Place of Business:
BNSF Railway

Position Description:

The Director of Talent Development will design and execute enterprise-wide talent strategies that strengthen BNSF’s leadership pipeline and elevate organizational capability. This role is responsible for succession and talent planning, high potential development, performance management, mentoring programs, selection and development assessments, and executive coaching.

Grounded in the BNSF Leadership Model, this role will source, analyze, and interpret talent and organizational data to implement practical, scalable solutions that build future ready leaders and ensure BNSF maintains a healthy pipeline for mission critical roles.

This role reports to the AVP of Talent Management and leads three direct reports and several professional consulting partners.

Duties & Responsibilities:

-Provide vision, leadership, and strategic planning for the design and implementation of enterprise-wide talent management programs, including succession planning, talent reviews, and high potential development pathways.

-Lead BNSF’s performance management philosophy, processes, and systems, ensuring alignment with enterprise goals and continuous improvement.

-Oversee enterprise mentoring programs, ensuring quality, scalability, and meaningful development outcomes.

-Manage and coordinate the use of validated talent assessments for selection, development, and leadership readiness.

-Provide executive coaching and partner with internal/external coaches to support senior leader effectiveness and development.

-Analyze, interpret, and present organizational talent data (succession indicators, performance trends, readiness ratings, assessment data) to inform decisions.

-Identify, interpret, and track program evaluation data to inform improvements to talent systems and leader development programming.

-Source, negotiate, and manage contracts with qualified consulting partners to support talent, assessment, and coaching initiatives.

-Conduct benchmarking and apply emerging trends in talent management, performance, and leadership readiness to BNSF’s programs.

-Partner with HR Matrix teams to ensure talent processes are coordinated, consistent, and supported across the organization.

Basic Qualifications:

-Bachelor’s in a related field (I/O Psychology, Human Resources, Organizational Development/Behavior).

-Eight or more years of talent management, organizational development, leadership development, or related HR experience.

-Three years of supervisory experience.

-Strong project management skills.

-Experience conducting needs assessments and implementing enterprise-wide talent or development programs.

Preferred Qualifications:

-Graduate degree in a related field (I/O Psychology, HR, Organizational Behavior).

-Experience with assessments, talent analytics, or leadership evaluation tools.

-Facilitation and coaching experience.

-Vendor/contract management experience.

What Will Set You Apart:

-Demonstrated success implementing enterprise wide talent management or succession programs with measurable results.

-Exceptional communication and influencing skills with the ability to engage and gain commitment from senior executives.

-Ability to manage multiple projects with strict deadlines.

-Ability to identify, interpret, and track success metrics for talent programs.

-A strong ability to assess organizational needs and adapt to an environment with a highly developed, yet evolving, culture.