Senior Talent & Development Specialist II

About this role

As Nielsen pivots from media measurement to media intelligence, manager capability is our catalyst for organizational agility and business growth. The Senior Program Manager, Manager Development plays a pivotal strategic role in shaping Nielsen’s leadership pipeline by designing, scaling, and modernizing our enterprise manager development architecture. Operating as a trusted advisor to senior business leaders and HR Business Partners (HRBPs), you will translate enterprise strategy into modern, tech-forward manager development solutions. You will own the strategy for managers in critical "moments that matter"—from manager onboarding to broad-scale upskilling in coaching, feedback, and AI fluency. Combining human-centered design, learning analytics, and leadership assessment models, you will build scalable manager capabilities that directly elevate business performance and strengthen our talent bench. Responsibilities Strategy & Portfolio Ownership Manager Development Portfolio: Architect, evolve, and manage a best-in-class manager development portfolio that aligns with business priorities and embeds our Leading @ Nielsen practices across global teams. Onboarding & Inflection Points: Design and scale a high-impact Manager Onboarding Journey for internal and external hires, driving rapid alignment to business strategy, culture (Our Nielsen Way), and what it means to be a leader at Nielsen. Enterprise Upskilling: Build targeted capability solutions for high-stakes manager skills (e.g., coaching, feedback, innovating with AI) across a diverse, global manager population. Design, Tech & Innovation Master Learning Designer: Serve as the hands-on instructional designer and architect for the manager portfolio, owning program design from initial concept through to final deployment and iteration, aligning with our executive development program manager to create a holistic leadership development portfolio. Human-Centered Innovation: Utilize Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Design Thinking methodologies to create empathetic, frictionless, and impactful learning experiences tailored to the modern manager's workflow. Tech-Forward & Global Scale: Leverage innovative tech platforms and external best practices to deliver scalable, flexible learning experiences with seamless execution across global hubs (including India and Mexico). Measurement & Stakeholder Advisory Data-Driven Impact: Establish robust baseline metrics and learning evaluation frameworks to measure capability shifts, optimize program effectiveness, and tie manager development directly to quantifiable business outcomes. Strategic Advisory: Partner seamlessly across the Talent, Learning, Culture and Engagement team and HRBP teams to solve complex talent challenges and ensure manager development keeps pace with emerging tech, AI, and industry trends. 7-10+ years of progressive experience designing, implementing, and scaling transformative leadership and manager development initiatives in a complex, global organization. Mastery in End-to-End Learning Design: Deep expertise as a skilled learning designer with a proven track record of owning full program architecture—applying Human-Centered Design (Design Thinking) and modern learning tech for leadership audiences. Assessment & Coaching Expertise: Deep background in talent and leadership assessment models, including 360° feedback and psychometrics (e.g., Leadership Circle Profile, Hogan, or similar). Coaching certifications are strongly valued. Global Partner & Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated experience selecting and managing global vendor partnerships while navigating localized delivery across matrixed, international environments. Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in Organizational Development, I/O Psychology, HR, or Business strongly preferred. Data & Business Impact: Demonstrated ability to measure learning ROI using data analytics to prove business value and pipeline health. Facilitation & Influence: Exceptional facil

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