Job Description

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 learning, and early-career development.

Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, Education, Learning & Development, or a related discipline.
• Master’s degree is advantageous.
• Professional qualifications such as CIPD, SHRM, HRCI, coaching, assessment, or talent development certifications are advantageous.

Experience

• Typically 8+ years of relevant HR/Talent experience, with meaningful exposure to Early Careers, Talent Management, Learning & Development, Leadership Development, or Graduate Programs.
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing structured talent or development programs.
• Experience managing graduate, internship, trainee, leadership, or early-career initiatives is strongly preferred.
• Experience partnering with senior business stakeholders and HR Business Partners.
• Experience using talent data, assessments, and participant feedback to drive decisions.
• Experience managing external vendors, universities, assessment providers, or learning partners is advantageous.