Wellington College China

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Talent Management

1. Align talent management strategies with WCEC business strategy, ensuring that strategy and activity closely meet the needs of our schools and school leaders.
2. Ensure leadership competencies align with group strategic objectives. Embedding new WCEC Competency Models across the full employee life cycle and upskilling leaders and HR teams in effective use of the competencies to support talent development. 
3. Measure the ROI of talent management, specifically attraction, retention and promotion

Leadership Development and Succession Planning

1. Ensure effective planning methodology is proactively used to identify long-term and emergency succession, as well as robust criteria and methodology for identifying key roles and high potential talent across the group.
2. Develop and lead succession planning processes across academic and non-academic functions in collaboration with senior leaders. Train and upskill school HR teams in effective succession planning and talent management processes and discussions. 
3. Advise senior school and group leadership on identification and development of individual high potential leaders, and mitigation plans for areas of succession risk.
4. Quality assure and enhance existing WCEC Leadership Development Programmes, as well as coaching and mentoring programmes, to ensure they are aligned to leadership competencies, and that they effectively prepare participants to progress to the next level of leadership whilst equipping them with the necessary skills and behaviours.

Talent Review

1. Define and implement talent review dimensions (e.g., performance, potential, readiness) to assess and categorize talent, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and succession planning.
2. Lead the end-to-end talent review process, facilitating discussions with senior leadership to identify high-potential employees, critical roles, and talent gaps.
3. Integrate talent review outcomes with succession planning, ensuring a pipeline of future-ready leaders and mitigating key-person risks.
4. Conduct gap analysis on talent capabilities versus business needs, and collaborate with senior leaders to design targeted development plans (e.g., rotations, stretch assignments, mentoring). Ensure talent review outputs translate into actionable development interventions and retention strategies.
   

Competency Framework

1. Build competency framework to standardize skills and behaviors for different roles.
2. Develop assessment tools (e.g., behavioral indicators, proficiency scales) to evaluate competency mastery and identify development gaps.
3. Integrate the competency framework into talent processes (e.g., performance management, succession planning, L&D programs) for consistency and objectivity.
4. Regularly review and refine the framework to reflect evolving business needs, industry trends, and employee feedback.

Performance Management 

1. Define and communicate the purpose, significance, and value of each performance management phase (e.g., target setting, mid-year appraisal, year-end appraisal) to employees and managers, ensuring alignment with company goals.
2. Develop and deliver training programs & learning materials to guide employees and line managers in effectively completing performance management activities at each stage.
3. Establish clear performance standards, defining what constitutes different performance ratings, incorporating measures and competency framework.
4. Design and provide toolkits & resources (e.g., templates, guides, FAQs) to support employees and managers in preparing for performance conversations, ensuring clarity on expectations and focus areas.
5. Equip line managers with best practices and frameworks for handling performance conversations, including coaching on constructive feedback, conflict resolution, and action planning.
6. Continuously assess and refine the performance management process based on feedback, data insights, and industry best practices to enhance fairness, transparency, and effectiveness.
7. Review and develop WCEC’s performance appraisal system to ensure it is employee-driven, development focused and encourages a culture of high performance, accountability and constructive feedback aligned with group strategic objectives.
8. Ensure annual performance appraisal cycle is managed in accordance with group calendar.
9. Ensure performance appraisal system provides robust data to drive identification of common training and development needs.
10. Work in close partnership with Operations Manager on implementation, smooth roll-out and ongoing development of the online Performance Management system, leading on quality assurance and end user feedback and satisfaction.

Learning & Development

1. Work closely with school and HR leaders to ensure L&D provision is closely aligned to talent and development needs as well as WCEC Competencies. 
2. Ensure all employees have access to continuous learning opportunities to enhance their skills; planning effective, tailored communication strategies for different demographics and signposting appropriate L&D provision. Support L&D Manager with the continuous improvement of WCEC’s annual Course Directory and introduction of L&D Awareness Week. 
3. Promote a culture of lifelong learning and professional development.

Global Mobility

1. Develop and oversee WCEC’s Global Mobility Policy, programmes and systems to facilitate talent movement across the group and internationally
2. Achieve group-wide talent mobility targets aligned with strategic business and succession requirements.
3. Liaise between local HR teams to enable and support logistics of global talent moves across the organization.

Stakeholder Management

1. Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including senior  leaders and HR Managers, securing enthusiasm and buy-in for the talent management agenda
2. Act as an advisor to leadership on all matters related to talent management and specific development areas for leaders. 
3. Development of HR & L&D teams through external best practice and referencing. Upskill internal teams and increase awareness of talent and L&D best practice from within education and the corporate world. Attend conferences and events to stay abreast of innovation and best practice and promote WCEC’s talent strategies and employer brand externally.

Data and Systems

1. Utilize HR metrics and analytics to inform decision-making and drive continuous improvement in talent management. Monitor key performance indicators and implement strategies to enhance overall employee experience.
2. Work closely in partnership with head of Data and Systems to select and implement a highly effective Learning Management System (LMS), ensuring it meets the organization's training needs, including user access, and reporting metrics.
3. Produce regular reports on identified Talent and L&D KPIs for WCEC Senior Leaders and Executive Board, as well as adhoc reporting and data as required by Global CPO or other senior leaders.

BASIC QUALIFICATION

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field. Master’s degree or Post-Graduate professional HR certification, along with membership of a recognized international HR Professional Body strongly preferred.

Language: Proficient in oral and written English

Working experience: 5-10 years of experience in Human Resources or Talent/ L&D, with at least 2-3 years’ operating in a leadership role or senior capacity.

Global Experience: Proven experience in managing talent / L&D within a multinational group, ideally within a matrix structure.

SKILLS

• Strong strategic and analytical thinking abilities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to influence and drive change at all levels of the group.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Proficiency in HRIS and talent management software.

COMPETENCIES

• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work effectively in a diverse global environment.
• Ability to navigate complexity and operate in a dynamic, fast-paced setting.
• High emotional intelligence and the ability to build trust and collaboration.
• Agility in adapting to changing business needs and environments.