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 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.