Senior Manager, Talent Management and Leadership Development

Socket.dev; Lake Forest (IL); On-site; USD 145,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with company match

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible spending and health savings

Paid vacation and sick days

Paid parental leave

Paid holidays and wellness program

Job summary

Novolex is seeking a Senior Manager, Talent Management and Leadership Development to lead enterprise talent management, onboarding, and leadership programs. You will partner with HR teams to design governance and scalable development initiatives.

The role emphasizes data-driven learning, AI-enabled tools, vendor management, and cross-functional project leadership to strengthen leadership pipelines and improve business performance.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in talent management, leadership development, or related HR disciplines.
• Experience owning enterprise talent and performance cycles and designing, governing, and continuously improving leadership development programs.
• Experience facilitating leadership programs in virtual and in-person settings; strong presentation and consulting skills.

Responsibilities

• Own enterprise salaried onboarding experience, including program design and governance.
• Lead design and governance of talent and performance management processes, including goal setting and calibration.
• Develop scalable leadership programs and Emerging Leaders Program; partner with HR to execute across locations.
• Facilitate high-impact learning experiences and enable internal facilitators.
• Evaluate AI-enabled learning tools and data-driven approaches while ensuring governance and data privacy.
• Establish program metrics and provide insights to improve outcomes.
• Manage vendors, budgets, and cross-functional project teams to deliver on time and budget.

Skills

Talent management

Leadership development

Governance

Facilitation

Data analysis

AI-enabled learning

Stakeholder management

Budget & vendor mgmt

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Advanced degree or certification (preferred)

Tools

Learning Management System (LMS)

Job description

Company Overview

Why Choose Us?

Novolex is a leading manufacturer of food, beverage, and specialty packaging that supports multiple industries including foodservice, restaurant delivery and carryout, food processing, grocery and retail, and industrial sectors. Novolex manufacturing and sourcing expertise spans a diverse range of substrates including resin, paper, molded fiber, aluminum and more. We provide customers a broad array of stock and customized solutions with 120 product categories, 250 brands and over 39,000 SKUs.

Our Sustainability Commitment

The Novolex sustainability vision is built upon three pillars: our products, our operations and our people. Each is critically important to our growth and future as a business. These pillars form the foundation of our company-wide commitment to sustainability, helping us achieve our ambitious goals through our wide-ranging initiatives.

Job Description

Summary:

The Senior Manager, Talent Management and Leadership Development is accountable for enterprise talent management and leadership development processes that build leadership capability, strengthen talent pipelines, and enable business performance across Novolex. With an approximately equal focus on both disciplines, this role leads the strategy, design, governance, continuous improvement, and center-led delivery of salaried onboarding; talent and performance management cycles; leadership development and center-led programs; and the Emerging Leaders Program for high-potential mid-level managers. The role partners with field and business HR teams that own local execution, uses data and AI-enabled learning approaches to improve impact and scale, facilitates high-value development experiences, manages external vendors, and leads or contributes to cross-functional project teams based on business need.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Salaried Onboarding – Own the enterprise salaried onboarding experience, including program design, content, tools, communications, governance, and continuous improvement. Partner with field and business HR teams and hiring leaders to enable consistent local execution and help new hires integrate quickly and effectively into Novolex.
• Talent and Performance Management – Lead the design, annual planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of enterprise talent and performance processes, including goal setting, performance reviews, talent reviews and calibration, succession planning, and development planning.
• Leadership Development – Translate enterprise priorities and leadership capability needs into practical, scalable development strategies, curricula, and experiences for leaders at multiple levels. Own the strategy, design, governance, and continuous improvement of the Emerging Leaders Program for high-potential mid-level managers.
• Facilitation and Learning Experience – Facilitate high-impact virtual and in-person learning experiences; equip internal facilitators; and apply adult-learning, blended-learning, and learner-experience principles to drive adoption and application.
• AI-Enabled Learning and Innovation – Evaluate and responsibly apply AI-enabled learning tools and digital solutions to personalize development, improve access, increase efficiency, and scale learning while maintaining appropriate governance, data privacy, and quality standards.
• Measurement and Continuous Improvement – Establish program metrics and feedback mechanisms; analyze participation, effectiveness, talent, and business data; and provide clear insights and recommendations to improve outcomes.
• Stakeholder, Vendor, and Change Leadership – Partner with business leaders, HR leaders, field HR, HR technology, communications, and other stakeholders to clarify roles, enable execution, and manage change; select and manage vendors, contracts, budgets, deliverables, and service quality.
• Project and Team Leadership – Lead cross-functional project teams or serve as a core team member based on business need; create clear plans, milestones, decision rights, risk mitigation, and communications to deliver work on time and within budget.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated expertise in enterprise talent management and leadership development, with the ability to connect talent practices to business strategy and workforce needs.
• Strong program ownership and governance capability, including defining standards, roles, decision rights, timelines, measures, and scalable execution models.
• Exceptional facilitation and presentation skills across virtual and in-person settings, with the ability to engage leaders at multiple levels.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate and apply AI-enabled learning tools and emerging talent technologies to improve personalization, access, efficiency, and scale, with sound judgment regarding responsible use, data privacy, governance, and quality.
• Ability to interpret qualitative and quantitative data, identify insights, and translate findings into practical recommendations and program improvements.
• Proven ability to influence without direct authority and build credibility across a complex, highly matrixed organization.
• Strong project, vendor, budget, and change-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple enterprise priorities and elevate risks appropriately.
• Excellent written, verbal, consulting, and relationship-management skills, with sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive talent information.
• Commitment to inclusive talent practices and to creating development experiences that are accessible, relevant, and equitable.
• Ability to travel approximately 20% based on business need.

