Skills Strategy & Workforce Planning Lead

W3R Consulting; Chicago, Northern (IL, KY); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 117,000; Full time

Job summary

W3R Consulting seeks a Skills Strategy Contractor to identify, map, and validate job-skill profiles and lead skills-based talent initiatives. You will partner with HR centers of excellence and business stakeholders to advance workforce planning and career mobility through evidence-driven frameworks.

Key duties include research on emerging skills, data-driven insights, and governance design to support strategic initiatives across the Skills Team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience in skills strategy, talent management, workforce planning, learning and development, HR, organizational effectiveness, consulting, data or a related field.
• Strong research and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to synthesize information and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, written and verbal communication, stakeholder management, and meeting facilitation skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft tools, including Excel and PowerPoint.

Responsibilities

• Identify, map, and validate skills for job profiles using established skills frameworks and taxonomies.
• Support the development and implementation of skills strategies that enable workforce planning, talent development, career mobility, and skills-based talent management.
• Conduct research and analysis on emerging skills, workforce trends, and industry best practices to inform Skills Team priorities.
• Analyze skills data and provide insights, recommendations, and reporting to support decision-making.
• Contribute to the design, documentation, and continuous improvement of skills-related processes, frameworks, and governance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to gather requirements, align on skills needs, and support strategic initiatives.
• Assist with project management, communications, documentation, testing, and change management activities related to skills programs.
• Provide support across additional Skills Team workstreams and special projects as needed.
• Develop and execute communication materials, messaging, and stakeholder engagement plans to support the skills validation phase.
• Coordinate and manage validation communications, including outreach, reminders, stakeholder updates, and progress reporting to drive participation and completion.
• Plan, facilitate, and support skills validation calibration workshops to align stakeholders on skill definitions, proficiency expectations, validation outcomes, and decision-making.

Skills

Skills strategy

Talent management

Workforce planning

Research

Communication

Facilitation

Excel

PowerPoint

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

W3R Consulting seeks a Skills Strategy Contractor to identify, map, and validate job-skill profiles and lead skills-based talent initiatives. You will partner with HR centers of excellence and business stakeholders to advance workforce planning and career mobility through evidence-driven frameworks.

Key duties include research on emerging skills, data-driven insights, and governance design to support strategic initiatives across the Skills Team.