Sr Manager, HR Talent Strategy Partner

Cengage; Kentucky; On-site; USD 102,000 - 133,000; Full time

Job summary

Cengage seeks a Senior Manager, HR Talent Strategy Partner to execute talent strategies within a busy business unit. You will translate business goals into actionable people plans, partner with sales leaders, and drive organizational effectiveness, performance, and engagement.

This role blends strategic thinking with hands-on execution. You will collaborate across the talent lifecycle, coach leaders, and lead talent reviews and design organizational changes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 8–10 years of progressive HR, Talent, or HRBP experience.
• Experience implementing talent strategies in high-performing environments.
• Ability to influence and coach leaders at VP level and below.
• 5+ years partnering with sales leaders across levels.
• Strong business acumen balancing strategy and execution.
• Ability to leverage workforce data to derive insights.
• Excellent communication, coaching, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to travel for team meetings and events.

Responsibilities

• Partner with leaders to understand business priorities and support execution of talent strategies.
• Translate talent and workforce strategies into operational people plans and actions.
• Execute talent initiatives across the lifecycle (org effectiveness, performance, planning, engagement, retention).
• Coach leaders on employee relations, org dynamics, and talent matters.
• Lead performance management and talent reviews within client groups.
• Develop leadership capability and people management practices.
• Support hiring strategies, workforce planning, and onboarding with Talent Acquisition.
• Leverage data to identify trends and recommend actions.
• Lead talent initiatives including retention, change, compensation, and engagement.

Skills

Partnership skills

Sales partner

Business acumen

MS Office

Data-driven

Communication

Coaching

Leadership coaching

Conflict resolution

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Workday

Job description

We believe in the power and joy of learning At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping learners around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Director, HR Talent Strategy Partner, the Senior Manager, HR Talent Strategy Partner plays a critical role in executing the talent strategy within an assigned business unit or function. This role partners closely with sales leaders at all levels to translate broader business and talent strategies into actionable people plans that support organizational effectiveness, employee growth, and business performance. The Senior Manager, HR TSP, serves as a trusted advisor to assigned leaders across the organization, helping to drive consistency and operational excellence across the talent lifecycle. Working in close partnership with the Director, HR Talent Strategy Partner, this role helps implement and execute talent initiatives, organizational priorities, workforce planning efforts, and change management strategies aligned to business objectives. This role requires a strong collaborator who can balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution, build effective relationships across teams, and operate effectively in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

What You’ll Do Here

• Partner with leaders to understand business priorities and support execution of talent strategies aligned to organizational goals.
• Translate broader business and workforce strategies into operational people plans and practical actions that support team effectiveness and performance.
• Execution of talent initiatives across the talent lifecycle, including organizational effectiveness, performance management, talent planning, employee engagement, retention, and workforce planning.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and coach to leaders and managers on employee relations, organizational dynamics, team effectiveness, and talent-related matters.
• Lead and facilitate performance management and talent review processes within assigned client groups, ensuring development planning and follow-through.
• Coach managers to strengthen leadership effectiveness, people management capability, and employee development practices.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition and business leaders to support hiring strategies, workforce planning activities, and onboarding efforts.
• Leverage workforce and talent data to identify trends, develop insights, and recommend actions that improve organizational and talent outcomes.
• Lead and support key talent initiatives and projects including retention strategies, organizational changes, compensation, employee engagement efforts, and talent development activities.
• Assist with organizational design and team effectiveness efforts in partnership with business leaders and the Director, HR Talent Strategy Partner.

Skills You Will Need Here Required

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 8 to 10 years of progressive HR, Talent, or HR Business Partner experience, including experience supporting leaders and teams in complex organizations.
• Experience implementing talent strategies and supporting organizational effectiveness initiatives within high-performing environments.
• Strong partnership and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence and coach leaders at the Vice President level and below.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience partnering with sales people and sales leaders at all levels.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance strategic thinking and operational execution.
• Ability to leverage workforce and talent data to develop insights and recommend practical solutions.
• Strong coaching, communication, conflict resolution, and problem‑solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and adapt effectively in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and lead through organizational change with a practical and collaborative approach.
• Experience partnering cross-functionally to deliver integrated talent solutions and drive execution of business priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences.
• Proficiency with Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to travel as needed for team meetings and business‑related events.

Preferred

• Professional certification such as SHRM, HRCI, or equivalent.
• Experience supporting organizational change, workforce planning, and talent management initiatives.
• Workday experience preferred.
• Experience working within matrixed or global organizations preferred.

Cengage is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals.

Our job applicants are considered regardless of any classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process.

If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at [e-mail].

About Cengage

Cengage, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready.

For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location. Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

In this position, you will be eligible to participate in the company’s discretionary incentive bonus program.

This position's bonus target amount, which is not guaranteed and is dependent on individual performance and overall company results among other factors, is provided below.

20% Annual: Individual Target $102,000.00 - $133,000.00 USD

Cengage, a global edtech company, supports learners, educators and institutions across more than 100 countries. With products serving nearly 16 million digital users across the Higher Education, School, Work and English Language Learning markets, we’ve built a learning ecosystem that connects education to employment. We combine trusted content, AI-powered insights and scalable digital platforms to power learning for every future and drive meaningful outcomes at every stage of the learning journey.