Principal, Talent Management & Workforce Planning

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. We’re searching for a Head of Talent Management & Workforce Planning.

In this role, you will

• Be a key driver in shaping our organizational capabilities and ensuring long-term success. This role is responsible for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of three critical HR functions: Talent Management, Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP), and Performance Review. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with deep business acumen, data-driven decision-making, and best-practice HR methodologies.

Required Qualifications

1. Talent Management
   • Lead the design and administration of company-wide Talent Review and Succession Planning processes to identify, assess, and develop employees for critical roles.
   • Develop and manage career pathing frameworks and competency models that support employee growth and organizational agility.
   • Oversee the deployment of targeted development programs (e.g., leadership training, mentorship programs) to close identified skill gaps.
   • Integrate diversity and inclusion principles into all talent management and succession processes.
2. Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP)
   • Design and execute a comprehensive SWP framework to analyze current workforce capabilities and forecast future talent needs based on business strategy.
   • Partner with Executive Leadership, Finance, Talent Acquisition, Compensation to align workforce strategies with business goals, budget, and growth projections.
   • Identify critical talent gaps, surpluses, and skill adjacencies, developing mitigation strategies (e.g., build, buy, borrow).
   • Develop data-driven models and dashboards to track key workforce metrics, trends (internal and external), and the efficacy of SWP initiatives.
3. Performance Review Programs
   • Own and refine the end-to-end Performance Review cycle (objective setting, check-ins, year-end reviews, calibration, compensation planning).
   • Ensure the performance review system supports a high-performance culture by emphasizing clear expectations, continuous feedback, and fair, objective evaluation.
   • Educate managers and employees on performance management best practices and |effective coaching.
   • Analyze performance data to identify trends, ensure consistency, and recommend enhancements to drive higher employee engagement and productivity.
   • Collaborate with the People Technology team to design and implement system enhancements that streamline the performance review cycle and improve the user experience.

Skills

• Business Athlete Mindset: You are deeply knowledgeable about the business and industry, comfortable navigating and leading others through ambiguity, pivoting quickly to address new challenges, and solving complex problems without a pre-existing playbook.
• Systems Thinker: You recognize the connections across the organization, and take a holistic approach to analyzing situations and developing solutions that are sustainable in the longer term and account for system interdependencies.
• Strategic Acumen: You have an ability to translate long-term business strategy into concrete talent and workforce initiatives.
• Data-Driven: You use data and insights to proactively diagnose issues, inform your recommendations, influence decisions, and measure the impact of your work.
• Execution Excellence: You deliver high quality results through leading projects and initiatives with milestones and delivery schedules in partnership with stakeholders, and develop clear action plans with results-oriented goals for measuring success.
• Resilience and a Growth Mindset: You possess the resilience to thrive in a fast-paced environment and the ability to energize those around you.
• Consulting & Partnering: You have a strong ability to build trust and credibility with business leaders as a subject matter expert, and to work effectively across multiple business areas and teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Innovation: You have a continuous improvement mindset, seeking out and applying best practices and technology solutions in the HR space.
• Change Management: You are skilled in leading organizational change and ensuring successful adoption of new HR processes.

Desirable Qualifications 

• 10+ years of progressive experience in Human Resources, with a strong focus on Talent Management, Workforce Planning, and Performance Management. 
• Proven experience partnering directly with C-suite executives within a rapidly scaling organization. 
• Technology industry experience is strongly preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources (or related field) required. Advanced degree preferred.
• Proven experience designing and implementing Strategic Workforce Planning frameworks and models.
• Demonstrated success running large-scale, complex HR programs (e.g., annual performance cycle, talent review).
• Highly proficient in using Workday and other HR systems/tools tools to extract, analyze, and present data-driven insights to senior leaders.
• Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal) to effectively address all organizational levels.
• Fluent in English.
• Ability to travel within the U.S. approximately 10% of the time.
• This role requires this person to be in the office at least 3 days per week.

This is an in-person position, must work at our on-site office Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at a minimum.  This position can be located in Mountain View, CA; San Francisco, CA; Pittsburgh, PA; or Seattle, WA.

The base salary range for this position is $176k - $284k per year.  Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits. 

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