Head of Talent Management & Workforce Readiness

AXIS (AXIS Capital); Stamford (CT); Hybrid; USD 212,000 - 234,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plans

Retirement plans

Tuition reimbursement

Paid vacation

Wellness programs

Job summary

AXIS Capital is seeking a Head of Talent Management and Workforce Readiness to lead the organization’s talent strategy, ensuring leadership pipelines, workforce readiness, and informed decisions across the business.

You will establish governance, drive talent programs, and partner with senior leaders to translate strategy into actionable workforce priorities and investments.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in talent management, including performance management, talent reviews, assessments, succession planning, and development planning.
• Experience translating business strategy and workforce needs into clear talent, skills, capability, and workforce readiness priorities.
• Able to influence senior leaders and support decisions using talent data, workforce intelligence, and business insights.
• Experience creating practical frameworks, governance, and processes that provide enterprise consistency while meeting different business needs.
• Able to assess complex issues, identify risks and opportunities, and turn findings into clear recommendations and actions.
• Experience leading change, managing competing priorities, and driving adoption of organization wide initiatives.
• Able to lead and develop a team member, manage external partners, and collaborate effectively across HR and the business.
• Able to handle sensitive talent, assessment, succession, and workforce information with discretion and sound judgment.

Responsibilities

• Lead AXIS's core talent management processes, including goal setting, performance management, talent reviews, assessments, succession planning, and development planning.
• Establish clear frameworks and governance that support high-quality talent decisions and stronger leadership pipelines.
• Lead workforce readiness efforts by helping the business understand the leadership, skills, capabilities, and talent needed to deliver future priorities.
• Assess workforce gaps, use internal and external talent intelligence, and identify actions to build, buy, borrow, reskill, redeploy, or automate capabilities.
• Identify development needs and priorities through performance, talent, succession, assessment, and workforce planning insights.
• Partner with the Head of Learning to ensure development programs and investments address the organization's most important leadership, skill, and capability gaps.
• Partner with business leaders, HR Business Partners, the COO organization, and transformation teams to assess the workforce impact of changes in business strategy, technology, AI, and how work gets done.
• Translate those changes into clear recommendations for skills, roles, workforce planning, mobility, succession, and talent investments.
• Use talent data, workforce intelligence, assessments, and external market insights to identify risks and opportunities and provide practical recommendations to senior leaders.
• Monitor the health and effectiveness of talent and workforce practices and use insights to improve them over time.
• Lead and develop the Talent Operations & HR Business Analyst, manage key external partners, and work across HR and the business to deliver priorities, strengthen manager capability, and drive adoption of talent management and workforce readiness practices.
• May also be required to take on additional duties, responsibilities and activities appropriate to the nature of this role.

Skills

Talent management

Performance management

Succession planning

Development planning

Workforce readiness

Influence senior leaders

Tools

Workday

Job description

This is your opportunity to join AXIS Capital – a trusted global provider of specialty lines insurance and reinsurance. We stand apart for our outstanding client service, intelligent risk taking and superior risk adjusted returns for our shareholders. We also proudly maintain an entrepreneurial, disciplined and ethical corporate culture. As a member of AXIS, you join a team that is among the best in the industry.

At AXIS, we believe that we are only as strong as our people. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming culture where employees of all backgrounds and from all walks of life feel comfortable and empowered to be themselves. This means that we bring our whole selves to work.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic, including age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any basis prohibited by the laws that govern its operations.

Job Description: Head of Talent Management and Workforce Readiness

How does this role contribute to our collective success?

This role leads AXIS's talent management and workforce readiness agenda, ensuring the organization has the leadership, skills, capabilities, and talent required to deliver business priorities today and in the future. You will establish the frameworks, processes, and insights that support performance, talent, succession, and workforce decisions across the organization. Success will be measured through stronger leadership pipelines, improved workforce readiness, effective talent decisions, and the organization's ability to build the capabilities needed for future growth.

What will you do in this role?

• You will lead AXIS's core talent management processes, including goal setting, performance management, talent reviews, assessments, succession planning, and development planning.
• You will establish clear frameworks and governance that support high-quality talent decisions and stronger leadership pipelines.
• You will lead workforce readiness efforts by helping the business understand the leadership, skills, capabilities, and talent needed to deliver future priorities.
• You will assess workforce gaps, use internal and external talent intelligence, and identify actions to build, buy, borrow, reskill, redeploy, or automate capabilities.
• You will identify development needs and priorities through performance, talent, succession, assessment, and workforce planning insights.
• You will partner with the Head of Learning to ensure development programs and investments address the organization's most important leadership, skill, and capability gaps.
• You will partner with business leaders, HR Business Partners, the COO organization, and transformation teams to assess the workforce impact of changes in business strategy, technology, AI, and how work gets done.
• You will translate those changes into clear recommendations for skills, roles, workforce planning, mobility, succession, and talent investments.
• You will use talent data, workforce intelligence, assessments, and external market insights to identify risks and opportunities and provide practical recommendations to senior leaders.
• You will monitor the health and effectiveness of talent and workforce practices and use insights to improve them over time.
• You will lead and develop the Talent Operations & HR Business Analyst, manage key external partners, and work across HR and the business to deliver priorities, strengthen manager capability, and drive adoption of talent management and workforce readiness practices.
• You may also be required to take on additional duties, responsibilities and activities appropriate to the nature of this role.

About You

We encourage you to bring your own experience and expertise to the table. While there are some qualifications and experiences we need you to have, we are open to discussing how your individual knowledge could help you fulfil this role and contribute to our goals.

What you need to have

• Deep expertise in talent management, including performance management, talent reviews, assessments, succession planning, and development planning.
• Experience translating business strategy and workforce needs into clear talent, skills, capability, and workforce readiness priorities.
• Able to influence senior leaders and support decisions using talent data, workforce intelligence, and business insights.
• Experience creating practical frameworks, governance, and processes that provide enterprise consistency while meeting different business needs.
• Able to assess complex issues, identify risks and opportunities, and turn findings into clear recommendations and actions.
• Experience leading change, managing competing priorities, and driving adoption of organization wide initiatives.
• Able to lead and develop a team member, manage external partners, and collaborate effectively across HR and the business.
• Able to handle sensitive talent, assessment, succession, and workforce information with discretion and sound judgment.

What we prefer you to have

• Experience with strategic workforce planning, skills strategies, talent intelligence, or workforce transformation.
• Experience assessing how AI, automation, and evolving ways of working affect roles, skills, capacity, and talent needs.
• Experience using Workday or similar technology to support talent and workforce processes.
• Experience selecting, implementing, or governing assessment solutions that support talent and leadership decisions.
• Experience in insurance, financial services, or another highly regulated global industry.

Role Factors

In this role, you will typically be required to

• Be in the office 3 days per week
• Travel domestically and internationally as business needs require

What we offer

For this position, we currently expect to offer a base salary in the range of $212,000 to 234,000 (NY/CT).

Your salary offer will be based on an assessment of a variety of factors including your specific experience and work location. In addition, you will be offered competitive target incentive compensation, with awards based on overall corporate and individual performance. On top of this, you will be eligible for a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes medical plans for you and your family, health and wellness programs, retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation, and much more.

Where this role is based in the United States of America, this role is Exempt for FLSA purposes.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.