Job Description Summary

The University of Pennsylvania is seeking an Executive Director of Talent to provide strategic and operational leadership for the university's end-to-end talent ecosystem, including Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, Employee Engagement (including Employee Resource Groups), and Recognition Programs. Reporting to the Vice President for Human Resources, this role is responsible for designing and delivering a cohesive, future-ready talent strategy that supports the university's mission, academic excellence, and long-term workforce needs.

About the Role

This role reports to the Vice President of Human Resources and collaborates with University HR leadership to align HR strategy with institutional goals. The successful Executive Director of Talent will be future oriented and systems minded, comfortable balancing strategy and execution, credible with senior leaders, faculty, and staff, skilled at influencing without overreliance on hierarchy, data informed and values driven, and passionate about building inclusive, high impact talent systems.

Key Responsibilities

Talent Strategy & Integration

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, integrated talent strategy aligned with the university's strategic plan, academic priorities, and workforce needs
• Ensure alignment across Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, Engagement, and Recognition programs
• Evaluate current talent acquisition practices across Penn and develop a comprehensive talent acquisition approach
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the VP of HR, senior leaders, and academic partners on talent trends, risks, and opportunities
• Monitor external trends in higher education, labor markets, and talent technology to inform future-state design

Talent Acquisition and Workforce Planning

• Drive the evolution of talent acquisition strategies to support staff hiring in a competitive and evolving labor market
• Partner with academic and administrative leaders to align hiring strategies with workforce planning, enrollment and research trends, and institutional growth
• Advance inclusive hiring practices and equitable candidate experiences
• Leverage data and technology to improve recruitment effectiveness, time to fill, and quality of hire

Learning, Development & Capability Building

• Design and oversee learning and development strategies that support leadership development at all levels, professional growth for staff, and emerging skill needs driven by technology, pedagogy, and operational change
• Strengthen onboarding and early-career development experiences through a consistent and comprehensive orientation/onboarding program
• Partner with academic leaders to align staff and leadership development with the university's educational mission

Engagement & Culture

• Lead institutional engagement initiatives in partnership with HR colleagues, academic leaders, and campus stakeholders
• Oversee Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and measurable impact
• Support culture-building initiatives that foster belonging, engagement, and collaboration across faculty and staff populations
• Partner with communications and leadership to reinforce inclusive values through talent practices and messaging

Recognition & Employee Experience

• Design and manage recognition programs that reinforce desired behaviors, values, and contributions
• Ensure recognition approaches are equitable, meaningful, and aligned with institutional culture
• Continuously assess and improve elements of the employee experience connected to attraction, development, and retention

Qualifications

Required

• Master's Degree and Over 10 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required
• Possess strong business acumen and proven ability to stay with evolving HR trends, legislation and best practices
• Demonstrated success leading multiple talent functions (e.g., talent acquisition, learning, engagement)
• Strong knowledge of all functional areas of Human Resources, talent acquisition and talent development
• Expertise and demonstrated experience in developing and driving strategy across a large organization
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and conflict-resolution skills
• Proficiency in data-informed decision-making

Preferred

• Master's degree in a related field
• Familiarity with Workday
• 10+ years of HR experience, including in higher education or unionized settings
• HR certifications (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR)
• Experience implementing or modernizing talent technology platforms
• Comfort operating in environments with evolving structure, priorities, and expectations