Managing Director. Talent Development, Organizational Effectiveness. and Culture (M3)

Save the Children

For over 100 years, Save the Children has been fighting for the rights of children. The right to a healthy start in life. To have access to education. To be in a safe environment, protected from harm. We work in some of the world's hardest-to-reach places - over 100 countries, including the U.S. No matter what your role is, when you join Save the Children, you're creating positive, irreversible change for children, and the future we all share.

The Role

As the Managing Director, Talent Development, Organizational Effectiveness, and Culture, you'll be integral to our work in helping vulnerable children achieve a brighter future. This role is responsible for leading and driving the organization's talent development strategy, enhancing organizational performance, and fostering a high-performance culture. This senior leadership role oversees initiatives related to talent management, leadership development, employee engagement, and organizational effectiveness, ensuring alignment with business goals. The Managing Director will partner with key stakeholders to implement best practices in talent strategy, performance management, and culture transformation. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of organizational dynamics, change management, and talent strategies, with a proven track record in leading cross-functional teams and driving results at the executive level.

This role reports directly to the Chief People Officer and is critical in shaping our organization's culture and creating a culture of learning. The ideal leader will be responsible for employee and leader development, creating and implementing a leadership framework that supports the organization's focus on enhancing leadership capabilities, leading the succession planning strategy and continuously building on our talent strategy. This forward-thinking leader will strengthen the HR partnership with the business to achieve the strategic priorities and operational objectives of the Agency and to promote and drive HR service delivery excellence.

Location

Hybrid - Washington DC, Fairfield, CT or Lexington, KY office locations

What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

*not inclusive of all role responsibilities. May be subject to change

Talent Management (25%)

• Lead the design and execution of talent development programs that align with organizational objectives, with a strong focus on leadership development, succession planning, and career progression.
• Develop and oversee strategies to attract, retain, and nurture high-potential talent, creating a sustainable succession pipeline for critical roles and future leaders.
• Implement performance management systems and programs that ensure consistent development, feedback, and alignment with organizational goals.
• Lead initiatives to enhance critical skill capabilities across the organization, including identifying and supporting high-potential candidates, fostering career development, and cultivating future leaders.

Culture and Engagement (25%)

• Design and implement initiatives that align with and reinforce the company's values, mission, and cultural vision.
• Assess the current organizational culture, identifying areas for growth and improvement, and implementing strategies to address these gaps.
• Foster an inclusive, positive, and engaging work environment that reflects the organization's core values and encourages high employee morale and motivation.
• Lead employee engagement efforts, including surveys, feedback programs, and team-building activities to enhance team cohesion and ensure alignment with organizational objectives.
• Ensure clear and consistent communication strategies to inform employees and make them feel connected to the organization's goals.
• Develop and utilize KPIs and metrics to assess engagement levels, cultural alignment, and organizational climate.

Development Programs (Employee and Leader) (25%)

• Identify and create training programs that support leadership development, focusing on skill gaps and building competencies needed for effective management.
• Drive the implementation of a learning culture strategy, including career mobility and talent development programs to retain and engage employees.
• Lead the design, development, and administration of high-impact, best-in-class internal development programs such as the Manager Essentials Series, CORE, Senior Management Development Programs, and Leadership Development Programs.
• Facilitate leadership assessments, coaching, and mentoring to promote a culture of continuous learning, feedback, and performance improvement.

Organizational Effectiveness (15%)

• Lead initiatives to improve organizational performance by optimizing business processes, enhancing collaboration, and ensuring strategic alignment between talent management and organizational goals.
• Drive the design and implementation of strategies to enhance organizational structure, processes, and practices that align with the company's objectives.
• Use data-driven insights to assess team dynamics, organizational workflows, and overall business needs, designing solutions that enhance efficiency and performance.
• Champion the organization's adaptation to changing work environments (hybrid/remote work), using data-driven approaches to optimize workforce planning and development.
• Lead change management and transformation initiatives, ensuring the successful adoption of tools and practices designed to enhance the organizational culture and improve overall performance.

Leadership and Team Management (10%)

• Lead, mentor, and guide the Talent Development Team, providing continuous performance feedback, development opportunities, and support for individual and team goals.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the department, ensuring high levels of employee engagement and team effectiveness.
• Cultivate strong relationships with cross-functional stakeholders, ensuring alignment between talent development strategies and broader organizational goals.
• Provide coaching and development for team members, ensuring they are aligned with the organization's priorities and are equipped to contribute effectively.
• Work closely with the senior leadership team and department heads to align operations and talent strategies with corporate and global initiatives, ensuring the team's work supports the overall mission of the organization.
• Train, develop, coach, lead, and supervise staff, clearly communicating organization, division and department priorities, and how their work contributes to our mission, ensuring that the working environment continually fosters diversity, inclusion, and belonging - supporting Save the Children values.

Required qualifications for the role

• Minimum of a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 10 years of relevant experience, including 7 years of leadership experience.
• Proven experience within the talent / learning area of a complex, international, multi-location organization.
• Experience in connecting learning platforms and building comprehensive development strategies for employees including leadership development.
• Demonstrated ability to enhance operational efficiencies.
• Budget management experience with a keen focus on recognizing and implementing efficiencies.
• Experience influencing organizational culture and leading change initiatives.
• Shown ability to champion employee engagement and build strategies that connect leaders to continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated sound analytical ability, good judgment, and strategic planning skills.
• Proven ability to maintain a high degree of confidentiality and professionalism around sensitive information.
• Demonstrated conflict resolution and facilitation skills.
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred qualifications for the role

• Advanced degree.
• Exposure to a non-profit setting.
• Professional certification (CCP, CBP, HRCI or SHRM).

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:

• Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $131,750 - $147,250 base salary
• Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $119,850 - $133,950 base salary
• Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $107,950 - $120,650 base salary

The salary ranges listed above are for US based candidates. For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges will be based on the salary scales of the local employer of record. Actual base salary may vary based on, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location (more information on job structure is available here).

About Us

We are looking to build a diverse, equitable and inclusive team at Save the Children. We offer a range of outstanding benefits to support this goal:

• Flexible schedules and time off: Flexible schedules, generous PTO, 11 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays and hybrid working opportunities
• Health: Competitive health care, dental and vision coverage for you and your family
• Family: A variety of paid leaves: caregiver, parental/adoption, critical child illness and fertility benefits
• Employee Rewards Program: Annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees
• Retirement: A retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)
• Wellness: 15 safety and wellness days annually (if hired on or after July 1, safety and wellness days prorated to 8 days), mental health benefits and support through Calm and company-hosted events
• Employee Assistance Program: free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services
• Learning & Growth: Access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in you.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

If you require disability assistance with the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to applicantsupport@savechildren.org.