Vice President of Talent, Learning & Development

This role leads talent management, leadership development, succession planning, organizational effectiveness, performance management, workforce planning, and employee engagement initiatives across the enterprise.

In addition to enterprise talent responsibilities, this position serves as the dedicated Human Resources Business Partner for Ashford Inc. corporate departments, partnering closely with executive leadership to align people strategies with business objectives. The role collaborates with HR Business Partners assigned to the operating companies to ensure consistency and effectiveness of talent programs across the organization.

The position directly manages a team of Three Managers, and works collaboratively with HR Business Partners and business leaders across the organization to attract, develop, engage, and retain top talent.

Allocation of Responsibilities

This role combines enterprise Talent Management, Learning & Development leadership, and strategic Human Resources Business Partner responsibilities. Time allocation is expected to be approximately:

45% - Vice President, Talent Management

• Lead enterprise-wide talent strategy across Ashford Inc., Remington Hospitality, Premier Project Management, RED Hospitality & Leisure, INSPIRE, and Pure Wellness.
• Oversee succession planning, talent reviews, workforce planning, performance management, career pathing, and high-potential talent development.
• Partner with executive leadership to ensure organizational capability and leadership readiness.
• Establish talent metrics and analytics to support long-term business growth.

35% - Vice President, Learning & Development

• Develop and execute learning and development strategies across the enterprise.
• Oversee leadership development, management training, onboarding, mentoring, coaching, and professional development programs.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and internal career growth.
• Measure and enhance the effectiveness of learning initiatives.

20% - Human Resources Business Partner (Ashford Inc.)

• Serve as the dedicated HR Business Partner for Ashford Inc. corporate departments.
• Advise leaders on organizational design, employee engagement, workforce planning, performance management, employee relations, and change management.
• Partner with executives to align people strategies with business objectives.
• Collaborate with HR Business Partners supporting the operating companies to ensure alignment and consistency of enterprise talent initiatives.

Essential Responsibilities

Enterprise Talent Management & Organizational Development

• Develop and execute a comprehensive talent management strategy across all Ashford-affiliated companies.
• Lead enterprise-wide succession planning and talent review processes.
• Design and implement leadership development programs for all levels of leadership.
• Establish competency models, career pathing frameworks, and talent assessment processes.
• Drive organizational effectiveness initiatives that support growth and operational excellence.
• Partner with senior leaders to identify and develop high-potential talent.
• Lead workforce planning efforts to ensure future leadership readiness.
• Utilize talent analytics and workforce metrics to guide decision-making.

Learning & Development

• Create and execute the company's learning and development strategy.
• Oversee onboarding, management training, leadership development, mentoring, and career development programs.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.
• Evaluate training effectiveness and return on investment.
• Ensure learning programs align with organizational goals and future workforce needs.

HR Business Partner Responsibilities (Ashford Inc.)

• Serve as the primary HR Business Partner for Ashford Inc. corporate leadership and departments.
• Partner with executives and department leaders on workforce planning, organizational design, succession planning, and employee performance management, and employee engagement.
• Provide coaching and guidance to leaders on performance management and leadership effectiveness.
• Support organizational change initiatives and business transformation efforts.
• Advise management on employee relations matters and people-related business decisions.
• Drive initiatives that strengthen culture, retention, and employee experience within Ashford corporate functions.

Enterprise HR Partnership

• Collaborate with HR Business Partners supporting Remington Hospitality, Premier Project Management, RED Hospitality & Leisure, INSPIRE, Pure Wellness, and hotel operations.
• Establish enterprise talent management standards and best practices across all affiliated companies.
• Ensure alignment of talent strategies, leadership development programs, and succession planning efforts.
• Support executive talent assessments and leadership development initiatives across the enterprise.

Employee Engagement & Culture

• Champion employee engagement initiatives that support a high-performance culture.
• Analyze engagement data and develop action plans to improve retention and employee satisfaction.
• Promote organizational values, leadership accountability, and career growth opportunities.
• Support diversity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives across the enterprise.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop Talent Management and Learning & Development team members.
• Directly manage and coach a team of two (2) recruiters, providing guidance on sourcing strategies, recruitment planning, candidate experience, and overall recruiting effectiveness.
• Partner with business leaders and hiring managers to ensure alignment between talent acquisition, workforce planning, succession planning, and organizational goals.
• Establish departmental goals, budgets, and key performance indicators.
• Build strong partnerships across corporate and field operations.
• Drive continuous improvement within talent and organizational development functions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Psychology, or a related field preferred.
• A combination of education, professional certifications, and relevant experience may be considered.
• In lieu of a degree, candidates with significant progressive leadership experience in Talent Management, Learning & Development, Organizational Development, and Human Resources at the Director, Senior Director, Vice President, or equivalent level will be considered.
• Minimum 7+ years of progressive Human Resources leadership experience.
• Minimum 5+ years leading Talent Management, Learning & Development, Organizational Development, or HR Business Partner functions.
• Experience managing talent acquisition and recruiting functions.
• Experience partnering directly with executive leadership teams and supporting enterprise-wide business initiatives.
• Proven success developing and implementing talent strategies, succession planning programs, leadership development initiatives, and organizational effectiveness strategies.
• Experience supporting multi-location organizations and geographically dispersed workforces.
• Hospitality, real estate, project management, or service-industry experience strongly preferred.
• Professional certifications such as SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPTD, or equivalent are preferred.
• Experience working with ADP Workforce Now, ADP Lyric, or similar Human Capital Management (HCM), Talent Management, Learning Management, and Performance Management platforms is highly preferred.
• Experience leveraging HR technology and AI to support talent acquisition, onboarding, employee records management, performance management, succession planning, learning and development, compensation administration, reporting, and workforce analytics.
• At Ashford, ADP serves as the primary platform for Human Resources functions, including talent acquisition, onboarding, employee records management, performance management, talent management, succession planning, learning and development, compensation, and reporting. Experience using ADP is preferred.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to influence and advise executive leadership.
• Demonstrated experience leading organizational change, workforce planning, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, coaching, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 30% based on business needs to support corporate offices, operating companies, hotel properties, leadership meetings, training initiatives, and talent development programs.

Key Performance Indicators

• Leadership bench strength and succession readiness
• Internal promotion and mobility rates
• Employee engagement and retention metrics
• Learning program participation and effectiveness
• High-potential talent development outcomes
• Business leader satisfaction with HR partnership
• Time-to-fill and quality-of-hire metrics
• Workforce planning and talent pipeline effectiveness

Why Join Us?

This role offers the opportunity to shape the talent strategy for a diverse portfolio of hospitality, real estate, project management, leisure, and service organizations while serving as a trusted advisor to Ashford executive leadership. The successful candidate will play a key role in developing future leaders, strengthening organizational capability, and driving business success through people.

Physical Requirements (In-Office Role)

• Ability to work in a standard office environment.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. (6-8 hours a day)
• Occasional standing and walking throughout the workday.
• Frequent fine motor skills, use of hands and fingers for keyboarding/typing, utilizing a mouse or trackpad, writing, and operating office equipment.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, bend, reach, or carry items.
• Ability to lift and/or move 10–25 pounds as needed (e.g., files, office supplies).
• Visual ability to read from a computer screen and printed materials including close visual focus for extended periods and color differentiation (for certain roles).
• Ability to hear and participate in conversations and meetings, use phone and/or headset
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.