AI-enabled learning approaches to improve impact and scale, facilitates high-value development experiences, manages external vendors, and leads or contributes to cross-functional project teams based on business need.

Requirements

Demonstrated expertise in enterprise talent management and leadership development, with the ability to connect talent practices to business strategy and workforce needs.
Strong program ownership and governance capability, including defining standards, roles, decision rights, timelines, measures, and scalable execution models.
Exceptional facilitation and presentation skills across virtual and in-person settings, with the ability to engage leaders at multiple levels.
Demonstrated ability to evaluate and apply AI-enabled learning tools and emerging talent technologies to improve personalization, access, efficiency, and scale, with sound judgment regarding responsible use, data privacy, governance, and quality.
Ability to interpret qualitative and quantitative data, identify insights, and translate findings into practical recommendations and program improvements.
Proven ability to influence without direct authority and build credibility across a complex, highly matrixed organization.
Strong project, vendor, budget, and change-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple enterprise priorities and escalate risks appropriately.
Excellent written, verbal, consulting, and relationship-management skills, with sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive talent information.
Commitment to inclusive talent practices and to creating development experiences that are accessible, relevant, and equitable.
Bachelor’s degree or country equivalent in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, Education, or a related field; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
8+ years of progressive experience in talent management, leadership development, learning and development, organizational development, or related HR disciplines.
Demonstrated experience owning enterprise talent and performance cycles and designing, governing, and continuously improving leadership development programs.
Demonstrated experience facilitating leadership programs and executive or senior-leader discussions in virtual and in-person environments.
Experience establishing program governance, managing enterprise implementations, and partnering with decentralized teams responsible for execution.
Experience managing external vendors, budgets, contracts, and project deliverables.
Experience using HR, talent, learning, and collaboration technologies; familiarity with AI-enabled learning applications strongly preferred.
Enterprise mindset and business acumen.
Strategic thinking with strong execution discipline.
Consultative partnership and influence.
Clear, engaging facilitation and communication.
Learning agility, innovation, and responsible use of technology.
Collaboration, accountability, and sound judgment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree or relevant certification in talent management, leadership development, facilitation, coaching, instructional design, change management, or project management.
Experience in a large, complex, multi-site, or matrixed organization preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the enterprise salaried onboarding experience, including program design, content, tools, communications, governance, and continuous improvement. Partner with field and business HR teams and hiring leaders to enable consistent local execution and help new hires integrate quickly and effectively into Novolex.
Lead the design, annual planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of enterprise talent and performance processes, including goal setting, performance reviews, talent reviews and calibration, succession planning, and development planning.
Translate enterprise priorities and leadership capability needs into practical, scalable development strategies, curricula, and experiences for leaders at multiple levels. Own the strategy, design, governance, and continuous improvement of the Emerging Leaders Program for high-potential mid-level managers.
Facilitate high-impact virtual and in-person learning experiences; equip internal facilitators; and apply adult-learning, blended-learning, and learner-experience principles to drive adoption and application.
Evaluate and responsibly apply AI-enabled learning tools and digital solutions to personalize development, improve access, increase efficiency, and scale learning while maintaining appropriate governance, data privacy, and quality standards.
Establish program metrics and feedback mechanisms; analyze participation, effectiveness, talent, and business data; and provide clear insights and recommendations to improve outcomes.
Partner with business leaders, HR leaders, field HR, HR technology, communications, and other stakeholders to clarify roles, enable execution, and manage change; select and manage vendors, contracts, budgets, deliverables, and service quality.
Lead cross-functional project teams or serve as a core team member based on business need; create clear plans, milestones, decision rights, risk mitigation, and communications to deliver work on time and within budget.