Talent & Performance Strategy Principal - Hybrid

Cigna; Bloomfield (CT); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cigna Group seeks a senior leader to advance the enterprise talent strategy and shape a modern performance management approach across HR. You will translate strategic priorities into scalable practices and ensure accountability and organizational performance at scale.

Reporting to the Head of Workforce Readiness, you will drive governance, roadmaps, and cross-functional alignment with HR partners, insights teams, and leaders who empower the business strategy.

Qualifications

• At least 7 years of experience in talent strategy, performance management, organizational effectiveness, management consulting, or a related field.
• Experience developing integrated enterprise talent and performance strategies with complex stakeholder environments.
• Strong consulting skills including problem solving, solution design, executive communication, and storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and evolution of the enterprise talent and performance strategy aligned with long-term business priorities.
• Collaborate with senior HR leadership to design and refine enterprise talent strategy during strategy refresh cycles.
• Consult on tailored talent strategies addressing unique business requirements while aligning with enterprise goals.
• Translate business strategy into clear talent needs and performance solutions for HR and business teams.
• Define leadership and employee expectations linking business outcomes to culture and Lead to One behaviors.
• Partner with HR disciplines to connect talent strategy with planning, learning, rewards, and leadership development.

Skills

Talent strategy

Performance management

Organizational effectiveness

Management consulting

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in HR/Organizational psychology/business

Job description

Reporting to the Head of Workforce Readiness, this role will advance The Cigna Group's enterprise talent strategy and lead the design of its performance management approach, translating strategic direction and business and workforce priorities into clear, modern practices that strengthen accountability and organizational performance. This individual will be a critical connector across the HR function, creating both vertical and horizontal alignment of key strategic priorities, aligning focus to a strategic multi-year talent strategy roadmap, ensuring HR is positioned as an effective enabler of the business, and that accountable teams can activate and sustain talent practices at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and evolution of the enterprise talent and performance strategy, aligned with long-term business and workforce priorities.
• During strategy refresh cycles, collaborate with senior HR leadership to design and refine the enterprise talent strategy, ensuring it aligns with the company's overarching business goals.
• Consult on the development of tailored talent strategies that address the unique requirements of each business, while maintaining alignment with the enterprise strategy and enterprise talent strategy.
• Translate business strategy into clear talent needs and performance solutions that HR and business teams can use and sustain.
• Identify the cultural shifts and ways of working needed to support enterprise strategy and stronger performance.
• Shape the performance management design, including goal setting, assessment, calibration, and measures of impact, ensuring strong connection to enterprise talent review processes.
• Define leadership and employee expectations that connect business outcomes, culture, and Lead to One behaviors.
• Connect talent and performance strategy with enterprise approaches to talent planning, workforce planning, learning, rewards, leadership development, and business needs across HR, in partnership with accountable leaders for those disciplines.
• Partner with the AI Workforce Innovation lead to test practical AI-enabled solutions for performance, talent, coaching, and the employee experience.
• Ensure talent strategy is translated into a strategic multi-year roadmap with critical capabilities, milestones, and resource needed identified.
• Establish governance frameworks to oversee the implementation of the talent strategy, ensuring consistency and alignment across the organization.
• Monitor progress and performance metrics, providing regular updates and recommendations to senior HR leadership
• Create executive-ready recommendations, presentations, and business cases that influence decisions and drive action, including gathering and consolidating input from cross-functional partners across HR.
• Use talent data, employee insights, and external research to recommend improvements to talent practices and employee experiences.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and best practices across HR disciplines.
• Maintain connectivity to the Enterprise Strategy team and broader strategy community to ensure alignment
• Lead or participate in special projects and initiatives as needed to support the company's strategic objectives.

Required Qualifications

• At least 7 years of experience in talent strategy, performance management, organizational effectiveness, management consulting, or a related field.
• Experience developing integrated enterprise talent and performance strategies, navigating complex stakeholder environments, and building trusted partnerships across the talent ecosystem.
• Strong consulting skills, including problem solving, solution design, executive communication, and storytelling.
• Ability to turn complex business needs and data into simple, scalable strategies and recommendations.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and cross-functional HR teams to influence decisions and deliver enterprise change.
• Comfort using data, insights, and technology to challenge current practices and improve the user experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in human resources, organizational psychology, business, or a related field.
• Experience applying AI or emerging technology to talent, performance, coaching, or employee experience solutions.
• Experience in a large, complex, or highly regulated organization.
• Background that blends strategy consulting, talent and performance expertise, and human-centered design.

How You Will Make an Impact

You will help create an integrated talent and performance strategy that strengthens how we attract, engage, develop, and retain talent across the enterprise, in partnership with HRBP and COE teams across the HR function. Success will come from pairing bold ideas with practical design, clear measures, and strong partnerships; it does not own workforce demand planning or skills supply-and-demand analysis.

If you will be working at home occasionally or permanently, the internet connection must