Job Description

Talent Manager — Enterprise Talent, Learning & OD Architect 

About The River 

The River is not just a college. We are a nationally recognized, award-winning institution shaping the future of learning, careers, and communities. Winner of the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, The River has been consistently ranked among the top institutions in the country for delivering transformational outcomes to students and families. 

We are expanding boldly: 

• The Promise Program is removing financial barriers by guaranteeing tuition-free education for eligible local graduates, opening pathways to equity and opportunity. 
   

• Our partnership with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) is launching a full medical education pathway at our Pruitt Campus — bringing advanced healthcare education and research to our region. 
   

• We are investing heavily in AI, automation, and digital learning ecosystems to disrupt the traditional higher education model and deliver career-ready skills, not just degrees. 
   

• Our institutional rallying cry, “GO FAST. THINK BIG.”, drives every decision we make: speed in execution, boldness in vision, and excellence in outcomes. 
   

The River is leading the way in designing the future of education: one that blends academic learning, workforce readiness, and life success. Our HR function is at the center of this transformation — because we know that student success begins with employee success. 

Our Transformation Journey 

At The River, HR is no longer an administrative function. We are building a strategic, AI-enabled People & Culture engine that sets the pace for higher education and benchmarks against the world’s best companies. 

This is not maintenance work. This is building from the ground up — and building for impact: 

• Professionalizing HR with systems, processes, and leadership pipelines that rival Fortune 500 organizations. 
   

• Embedding AI, automation, and people analytics into every aspect of HR to make work faster, smarter, and more human. 
   

• Designing a culture of inclusion, performance, and belonging that inspires people to do the best work of their lives. 
   

• Shaping succession pipelines, leadership academies, and career architectures that ensure every employee at The River has visibility, opportunity, and support. 
   

• Proving impact with data, dashboards, and ROI, not just activity — HR at The River is measured on outcomes. 
   

We are creating a movement inside higher education — to show that a college can deliver world-class HR and people systems that rival the most innovative companies in the world. 

The Talent Manager role is at the heart of this journey: building the enterprise systems that unlock learning, leadership, and growth for every employee. 

Purpose of the Role 

The Talent Manager at The River is not a program administrator — this is a strategic architect role with the mandate to design and scale the full enterprise talent system. You will bring the depth, vision, and execution strength of a Fortune 500 HR leader into a purpose-driven, mission-centered institution. 

This role exists because our future growth, our culture, and our student outcomes all depend on talent. If our employees have clear career paths, if our leaders are prepared for succession, if our workforce is skilled for tomorrow’s challenges, and if every employee feels belonging and purpose in their work — then The River succeeds in delivering on its mission. 

As Talent Manager, you will: 

• Design the architecture of growth: building the frameworks, systems, and processes that connect learning, leadership, careers, and culture. 
   

• Anticipate and prepare: ensuring The River has the bench strength, readiness, and workforce planning to meet institutional goals 6, 12, and 24 months out. 
   

• Enable leaders at scale: making every leader, at every level, better equipped to grow people and lead change. 
   

• Bring innovation and AI into talent: from predictive workforce planning to personalized learning, you will make The River’s talent practices faster, smarter, and more impactful. 
   

• Drive measurable results: your success will not be defined by activity but by impact — stronger succession pipelines, higher promotion velocity, more effective leaders, greater engagement, and career mobility. 
   

This role is both strategic and hands-on. You will set vision, design frameworks, and facilitate leadership conversations. You will also roll up your sleeves,