Senior Director, Talent Strategies & Workforce Planning at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester

Job description

JOB TITLE Senior Director, Talent Strategies & Workforce Planning LOCATION Worcester DEPARTMENT NAME Talent & Inclusion Division DIVISION NAME Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY Reporting to the Vice President of Talent & Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), the Senior Director, Talent Strategies & Workforce Planning serves as a senior advisor to institutional leaders and leads the Talent Strategy Partner (TSP) team, including two Senior TSPs and a Talent Specialist, in delivering consultative Talent & Inclusion (T&I) solutions to faculty, staff, and union-represented employees across the University. The Senior Director partners with senior leaders to understand unit goals and challenges and to align integrated T&I solutions with institutional strategy, providing guidance on workforce strategy, organizational design, talent planning, and change management in a complex, unionized higher education environment. In addition to leading the team, the role carries its own portfolio of assigned departments and serves as the escalation point for complex employee and labor relations matters, ensuring consistent application of university policies, collective bargaining agreements, and legal requirements. The role coaches and develops TSPs as strategic consultants and drives continuous improvement in the quality and consistency of T&I service delivery. JOB DESCRIPTION Strategic Advisory & Workforce Planning Serve as a senior advisor to assigned deans, department heads, and administrative leaders, aligning integrated T&I solutions with institutional strategy and providing guidance on workforce strategy, organizational design, talent planning, and change management. Partner with units to develop and implement workforce and succession plans that anticipate current and future talent needs. Facilitate talent reviews with leadership teams, assess leadership bench strength with Learning & Development, and identify development opportunities. Analyze workforce, turnover, and talent data to identify trends and barriers to organizational success and recommend proactive solutions that improve organizational effectiveness. Promote a culture of inclusion, accountability, engagement, and continuous improvement across assigned areas. Team Leadership & Development Lead, coach, and develop two Senior TSPs and a Talent Specialist, setting priorities, expectations, and performance goals, and developing TSPs as strategic consultants through case consultation and professional development. Hire, onboard, and evaluate team members. Provide direction, feedback, and support to ensure consistency, quality, and impact of TSP service delivery across the University, including consistent practices, tools, and standards. Assign departments and manage workload and coverage for portfolios and strategic initiatives. Oversee the Talent Specialist's work on front desk operations, I-9 compliance, and administrative support to the TSP team, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant processes. Portfolio Management & Talent Partnership Serve as the primary T&I point of contact for an assigned portfolio of departments, providing consultative guidance to leaders, managers, faculty, and staff, including units with union-represented employees. Develop and execute T&I strategic plans for assigned departments with a focus on talent acquisition, performance management, culture and engagement, and retention initiatives. Partner with Talent Acquisition to develop strategic recruitment plans and with Learning & Development to identify departmental learning needs and develop leadership, manager, and continuous learning opportunities. Build strong working relationships with assigned departments through regular check-ins with leaders, managers, faculty, and staff. Employee & Labor Relations and Policy Compliance Lead and support the TSP team in managing employee relations, including performance management, corrective action, and workplace concerns, with a proactive