Director of Talent Development and Culture

About the Organization

The Henry Ford is a nonprofit organization and internationally recognized cultural destination. It provides unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories, and lives from America's traditions of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and innovation. The organization's purpose is to inspire people to learn from these traditions to help shape a better future. The team is guided by core values of being Welcoming, Curious, Authentic, and Passionate.

Responsibilities

• Engagement & Culture
  • Leads engagement programs that support employee development and create a sense of belonging across the organization.
  • Directs the content, execution, communications, planning, and logistics of the annual employee conference in collaboration with the President, Vice President of Talent & Culture, and Senior Director of Media.
  • Leads, plans, and hosts quarterly All-Staff and Leadership Management Team meetings to ensure alignment of institutional goals and priorities.
  • Leads formal recognition programs that celebrate employee contributions and milestones, including Service Award Recognition and other internal and external award programs.
  • Designs, plans, executes, and communicates employee activities such as team-building, celebratory gatherings, and community volunteerism.
  • Analyzes employee survey and feedback data with the Vice President of Talent & Culture and Director of Human Resources; recommends and implements programs to improve the employee experience.
  • Aligns staff messaging, communication channels, cadence, and culture-focused content with senior leaders to inform, engage, and connect employees to institutional priorities.
  • Serves as Editor of “THF Connections,” the staff newsletter, setting editorial standards and ensuring timely publication.
• Talent Development
  • Establishes and oversees the organization's professional development framework, ensuring alignment with workforce and organizational priorities using emerging technologies.
  • Uses learning technologies, analytics, and AI-enabled tools to evaluate learning effectiveness, identify capability gaps, and inform talent development priorities.
  • Facilitates, sponsors, or oversees learning experiences for all organizational levels, advancing leadership capability, inclusion, and a culture of continuous learning.
  • Evaluates learning effectiveness using data, metrics, and feedback to identify trends, measure organizational impact, and drive continuous improvement.
• Team Leadership & Operations
  • Manages and develops a team of professionals; sets clear goals, establishes priorities, coaches performance, and builds capability.
  • Creates annual operating plans and manages program budgets; monitors spend, evaluates ROI/impact, and recommends resource allocation.
  • Establishes vendor selection and management practices for learning and communication services, including scopes of work, timelines, deliverables, and performance evaluation.
  • Partners cross-functionally to assess needs, set priorities, and measure outcomes using qualitative and quantitative data.
  • Serves as a trusted strategic advisor to the Vice President of Talent & Culture, delivering data-driven engagement insights and sound judgment on organizational dynamics.
  • Acts as a collaborative team player offering expertise within the team and across departments.
  • Performs other duties as necessary.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in education, organizational development, business, instructional design/technology, or a related field.
• Ten (10) or more years of progressive experience leading learning and development, including program design, employee event planning, learning systems (e.g., LMS), and execution of organization-wide initiatives.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, interpersonal, and executive presence skills; demonstrated ability to present information effectively and facilitate meetings with diverse audiences, including senior leaders.
• Deep experience in learning effectiveness metrics, learning technologies, and reporting including LMS administration, content and learning tools, Monday.com, Qualtrics, and related systems.
• Proven project management and organizational skills; ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and deliver high-quality work in a dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated strategic and creative thinking; ability to anticipate current and future organizational capability needs and develop solutions aligned with The Henry Ford’s mission.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 collaboration tools (e.g., Teams, SharePoint, Outlook) and document/presentation development.
• Demonstrated ability to build, train, coach, and lead a high-performing team with a collaborative mindset.
• Demonstrated discretion, sound judgment, and confidence in sharing timely, relevant information with senior leaders.