Education/Experience:

Education

• Required: Bachelor’s degree or country equivalent in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, Education, or a related field; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Preferred: Advanced degree or relevant certification in talent management, leadership development, facilitation, coaching, instructional design, change management, or project management.

Experience

• Required: 8+ years of progressive experience in talent management, leadership development, learning and development, organizational development, or related HR disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience owning enterprise talent and performance cycles and designing, governing, and continuously improving leadership development programs.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating leadership programs and executive or senior-leader discussions in virtual and in-person environments.
• Experience establishing program governance, managing enterprise implementations, and partnering with decentralized teams responsible for execution.
• Experience managing external vendors, budgets, contracts, and project deliverables.
• Experience using HR, talent, learning, and collaboration technologies; familiarity with AI-enabled learning applications strongly preferred.
• Experience in a large, complex, multi-site, or matrixed organization preferred.

Competencies and Other Requirements:

• Enterprise mindset and business acumen.
• Strategic thinking with strong execution discipline.
• Consultative partnership and influence.
• Clear, engaging facilitation and communication.
• Learning agility, innovation, and responsible use of technology.
• Collaboration, accountability, and sound judgment.

A reasonable estimate of the current range is $145,000- $165,000 + bonus + benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target salaries for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. At Novolex, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the top of the range for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The benefits for this role include 401(k) plan with company match, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, flexible spending and health savings accounts, paid vacation, and sick days, paid parental leave, paid holidays and wellness program.

#INDSalaried

Company Benefits

What You’ll Get From Us

Benefits

With safety as our top priority and a commitment to employee well-being an important focus, we offer comprehensive and competitive benefits that include medical, dental and vision insurance as well as a variety of other well-being resources focused on mental, physical and financial health. Specific benefits and well-being programs may vary depending on where you work.

Community Engagement

At Novolex, giving back to the local communities that support us is important. Our Focused Giving Program prioritizes support for organizations whose missions promote sustainability initiatives or address food and hunger needs. We also encourage facility level support of activities in the communities where our employees live and work.

Training and Development

We offer constant opportunities for advancement. From skills development to advanced education programs, training and development programs and courses are available through MyLearning. Programs include company and industry training curricula, support for formal education through the Tuition Reimbursement Program (Non-Union), and a Learning Management System that supports and enhances employee skills at all levels of the organization.

Novolex is committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all employment practices, including but not limited to selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, and compensation to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to age, race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, handicap or disability, genetics, citizenship status, service member or veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. Any individual who, because of his or her disability, needs an accommodation in connection with an aspect of the Company’s application process should contact [e-mail].

Formerly Pactiv Evergreen