Director, Inclusive Culture- Strategic Partnerships & Programs

If you’re passionate about becoming a Nationwide associate and believe you have the potential to be something great, let’s talk. At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

Success in this role is defined by the ability to translate strategy into disciplined execution at scale within a highly cross‑functional and visible environment both internal and external. This leader ensures that Nationwide’s inclusive culture strategy is effectively operationalized and consistently delivered, bringing clarity, structure, and measurable impact to complex work.

What Makes Someone Effective

Successful candidates will build strong external partnerships, execution discipline, sound judgment, and the ability to lead through complexity, including:

• Interpreting and operationalizing strategy without needing fully defined direction
• Navigating competing priorities across stakeholders while maintaining forward momentum
• Bringing clarity and structure to ambiguous or evolving work
• Enabling executive-level outcomes while maintaining ownership of execution

Key Indicators of Success

• Strong execution and delivery of strategic external partnerships and enterprise programming aligned to business priorities
• Effective integration across stakeholders ( External partners, HR, Talent Acquisition, Marketing, ARGs, and business units) to drive alignment and reduce fragmentation
• Disciplined partnership management, with clear governance, lifecycle management, and performance focus
• Operational rigor, including planning, budgeting, and risk management
• Clear measurement of impact, using data and insights to inform decisions and strengthen outcomes
• Development of a high-performing team, with clear priorities and accountability

Inclusive Leadership Expectations: Success in this role requires a demonstrated ability to lead inclusively in practice.

This leader:

• Seeks and values diverse perspectives, especially when they challenge initial thinking
• Demonstrates intellectual humility, adjusting views based on new information and context
• Leads with curiosity, empathy, and respect, fostering productive dialogue and trust
• Builds alignment across differences while maintaining focus on outcomes

Best Fit for This Role - This role is well suited for individuals who:

• Thrive in complex, fast-paced environments
• Enjoy building partnership structure and operational rhythm behind high-impact work
• Are energized by connecting people, priorities, and processes
• Take pride in execution excellence and accountability

Important to Know: This is a delivery-focused leadership role. It is not the primary owner of enterprise strategy, but is critical in ensuring that strategy is executed effectively, consistently, and at scale.

This is a hybrid role based in Columbus, Ohio, requiring 3 days per week in office and 40% travel. We welcome candidates who are local to the area or willing to relocate to Columbus. ​

Job Description Summary

Would you like to work for a company that puts the customer at the center of everything we do? If so, Nationwide is an outstanding workplace where you will engage with the brightest and most passionate individuals in the business.

As Director, Inclusive Culture – Strategic Partnerships & Programs, you are responsible for integrating, executing, and scaling Nationwide’s inclusive culture strategy through external partnerships and enterprise programming. This role translates enterprise direction set by the Senior AVP, Inclusive Culture into operational plans, governance, and measurable outcomes. The Director acts as a people leader, enterprise integrator, and external facing execution leader, ensuring that partnerships, programming, and recognition efforts are aligned to business priorities, deliver return on investment, and reinforce Nationwide’s reputation as an inclusive employer of choice.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities: 

Strategic Integration & Execution

• Operationalize inclusive culture and partnership strategy established by the Senior AVP, ensuring consistent execution across the enterprise

• Integrate external partnerships with internal priorities across HR, Talent Acquisition, Marketing, ARGs, and Business Units

• Serve