Manager, Talent Programs

Job Summary

The Talent Programs Manager designs, delivers, and continuously improves talent programs that help Day & Zimmermann build a high-performance culture and create a clear, effective employee experience. This role leads program strategy and execution across all performance cycles, continuous listening, employee engagement, and related talent experiences.

This role uses data, user feedback, and critical thinking to identify friction, challenge unnecessary complexity, prioritize enhancements, and tell a clear story about what should change and why.

Responsibilities

• Maintain the roadmap and continuous-improvement initiatives for talent programs. Use business priorities, employee and manager feedback, data, and cycle retrospectives to identify and prioritize enhancements, then lead cross-functional initiatives through planning, implementation, adoption, and post-launch review. 30%
• Plan and deliver goal setting, review cycles, continuous listening, and employee engagement programs, including timelines, communications, training, enablement, action planning, and stakeholder coordination. Serve as a thought partner to HRBPs and leaders on program intent, expectations, and adoption. 25%
• Serve as the functional owner for SuccessFactors Performance & Goals and related talent program experiences. Translate business and user needs into clear system requirements; partner with HR Technology on configuration, reporting, testing, automation, and release decisions; and ensure system behavior supports program intent. 15%
• Use survey, adoption, program, and operational data to identify patterns, root causes, opportunities, and risks. Build concise, audience-appropriate stories and recommendations for HR and business leaders, and establish measures to evaluate whether changes improve the manager and employee experience. 15%
• Challenge processes, simplify guidance and forms, identify opportunities for automation, and balance usability, compliance, data integrity, and system constraints. Create practical resources that help managers and employees apply effective performance and development practices. 10%
• Partner effectively across HR, Corporate Communications, IT, Learning & Organizational Development, Compensation, vendors, and business leaders to deliver consistent talent programs connected to D&Z’s culture, values, and priorities. 5%

KSAs (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Experience leading performance management, employee engagement, engagement surveys, and related talent practices, with enough broader HR knowledge to connect programs across the employee lifecycle. Experience with SuccessFactors or a comparable HR/talent platform strongly preferred.
• Strategic program thinking with the ability to connect talent practices to business priorities and employee experience. Experience translating business needs into system requirements, leading user acceptance testing, managing vendors, implementing process improvements, or supporting HR technology enhancements.
• Strong program and project management skills, including planning, prioritization, risk management, stakeholder alignment, and execution.
• Comfort using SAP SuccessFactors or a comparable HR/talent platform; ability to understand capabilities and constraints and translate program needs into system requirements.
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, including interpreting survey, adoption, and operational data; identifying root causes; and telling a clear story with recommendations.
• Curiosity and a continuous-improvement mindset, including the willingness to question existing processes, simplify the user experience, and pursue practical automation.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messages for HRBPs, leaders, managers, employees, and technical partners.
• Sound judgment and comfort navigating ambiguity, competing priorities, tradeoffs, and evolving requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Arts/Sciences (BA/BS) in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, Psychology, or a related field or equivalent experience Required
• Master’s degree in Arts/Sciences (MA/MS) Preferred
• 5+ years of experience in Human Resources, with 3 to 5 years in talent management, performance management, employee engagement, employee listening, HR technology, people analytics, or a related field. Required

Travel Requirements:

• 20%

Compensation and Benefits

In compliance with this state’s pay transparency laws, the salary range for this role is $91,600 - $137,400. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. (The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements).

We care about our employees and it shows. Our staff receive a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical/Rx, dental and vision coverage; life, AD&D and disability insurance; flexible spending accounts; 100% paid maternity leave for up to 12 weeks, parental leave, family leave, other paid time off; voluntary benefits and discount programs to meet our employees’ individual needs including pet insurance for our furry family members!