Manager, Leadership Development Programs

About the role

The Manager, Leadership Development Programs is a key individual contributor within the Owen Graduate School of Management’s Leadership Development Program at Vanderbilt University. Reporting directly to the Executive Director of the Leadership Development Program, this position oversees and executes the strategy, design, implementation, and evaluation of leadership development programs and programming for 580 graduate business students and 13,000+ alumni. The role supports the Owen Graduate School of Management’s mission to create opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to discover, grow, and thrive in business and beyond, emphasizing both scholarly research and the art of becoming through meaningful connections and transformative experiences.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning: Develop strategic goals for Leadership Development in conjunction with the Executive Director, establish annual priorities, support Owen’s mission and strategic initiatives, conduct mid-year and end-of-year planning sessions, and evaluate programs for continuous improvement.
• Specialized Masters Programs: Manage relationships with faculty directors to meet program objectives, communicate with faculty and program committees, review budgets and program plans, leverage data to identify pain points and opportunities, and design programming tailored to unique audiences.
• Leadership Assessments: Conduct Hogan assessment debrief workshops and one-on-one follow-on debriefs for students, providing guidance on interpreting assessment results and using them as road maps for professional development.
• 1:1 Coaching/Counseling: Provide ongoing one-on-one leadership coaching to students to support their development, address specific challenges, and facilitate learning from experience.
• Student Success: Partner with team members to deliver clear and consistent communication to students, collaborate with student organizations and faculty to foster an inclusive environment, manage the coach matching process, serve as a relationship manager for a subset of students, and refer students to campus resources as needed.
• Workshop Delivery & Facilitation: Deliver and facilitate both in-person and virtual workshops and group discussions.
• Project Management: Manage day-to-day operations for specific programs and projects, including planning, logistics, space reservations, project management software updates, and participant tracking. Execute process improvements identified during planning sessions.
• Marketing & Podcast: Co-manage the One Thousand Ways to Lead Podcast, partner with the Marketing Communications team to increase audience and monitor metrics, provide content for Inside Owen, and refresh the external website as needed.

Requirements

• 10 years of management experience in talent management, leadership development, succession planning, and/or organizational development.
• Understanding of the leadership development landscape.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (advanced degree preferred, e.g., MBA or related master’s).

Qualifications

• Passion for developing future leaders.
• Record of accomplishment in industry or academia.
• Significant experience working cross-functionally with a diverse population.
• Proven program and project management skills; detail-oriented and comfortable with data entry and analysis.
• Ability to align departmental tactics with organizational strategies and influence multiple constituents.
• Style and demeanor to effectively coach students and flex between roles as coach, facilitator, mentor, and consultant.
• Proven ability to maintain confidentiality, work independently and collaboratively, and communicate clearly in writing and verbally.
• Understanding and knowledge of executive coaching.
• Experience interviewing talent for an organization or as a manager.
• Proven track record of continuous improvement, innovation, and accountability to a budget.
• Hogan Assessment certification and familiarity with Korn/Ferry leadership competencies and VOICES 360 instrument preferred.
• Comfortable working with new and existing technology; social media experience in a professional setting preferred.