Senior Talent Management & Engagement Partner

Ascend is the largest credit union in Middle Tennessee and one of the largest credit unions in the United States, with over $4 billion in assets. With an occupation-based field of membership, Ascend is focused on the expansion and diversification of the select employee groups it serves, which creates greater security for the credit union and its member-owners. Approximately 650 employees serve more than 265,000 members from 28 Middle Tennessee branch locations, Regional Operations Center, Teller Center and Corporate Headquarters. Ascend recognizes that its employees are critical to the credit union’s sustained success and future growth. Our employees are the face of the credit union and their personal successes fuel the success of the team. Through collaboration between employees, management, our membership and our Board, we fuel an engine that propels the credit union forward.

Thank you for your interest in a career with Ascend Federal Credit Union! Being employed by Ascend is vastly different than just holding a job. The credit union prides itself on providing employees rewarding career opportunities, competitive benefits and a unique work culture. The credit union’s commitment to its employees is fostered by its commitment to the member-owners, ensuring dedicated and engaged employees to serve the membership. Ascend’s vision to be the most loved credit union in our market by employees and members alike has earned the credit union distinctions including Federal Credit Union of the Year (NAFCU, 2015), Best Credit Union to Work For (2016-2025) and Training MVP Awards (2015-2026).

The Senior Talent Management & Engagement Partner serves as the organization's enterprise leader and subject matter expert for talent management, performance management, employee engagement, succession planning, talent reviews, career development, strengths-based development, and organizational capability. The role is responsible for shaping and advancing the organization's talent philosophy by designing, implementing, and continuously improving enterprise talent strategies and programs that strengthen leadership effectiveness, organizational capability, employee engagement, and long-term workforce readiness. This role serves as a strategic advisor and internal consultant, partnering closely with the Chief People Officer, VP of Talent Development & Performance, executive leadership, and business leaders to align talent strategies with organizational priorities. Through strategic program leadership, executive coaching, workforce analytics, organizational consulting, and cross-functional collaboration, this role influences enterprise talent decisions and builds scalable talent practices that position the organization for continued growth and future success.

Enterprise Talent Strategy

• Support the development and execution of the organization’s enterprise talent management strategy in partnership with the Chief People Officer and VP of Talent Development & Performance.
• Design integrated talent management programs that align performance management, succession planning, talent reviews, employee engagement, career development, leadership readiness, and organizational capability.
• Build trusted partnerships through coaching, consultation, and collaboration, helping leaders strengthen organizational capability, develop their teams, and achieve business objectives.
• Shape and advance the organization’s talent philosophy by recommending innovative strategies that support organizational priorities and future workforce needs.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders on talent management, employee engagement, organizational capability, and workforce development.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of enterprise talent programs and recommend continuous improvements using workforce analytics, employee feedback, business outcomes, and industry best practices.

Performance Management

• Own the enterprise performance management philosophy, framework, and annual performance management process.
• Design and continuously improve goal setting, performance conversations, feedback practices, evaluations, and development planning.
• Develop tools, resources, and coaching strategies that enable leaders to conduct meaningful performance conversations and effectively develop their teams.
• Facilitate enterprise performance calibration discussions that promote consistency, fairness, accountability, and organizational alignment.
• Analyze performance trends and recommend strategies that improve organizational and individual performance.

Talent Management & Succession Planning

• Design and facilitate enterprise succession planning processes that strengthen leadership pipelines and organizational continuity.
• Lead enterprise talent review and calibration discussions.
• Partner with leaders to identify high-potential employees, assess organizational bench strength, and develop successor readiness plans for critical positions.
• Develop career development and internal mobility strategies that support employee growth and organizational sustainability.
• Monitor succession readiness and recommend strategies that strengthen future leadership capability.

Employee Engagement & Organizational Culture

• Lead the organization’s Gallup engagement strategy and employee listening initiatives.
• Administer engagement surveys, pulse surveys, and other employee listening activities.
• Coach leaders in interpreting engagement results and developing meaningful action plans that improve engagement, trust, and organizational culture.
• Develop enterprise strategies that strengthen employee experience, belonging, recognition, and retention.
• Monitor engagement trends and provide executive recommendations that improve organizational effectiveness.
• Partner on enterprise recognition initiatives that reinforce organizational values and high performance.

