The Director, Talent Development leads talent development strategy, program design, and team management, leveraging AI for modern learning delivery and excellence.
AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.
At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived.
We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.
Director, Talent Development
We are seeking a Director, Talent Development to lead the strategy, design, and scale of learning and talent development programs across AHEAD. Reporting into the VP, Talent & Workforce Transformation, this role serves as the enterprise lead for Talent Development, setting the vision, building scalable infrastructure, and driving program excellence aligned to AHEAD's IMPACT 2027 priorities. The ideal candidate brings deep learning expertise, a client-centric mindset, and the executive presence to influence senior leaders, navigate tough conversations, and earn a seat at the table. A forward-thinking leader who leverages AI and emerging technologies to modernize delivery and unlock new ways of working, this person elevates a high-performing team to drive measurable capability and growth across a diverse, hybrid workforce.
Talent Development Strategy & Leadership
- Set the Vision: Lead the enterprise-wide Talent Development strategy aligned to AHEAD's IMPACT 2027 priorities, driving business capability, workforce readiness, and employee growth.
- Lead the Team: Coach and develop a high-performing team of Talent Development Partners, Learning Experience Designers, and a Learning Technology & Systems Partner, with matrixed management of India-based Talent Development employees.
- Build Scalable Infrastructure: Evolve AHEAD's Talent Development ecosystem, including LMS governance, vendor partnerships, digital learning platforms, and content strategy, to support a growing, high-performance organization.
- Harness AI to Drive Efficiency and Innovation: Leverage AI tools and emerging technologies to streamline Talent Development operations, modernize learning delivery, and identify new ways of working that scale impact without scaling cost.
- Drive Program Excellence: Establish a consistent, repeatable approach to program design, implementation, and evaluation that meets the needs of a diverse, hybrid workforce and delivers measurable business impact.
Stakeholder Management
- Show Up with Executive Presence: Engage senior leaders across the enterprise as a credible, strategic partner, earning a seat at the table and translating learning priorities into business outcomes.
- Have the Hard Conversations: Navigate ambiguity and competing priorities with confidence and candor, challenging assumptions, managing scope, and delivering feedback while maintaining trust.
- Turn Requirements into Results: Intake business requirements from diverse stakeholders, quickly synthesizing competing priorities, context, and constraints into cohesive, high-quality learning solutions that integrate seamlessly across the organization.
- Lead with a Yes-First Mindset: Approach stakeholder needs with a bias toward solutions, bringing a client-centric lens that finds the right path forward without compromising program integrity.
- Build Strategic Relationships: Cultivate high-trust partnerships across ACS leadership, People Business Partners, and functional leaders, positioning Talent Development as an embedded business priority.
- Act as a Trusted Advisor: Anticipate needs, surface insights, and proactively bring recommendations that connect development investments to measurable capability and performance outcomes.
You'll thrive at AHEAD if you:
- Are a self-starter.
- Have a strong sense of collaboration and teamwork.
- Are comfortable with innovation and iteration in a fast-paced environment.
- Are conscientious about the quality and rigor of your deliverables.
Skills / Abilities
- 10+ years of progressive experience in Learning & Development, Talent Development, or Organizational Development; experience in consulting or professional services environments strongly preferred
- Demonstrated executive presence with the ability to engage, influence, and build credibility with ELT, SLT, and senior business leaders; comfortable navigating ambiguity and having direct, courageous conversations
- Deep expertise in adult learning, instructional design, learning operations, and program design, implementation, and evaluation across a diverse, hybrid workforce
- Proven track record managing and developing high-performing teams; experience leading through others and building scalable, high-impact Talent Development functions
- Strong business acumen and a client-centric orientation, approaches stakeholder needs with a bias toward solutions and connects learning investments to measurable business outcomes
- Experience designing and scaling leadership development, high-potential programs, and enterprise-wide learning initiatives
- Fluency with AI tools and emerging technologies and a demonstrated ability to apply them to modernize learning delivery, streamline operations, and unlock new ways of working
- Proficiency with digital learning tools (LMS, Articulate, Rise), vendor management, and change enablement
The compensation range indicated in this posting reflects the On-Target Earnings (“OTE”) for this role, which includes a base salary and any applicable target bonus amount. This OTE range may vary based on the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications, and geographic location.
Why AHEAD:
Through our daily work and internal groups like Moving Women AHEAD and RISE AHEAD, we value and benefit from diversity of people, ideas, experience, and everything in between.
We fuel growth by stacking our office with top-notch technologies in a multi-million-dollar lab, by encouraging cross department training and development, sponsoring certifications and credentials for continued learning.
USA Employment Benefits include:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
- 401(k)
- Paid company holidays
- Paid time off
- Paid parental and caregiver leave
- Plus more! See benefits https://www.aheadbenefits.com/ for additional details.
Use of AI:
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, assessing responses, or to capture recordings and create transcriptions or summaries during interviews. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.
If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please refer to the Candidate Privacy Notice or contact us at [email protected].
You may opt-out of the review or analysis of your application and resume by AI tools by using the General Application. Please include the role you wish to apply for in the Additional Information field. You may also choose to opt-out of recording and transcription at any time, including after joining an interview. Candidates will not be penalized for choosing to opt-out.
AHEAD Chicago, Illinois, USA Office
401 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, United States, 60611
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