Performing critical work that impacts our industry and our world’s health while building the people, leadership, and organizational capabilities needed for continued growth – that is what our People Operations team at KCAS gets to do every day.
When you work as the Director of Talent Management & Organizational Effectiveness at KCAS, you get to further our mission by helping translate business strategy into the organizational capabilities needed to execute and grow. You will partner closely with leaders across the organization to strengthen organizational structure, workforce capabilities, career pathways, and change effectiveness while providing strategic oversight of employee and leadership development through KCAS Bio University.
This is a business-facing leadership role that works across KCAS locations and functions. You will be counted on to understand the needs of the business, build strong relationships with leaders and employees, identify practical solutions, and help the organization successfully navigate growth and change.
In this role, we will rely on you to:
Lead the design and implementation of enterprise job architecture, including job families, leveling frameworks, competency requirements and career pathways, ensuring consistent role definitions and alignment with organizational needs.
Conduct structured business needs assessments to diagnose performance barriers, identify root causes, distinguish capability gaps from organizational or process issues, and recommend practical, measurable solutions.
Lead structured change management initiatives, including organizational readiness assessments, stakeholder engagement, leadership communication, employee enablement and adoption measurement for organizational, technology and AI-driven changes.
Provide strategic leadership for KCAS Bio University, ensuring employee and leadership development programs address identified capability gaps, support business priorities and demonstrate measurable learning and performance outcomes.
Partner with business and technical leaders to strengthen career development, succession planning, leadership development, mentoring, coaching, and employee learning pathways
Strengthen communication effectiveness during organizational change by helping leaders communicate clearly, build understanding, gather feedback, and drive adoption
Partner with Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partners, and other People Operations functions to ensure organizational and talent strategies are aligned
Use organizational data, employee feedback, and business insights to identify trends, evaluate effectiveness, and recommend improvements
Advise, challenge and influence leaders across the organization, facilitating difficult conversations, building alignment and establishing accountability for organizational decisions and improvement initiatives.
Perform all aspects of the job in a way that supports company brand and supports company mission, vision, and values
To qualify specifically for this role, you will have:
Significant progressive experience in organizational effectiveness, organizational development, talent management, human resources, or a related field
Demonstrated expertise in organizational and workforce architecture, including job architecture, leveling, competency models, career pathways, and organizational design
Experience assessing business and organizational needs, identifying capability or performance gaps, and developing solutions that improve organizational effectiveness
Demonstrated experience leading enterprise change management, including the people and communication components of significant organizational change
Experience providing strategic oversight or leadership for employee learning, leadership development, onboarding, or organizational development programs
Strong business acumen with the ability to connect people and organizational strategies to business priorities
Exceptional interpersonal, relationship-building, facilitation, coaching, and influencing skills
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively across organizational levels
Demonstrated ability to build trust, navigate ambiguity, manage competing perspectives, and influence leaders and stakeholders
Ability to work collaboratively across functions, levels, and locations while balancing strategic thinking with practical execution
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience leading employee engagement, organizational listening, or employee experience initiatives
Experience using people analytics, organizational metrics, surveys, dashboards, or other data to inform recommendations and evaluate program effectiveness
Experience leading managers, program leaders, or functional specialists
Experience in life sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceutical services, a CRO, or another regulated scientific environment
Experience working within a multi-site or international organization
Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, restructuring, or significant organizational growth
Familiarity with HR technology, learning management systems, BI tools, or platforms such as HiBob
Advanced degree in organizational development, business, industrial-organizational psychology, human resources, or related discipline
Relevant professional certifications or credentials such as SHRM-SCP/SPHR, Prosci Change Management, ATD/CPTD, coaching certifications, or organizational development/change management credentials
You will do all this as part of a collaborative People Operations team supporting a growing, multi-site organization. You will be counted on to balance strategy with execution, build credibility across all levels and functions, and influence through relationships rather than by formal authority alone. Success in this role will depend as much on how you work with people as on your technical expertise.
(Please note this is a representative summary of responsibilities, not a comprehensive or exclusive list of the duties to be performed in any position. Employees must follow instructions and perform additional duties as requested.)
WHO YOU ARE
You will thrive at KCAS Bio if you enjoy a relational environment, are purpose- and values-driven, embrace constant development and supportive leadership, and enjoy being part of innovative work.
WHAT YOU’LL GET
Our benefits include, and extend beyond, the traditional package. At KCAS Bio, you will enjoy company sponsored events like food trucks, family days and spirit days. You will grow in your career with KCAS University. You will be able to connect with like-minded employees to further KCAS Bio's approach to key areas such as wellness, inclusion, and community outreach. You will engage as an owner in our stock ownership program. You will have access to the latest technology. And you will be able to invest in the community with paid time off to volunteer.
WHO WE ARE
We are a fast-growing contract research organization (CRO) headquartered in Kansas City, pioneering the latest drug development in both human and animal health fields. Demand for our expertise is growing and so is our need for great people to work in nimble, empowered teams committed to one another’s growth. At KCAS Bio, we advance both great science AND great people.
KCAS Bio is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Among other things, we provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected category; we recruit qualified candidates without regard to citizenship status based on internal processes that enable us to hire the right candidates consistent with the appropriate U.S. Immigration framework; and (3) we work with and provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs, observances, and practices. Anyone who needs reasonable accommodation may send an email to kcasrecruiting@kcasbio.com or call 913-248-3000 (for TTY assistance call 711) and ask for Human Resources.
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