Manager - Early Career

Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the organization’s Early Career strategy and programs, creating structured development pathways that attract, develop, and retain high-potential early-career talent. The role will oversee graduate, internship, and other early-career development initiatives from program design and selection through onboarding, development, assessment, progression, and program completion. The Manager will work closely with business leaders, HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, and external partners to ensure programs build the capabilities and future talent pipelines required by the organization. The role will also ensure that early-career initiatives provide a high-quality participant experience while delivering measurable business and talent outcomes. Requirements Early Career Strategy & Program Design - Develop and implement the Early Career strategy in alignment with the overall Talent Management and workforce strategy. - Design structured graduate, internship, trainee, and other early-career development programs. - Define program journeys including onboarding, rotations, formal learning, experiential development, mentoring, assessments, and career progression. - Establish clear program governance, standards, policies, and operating procedures. - Benchmark early-career practices and introduce improvements based on market trends and organizational requirements. - Ensure programs create sustainable pipelines for critical and future capability areas. Graduate & Early Career Program Management - Manage early-career programs end to end, from workforce requirements and participant selection through development and graduation. - Build structured development plans and learning journeys for program participants. - Coordinate business rotations, placements, projects, mentoring, coaching, and development activities. - Work with business leaders to identify appropriate placements and meaningful development experiences. - Monitor participant progress and proactively address performance, engagement, or development concerns. - Ensure smooth transitions from early-career programs into permanent roles where applicable. Talent Assessment & Development - Establish appropriate assessment methodologies to evaluate participant capability, performance, potential, and development. - Facilitate talent and progress reviews for early-career populations. - Identify high-potential participants and recommend appropriate development and career opportunities. - Partner with Talent Management and Learning & Development teams to address capability gaps. - Use assessment and performance data to continuously improve program design and participant outcomes. Stakeholder & Business Partnership - Partner closely with HR Business Partners and business leaders to understand future talent and capability requirements. - Build strong relationships with managers hosting graduates, interns, and trainees. - Provide guidance and support to managers on developing and managing early-career talent. - Partner with Talent Acquisition on attraction, assessment, and selection strategies. - Collaborate with Learning & Development and Leadership Development teams to deliver high-quality development interventions. - Manage relationships with universities, educational institutions, external providers, and development partners where required. Participant Experience & Engagement - Create a consistent and engaging employee experience throughout the early-career journey. - Develop effective communication and engagement plans for participants and their managers. - Organize development events, networking opportunities, workshops, leadership exposure, and community-building activities. - Establish feedback mechanisms to understand participant experience and identify improvement opportunities. - Act as an escalation point for significant participant or program issues. Analytics, Reporting & Program Effectiveness - Define and monitor KPIs for all Early Career programs. - Track participant performance, retention, engagement, program completion, placement, and progression. - Develop dashboards and reports for Talent Management and HR leadership. - Analyze program data and participant feedback to identify trends and recommend improvements. - Measure program effectiveness and demonstrate the contribution of Early Career initiatives to the organization's future talent pipeline. Governance & Continuous Improvement - Maintain appropriate governance, documentation, and controls across Early Career programs. - Ensure participant decisions and assessments are fair, consistent, evidence-based, and properly documented. - Manage program calendars, budgets, suppliers, and resources as required. - Identify opportunities to digitize and automate program administration and reporting. - Stay current on emerging practices in graduate development, skills-based talent management, AI-enabled

Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the organization’s Early Career strategy and programs, creating structured development pathways that attract, develop, and retain high-potential early-career talent. Oversee graduate, internship, and other early-career development initiatives from program design and selection through onboarding, development, assessment, progression, and program completion. Collaborate with business leaders, HRBP, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, and external partners to ensure programs build capabilities and future talent pipelines. Ensure high-quality participant experience while delivering measurable business and talent outcomes.