Talent & Development Specialist

Viasat, Inc.•Carlsbad, CA

About The Position

The Talent & Development Specialist is an individual contributor role responsible for designing, developing, and executing enterprise-wide solutions across talent management, performance development, and learning. Reporting directly to the Sr. Director of Talent, Performance & Development, this role serves as an architect and program owner for high-impact initiatives that build sustainable talent pipelines, streamline performance processes, and deliver modern development experiences. This individual bridges the gap between high-level strategy and technical/operational execution. Operating with deep technical expertise in talent systems, organizational development, and emerging technologies, the Specialist will drive the day-to-day integration of AI, automation, and data-driven insights into our talent processes. They will collaborate closely with HR Partners, business leaders, and technical teams to design future-ready programs that enable employees and leaders to perform and grow.

Requirements

7+ years of progressive experience designing and executing enterprise talent management, performance, and/or learning and development programs in a complex, high-tech environment.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Human Resources, I-O Psychology, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
Strong foundational knowledge of Industrial-Organizational (I-O) psychology principles, organizational effectiveness, and leadership competency models.
Proven experience implementing or optimizing modern HR technology, talent analytics platforms, or AI-enabled HR tools to improve the employee experience.
Exceptional project and program management skills with a demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives from strategy and design through implementation, adoption, and continuous improvement. Proven track record of translating conceptual talent strategies into scalable solutions, managing multiple priorities simultaneously, establishing clear project governance, mitigating risks, and delivering results on time and with high quality.
Exceptional ability to engage, influence, and align diverse stakeholder groups, fostering inclusive participation and collaboration from project inception through execution and sustainment. Skilled at navigating competing priorities, building consensus, managing change impacts, and driving organization-wide adoption of talent initiatives.
US Citizenship is required for this position.

Nice To Haves

Change Management: Prosci Certified Change Practitioner or equivalent.
Human Resources: SHRM-SCP or SPHR.
Project Management: PMP or Agile/Scrum certifications (e.g., PMI-ACP, Certified ScrumMaster).
Applied Assessment Expertise: Hands-on experience designing, validating, or implementing proprietary 360-degree feedback tools, cognitive/personality assessments, or custom leadership competency models (rather than just administering off-the-shelf solutions).

Responsibilities

Execute the Talent Roadmap: Act as a program designer and driver for the enterprise Performance, Development, and Reward (PDR) cycle, continuously simplifying and improving the process globally in partnership with Reward and Systems teams.
Design & Facilitate Talent Reviews: Build and run the operational frameworks for enterprise Talent Reviews, succession planning, high-potential tracking, and critical role identification.
Embed Career Pathing: Define, implement, and maintain scalable career pathing frameworks and pipeline strategies to enhance internal mobility and employee growth.
Enable the Matrix: Build strong, collaborative relationships with Talent Partners to provide them with the enablement toolkits, training, and processes needed to ensure global execution consistency.
Executive Talent Connection: Partner with the Executive Talent COE to ensure seamless handoffs and integration between enterprise talent processes and executive-level strategies.
Build Leadership Programs: Design, curate, and scale leadership development initiatives, cohort experiences, and modern online resource libraries (including "Role of the People Leader" programs).
Operationalize Competency Frameworks: Evolve and integrate the Leader Competency Framework into core talent processes so it actively guides recruitment, development, and performance management.
Skills & Capabilities Framework: Maintain and scale an enterprise skills and capabilities framework that defines future-ready skills, using it to directly inform talent, development, and succession plans.
Translate Needs into Learning: Coordinate enterprise learning demand planning and translate development needs identified in talent reviews into targeted learning bootcamps, self-directed pathways, and mentoring programs.
Measure Business Impact: Establish evaluation, reporting, and governance mechanisms to ensure learning and talent investments deliver clear, data-validated business outcomes.
Adopt an AI-First Design Mindset: Redesign existing talent, performance, and learning programs to streamline workflows, automating administrative friction for employees and managers.
Translate the Tech Roadmap: Serve as a key functional analyst on the talent technology and AI roadmap, partnering with HR Systems, IT, and vendors to implement automated solutions.
Leverage Behavioral Analytics: Apply people analytics, psychometrics, and data-validated evaluation methodologies to improve organizational decision-making and measure program effectiveness.