Sr Director, Talent Development

Open Text Corporation•Waterloo, ON

11d

About The Position

This is a foundational enterprise leadership role responsible for building and scaling OpenText’s leadership development capability globally. Reporting directly to the VP, Global Talent Acquisition & Leadership Development, this role serves as the strategic and operational connector between succession planning, leadership capability development, workforce planning, and enterprise talent governance. This is not a traditional Learning & Development role. This leader will translate enterprise talent intelligence — succession risks, pipeline gaps, bench strength data, and build-versus-buy decisions — into actionable leadership development strategies that strengthen the future leadership pipeline across OpenText. The ideal candidate brings a systems-thinking mindset, strong executive presence, and deep experience operating within complex, matrixed global organizations. This role requires the ability to influence across functions and regions without direct authority while building scalable frameworks, governance models, and enterprise-wide development strategies from the ground up.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in Leadership Development, Talent Management, Organizational Development, or related HR disciplines
Significant experience operating within large, global, matrixed organizations
Proven success building enterprise-wide leadership or talent capabilities from the ground up
Strong experience connecting succession planning, talent intelligence, and workforce strategy to development execution
Experience partnering closely with HR Business Partners and executive leadership teams
Familiarity with talent frameworks and methodologies including succession planning, competency models, integrated talent management, and leadership assessment practices

Nice To Haves

Background in enterprise software, technology, or similarly complex industries strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Lead the design and execution of OpenText’s enterprise leadership development strategy aligned to the Integrated Talent Management (ITM) framework and broader people strategy
Translate succession planning insights, pipeline risks, and workforce data into targeted leadership development priorities and interventions
Drive enterprise capability-building strategies focused on strengthening bench depth and leadership readiness globally
Partner with HR and business leaders to align leadership development investments with strategic business priorities and future workforce needs
Establish scalable development models leveraging experiential learning, stretch assignments, coaching, mentoring, and executive development programs
Partner closely with Talent Management, HRBPs, and Learning teams to operationalize the OpenText leadership competency framework
Build capability-to-pipeline mapping processes that connect leadership gaps to targeted development actions
Identify enterprise-critical leadership capabilities and future leadership risk areas
Develop and maintain leadership bench strength metrics and succession-readiness insights for HR senior leadership reviews
Support build, buy, and develop talent strategies through data-driven workforce and capability analysis
Establish governance processes that connect succession planning, leadership development, workforce planning, and talent analytics into an integrated operating model
Lead cross-functional talent governance reviews and enterprise leadership development planning sessions
Create KPI frameworks and reporting mechanisms that measure leadership pipeline health, development effectiveness, and succession readiness
Drive alignment across HR Centers of Excellence, HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, and Learning functions globally
Ensure leadership development initiatives are integrated into broader enterprise talent priorities and not managed in isolation
Serve as a strategic advisor to HR Business Partners and senior business leaders on leadership capability and succession development priorities
Partner with HRBPs to embed leadership development into business planning, organizational design, and succession conversations
Equip HR teams with tools, frameworks, and guidance to support meaningful leadership and career development discussions
Identify systemic capability gaps requiring enterprise-level solutions and influence action across the organization
Collaborate with Strategic Workforce Planning teams to align leadership capability development with long-term workforce demand forecasts
Partner with Learning & Development leaders to ensure programs and investments are aligned to enterprise capability priorities
Influence future development programming based on pipeline urgency, succession risk, and evolving business needs
Support enterprise transformation initiatives through scalable leadership capability strategies
Oversee leadership development vendor strategy including executive coaching, assessment tools, external leadership programs, and executive education partnerships
Evaluate and curate external partners aligned to the OpenText leadership philosophy and enterprise priorities
Monitor industry trends and emerging leadership development practices to continuously evolve OpenText’s leadership capability strategy
Support executive leadership development initiatives for senior leaders globally