Director, Leadership Development & Capability Strategy

Job Summary

This role sits within a strategic HR function and builds the leadership and workforce capabilities the business needs to compete as the work changes. It operates in two directions: As a strategic HR partner, it works directly with business areas to diagnose current and future skill needs and to shape where Farmers invests in talent. As the owner of the leadership development portfolio, it turns those priorities into skilling and leadership solutions that deliver measurable impact.

Essential Job Functions

- Partner with the business on skills and capability. Serve as a strategic HR partner to business areas on workforce capability and skilling. Work with business leaders to diagnose current and future skill needs and to decide where to build, buy, or borrow talent. Hold a clear, research-backed point of view on the skills of the future, including the capabilities most affected by artificial intelligence. Build and maintain a skills framework that connects roles to the capabilities the business needs. Translate enterprise and business-area strategy into practical skilling priorities and learning pathways. Use workforce and skills data to target upskilling and reskilling investments. Advise leaders on how AI is changing work, which tasks it augments or automates, and which human skills to grow in response. - Diagnose needs and set priorities. Serve as primary liaison to senior business leaders to assess leadership and organizational capability needs. Conduct structured diagnostics to identify performance gaps and translate them into development priorities. Lead intake and prioritization for capability and leadership development requests, ensuring alignment with enterprise strategy. Partner with learning and HR stakeholders to align programs with workforce and talent planning. Build relationships across business units to drive adoption of enterprise capability and leadership solutions. - Build and evolve the leadership portfolio. Lead and continuously improve a multi-tier leadership development portfolio. Design and implement structured learning experiences including assessments, coaching, and cohort models. Evaluate program effectiveness using defined metrics and use feedback to drive continuous improvement. Ensure programs deliver measurable impact on leadership capability and business outcomes. Identify and phase out underperforming programs. Introduce enhanced or new offerings based on data and business needs. Support internal awareness and engagement tied to leadership development offerings. - Deliver programs at scale. Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of leadership and capability programs. Manage a portfolio of concurrent programs, ensuring on-time, high-quality delivery within defined scope. Coordinate vendors, facilitators, and internal resources to support execution. Establish and maintain program management systems, tools, and reporting mechanisms. Implement standardized processes to support consistency, scalability, and reduced delivery risk. - Drive priority initiatives and communications. Lead planning and execution of high-priority organizational initiatives that require cross-functional coordination. Oversee internal communications related to capability, leadership development, and key organizational programs. Manage enterprise-wide initiatives, events, and campaigns aligned to organizational priorities. Establish and maintain operating rhythms, including goal tracking, stakeholder reporting, and leadership updates. Ensure effective coordination, execution, and visibility of strategic initiatives across the organization. - Performs other duties as assigned.

Experience Requirements

- Minimum 10 years of experience in organizational learning, leadership development, or organizational effectiveness. - Minimum 4 years managing a portfolio of programs at enterprise scale. - Experience partnering with business leaders on workforce capability, skills strategy, or strategic workforce planning.

Education Requirements

- Required Bachelors Degree in business, human resources, organizational psychology, or a related field.

Additional Qualifications

- Partners with the business on capability and skilling needs: Works with business leaders to translate strategy into skilling priorities and to guide build, buy, or borrow talent decisions. - Maintains a strong point of view on future skills and AI: Holds a current, evidence-based view of the skills of the future and how artificial intelligence is changing roles across the business. - Applies skills-based approaches to talent development: Familiar with skills frameworks, capability mapping, and skills-based approaches to development and workforce planning. - Develops and delivers effective presentations: Ability to utilize data and measurement results in crafting compelling ROI arguments. - Possesses strong product knowledge: Fluency with leadership development frameworks such as Situational Leadership II, DiSC, coaching for performance, psychological safety, and inclusive leadership practices. - Demonstrated analytical skills: Knowledge of the Kirkpatrick framework (Levels 1 to 4) and pre and post evaluation designs.

Benefits

- Farmers offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, qualifications and location. - Bonus Opportunity (based on Company and Individual Performance) - 401(k) - Medical - Dental - Vision - Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts - Life Insurance - Paid Time Off - Paid Parental Leave - Tuition Assistance - For more information, review “What we offer” on https://www.farmers.com/careers/corporate/#offer

Job Location(s)

R_US - United States

Anticipated application deadline

At Farmers, the recruitment process is designed to ensure that we find the best talent to join our team. As part of this process, we typically close open positions within 8 to 21 days after posting. If you are interested in any of our open positions, we encourage you to submit your application promptly.