Director, Talent & Culture

Rust-Oleum; Vernon Hills (IL); On-site; USD 165,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

401(k) plan

Job summary

Rust-Oleum seeks a Director of Talent & Culture to lead enterprise talent strategy across the RPM Consumer Group in Vernon Hills, IL. You will design frameworks integrating learning, workforce planning, succession, and leadership development to advance performance.

You will partner with senior leaders to translate business needs into prioritized talent initiatives, build scalable processes, and measure outcomes, while developing a strong leadership pipeline.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in talent management or HR.
• Experience designing and facilitating talent reviews, succession planning, and performance management.
• Experience advising senior leaders and translating business strategy into practical talent solutions.
• Experience leading teams, budgets, vendors, and cross‑functional programs.
• Experience with talent technology and analytics; Oracle experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead talent strategy and operating model aligned with business priorities.
• Build an integrated talent management operating model with governance and annual talent cycle.
• Establish enterprise frameworks with flexibility for RPM Consumer Group needs.
• Use workforce insights to identify talent risks, gaps, and opportunities.
• Design and facilitate organizational/talent reviews and succession plans.
• Partner with leaders to improve quality and follow-through of talent decisions.
• Track movement, readiness, diversity of slates, and development progress.
• Prepare the organization for department-by-department talent reviews with clear standards.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Executive presence

Facilitation skills

Talent assessment

Performance management

Data analytics

Communication skills

Collaboration

Developing others

Accountability

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/OD/BA or related

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Job Title: Director, Talent & Culture

Location: Vernon Hills, IL

Department: Human Resources, RPM Consumer Group

Reports To: Vice President Human Resources, RPM Consumer Group

Direct Reports/Manages others: Yes

JOB PURPOSE:

The Director of Talent & Culture leads the enterprise talent strategy for RPM Consumer Group. This role builds and integrates the practices required to identify, assess, develop, engage, and retain talent while strengthening leadership capability and organizational performance.

The Director designs and advances a practical talent management framework that connects learning, workforce planning, succession planning, organizational reviews, performance management, and leadership development, career growth, and internal communications. The role works closely with business and Human Resources leaders to translate current and future business needs into clear talent priorities, scalable processes, and measurable outcomes.

The ideal candidate combines strong business judgment with expertise in talent management, organizational development, learning, and change leadership. This leader is comfortable building strategy while remaining close to execution and can influence senior leaders across a complex, multi business organization.

RESPONSIBILITES:

TALENT STRATEGY & OPERATING MODEL:

• Lead the talent management strategy and roadmap in alignment with business priorities, culture, and future capability needs.
• Build an integrated talent management operating model that clarifies processes, roles, decision rights, governance, and the annual talent cycle.
• Establish consistent enterprise frameworks while allowing appropriate flexibility for the needs of RPM Consumer Group.
• Use workforce insights, business plans, and organizational data to identify talent risks, capability gaps, and opportunities.

SUCCESSION PLANNING & TALENT REVIEWS:

• Design and facilitate organizational reviews and talent reviews that assess bench strength, readiness, potential, performance, retention risk, and development priorities.
• Build succession plans for critical roles and leadership positions, including clear readiness criteria and targeted development actions.
• Partner with leaders and Human Resources to improve the quality, consistency, and follow through of talent decisions.
• Track movement, readiness, diversity of slates, and development progress for succession candidates and high potential talent.
• Prepare the organization for department by department talent reviews through clear standards, leader education, and disciplined follow up.

LEADERSHIP, CAREER, & CONSUMER GROUP UNIVERSITY:

• Lead development programs through CGU for leaders, high-potential talent, critical skill groups, emerging leaders, and associates at all levels.
• Partner with Human Resources and business leaders to assess organizational learning needs and design CGU curriculum, leadership programs, workshops, learning resources, and practical development tools that strengthen associate growth and manager effectiveness.
• Build and manage CGU learning academies, leadership development experiences, and career-focused programs that enhance professional capabilities, leadership readiness, internal mobility, and succession strength across the organization.
• Advance clearly defined career pathways, learning journeys, certification programs, and development resources through CGU that empower associates to take ownership of their growth and development.
• Oversee learning technologies, content strategy, reporting, learner engagement, and continuous improvement initiatives to ensure CGU remains accessible, scalable, and impactful.
• Establish learning metrics and measure CGU effectiveness through participation, engagement, capability development, talent review insights, succession outcomes, and organizational performance indicators to guide future investments and program enhancements.
• Serve as the sponsor and champion of CGU, promoting a culture of continuous learning, leadership growth, and career development throughout RPM Consumer Group.

PARTNER, BUDGET, & TEAM LEADERSHIP

• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, Human Resources teams, and operating company partners.
• Select and manage external partners, assessments, coaches, and solution providers to ensure quality, relevance, and value.
• Manage the talent management and learning budget, forecasts, priorities, and resources.
• Lead, coach, and develop direct reports; set clear expectations, allocate work effectively, and create an inclusive, high performing team environment.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in talent management, organizational development, leadership development, Human Resources, or a related discipline, including experience leading enterprise or multi business talent initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating talent reviews, succession planning, performance management, calibration, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness practices.
• Experience advising senior leaders and translating business strategy into practical talent solutions.
• Experience leading teams, budgets, vendors, and complex cross functional programs.
• Experience with talent technology and analytics. Oracle experience is preferred.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES:

• Strategic and systems thinking with the ability to connect business priorities, organization needs, and talent actions.
• Executive presence and the ability to influence, challenge, and advise leaders with credibility and sound judgment.
• Strong facilitation skills for talent reviews, succession discussions, calibration sessions, and leadership forums.
• Expertise in talent assessment, succession planning, performance management, development planning, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness.
• Analytical capability with the ability to convert workforce and talent data into insights, decisions, and measurable actions.
• Excellent communication, consultation, program management, and change leadership skills.
• Ability to balance enterprise consistency with the needs of different businesses and associate populations.
• Discretion and sound judgment when handling confidential and sensitive talent information.

LEADERSHIP TRAITS:

Strategic Planning:

Anticipates future talent and capability needs, sets clear priorities, and builds practical plans that create business value.

Business Acumen:

Understands business drivers, operating realities, and financial considerations and applies them to talent decisions.

Change Leadership:

Builds readiness, addresses resistance, and helps leaders and associates adopt new practices successfully.

Judgment and Decision Making:

Evaluates complex information, weighs alternatives, and makes timely, high quality decisions.

Communication and Influence:

Communicates clearly, listens actively, facilitates candid dialogue, and gains commitment across levels and businesses.

Collaboration:

Builds trust, invites diverse perspectives, and aligns stakeholders around shared outcomes.

Developing Others:

Creates meaningful growth opportunities, provides candid feedback, and strengthens leadership capability and succession depth.

Execution and Accountability:

Moves from strategy to action, establishes ownership, follows through, and measures results.

Integrity and Commitment:

Acts with discretion, courage, fairness, and respect while demonstrating responsible entrepreneurship and commitment to company values.

Salary Target Range: $165,000 - $200,000, bonus eligible

From big benefits to small, we take care of our associates! After 30 days of employment, you will be eligible for a benefits package that includes medical, dental, life, disability and business travel insurance, flexible spending accounts, EAP, stock purchases and vacation/sick days/parental leave. We also offer a 401(k) plan after three months of employment. Associates are vested in the RPM Pension plan after completing five years of service. Rust-Oleum offers 9 paid holidays and two floating holiday per year. You are also eligible to earn three weeks of vacation on an annualized basis.

Rust-Oleum is an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color, or any other protected class.