CliftonStrengths & Organizational Capability

• Champion the organization’s strengths-based development philosophy.
• Partner with the VP of Talent Development & Performance to integrate CliftonStrengths into onboarding, leadership development, coaching, team effectiveness, and career development.
• Coach leaders on applying CliftonStrengths to improve leadership effectiveness, collaboration, employee development, and team performance.
• Develop tools and resources that help leaders leverage strengths to build high-performing teams.
• Evaluate strengths-based initiatives and recommend enhancements.

Leadership Coaching & Talent Consultation

• Serve as a trusted coach and consultant to leaders on performance management, talent development, succession planning, employee engagement, career development, and organizational effectiveness.
• Strengthen leader capability by coaching managers to deliver meaningful feedback, conduct effective development conversations, and build high-performing teams.
• Facilitate talent discussions that help leaders identify, develop, and retain high-performing and high-potential employees.
• Coach leaders on interpreting Gallup engagement results, CliftonStrengths insights, talent analytics, and organizational trends to improve leadership effectiveness and team performance.
• Support leaders in developing meaningful Individual Development Plans (IDPs) and career growth opportunities.
• Influence enterprise talent decisions through coaching, facilitation, data, and strategic recommendations rather than positional authority.

Talent Analytics & Organizational Insights

• Develop executive dashboards measuring talent health, engagement, performance, succession readiness, internal mobility, retention, and organizational capability.
• Analyze workforce trends and provide strategic recommendations that inform executive decision-making.
• Identify organizational risks and opportunities related to talent, leadership readiness, engagement, and workforce capability.
• Partner with the People Operations Manager to ensure data integrity, reporting accuracy, and meaningful workforce analytics.

Organizational Effectiveness

• Recommend talent strategies that strengthen organizational capability and prepare the workforce for future business needs.
• Partner with leaders to identify organizational capability gaps and recommend integrated learning and talent solutions.
• Develop and mature enterprise talent management capabilities that position the organization to meet current and future workforce needs while establishing scalable practices that support organizational growth.
• Support enterprise change initiatives by aligning talent management practices with organizational priorities.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning, coaching, accountability, inclusion, feedback, and employee development.

Success Measures

Success in this role is demonstrated through:

• A high-performing and consistently applied enterprise performance management program.
• Measurable improvements in Gallup engagement and employee experience.
• Strong succession plans and measurable improvements in leadership bench strength.
• Effective enterprise talent review processes that support informed talent decisions.
• Increased internal mobility and meaningful career development opportunities.
• Successful integration of CliftonStrengths into leadership and employee development.
• Improved coaching capability among leaders across the organization.
• Executive confidence in talent analytics and strategic recommendations.
• Strong partnerships that align talent management, learning, leadership development, and organizational capability.
• Recognition as a trusted enterprise advisor who influences talent strategy, strengthens leadership capability, and delivers measurable organizational outcomes.

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, Psychology, Organizational Leadership, or a related field is required
• Master's Degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business Administration, Psychology, Organizational Leadership, or a related field is preferred
• PhD a plus 
• SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, or SPHR Certification
• Gallup Certified Strengths Coach or Gallup Workplace Consultant

Work Experience

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive experience in talent management, organizational development, employee engagement, leadership development, performance management, or a related People function is required
• Demonstrated experience designing and leading enterprise talent initiatives. is required
• Experience consulting with executive leaders and facilitating enterprise initiatives is preferred
• Experience with Gallup Engagement and CliftonStrengths strongly is preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Comprehensive knowledge of talent management, performance management, employee engagement, succession planning, organizational development, career development, leadership effectiveness, coaching, facilitation, and change management.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement enterprise-wide talent strategies and programs.
• Strong knowledge of Gallup engagement methodology and CliftonStrengths philosophy, with experience leading implementation, coaching, and action planning preferred.
• Exceptional coaching, facilitation, consulting, executive influence, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong analytical abilities with experience translating workforce data into strategic recommendations and organizational insights.
• Ability to influence leaders and drive organizational change without direct authority.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to align talent initiatives with organizational strategy.
• Excellent project management, strategic planning, and continuous improvement skills.
• Regular and reliable attendance is required.

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Ascend Federal Credit Union is an Equal Opportunity Employer.