Talent Development Manager

Summary

The Talent Development Manager owns the end-to-end delivery of White Lodging's instructor-led, in-market leadership development programs, including Flight School, our three-day cultural and leadership immersion experience for every newly hired or newly promoted manager across our properties. This role blends detailed program and event management with confident, engaging facilitation. It also serves as the primary point of contact for the White Lodging Career Journey, our organization-wide career pathing and development program. This is a highly visible, collaborative role that touches leaders across every hotel in our portfolio, and it requires someone who is as comfortable managing a hotel's Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) and travel itineraries as they are standing in front of a room of new managers early in their management journey with White Lodging.

Key Responsibilities

Program Planning and Event Logistics

Manage the full lifecycle of in-market, instructor-led leadership development programs from initial planning through post-event close-out, with meticulous attention to detail and a proactive, deadline-driven approach.

• Identify, schedule, and confirm guest leaders and subject matter experts to speak at programs, balancing availability and applicability
• Build and send calendar invitations to all participants, facilitators, and guest leaders, keeping details current as plans evolve
• Request and secure meeting space from participating hotels for each program, coordinating dates, room setups, and rate negotiations directly with property teams
• Review and confirm hotel Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) to ensure meeting specs, food and beverage, group resumes, and audiovisual needs are accurate and confirmed well ahead of each session
• Partner directly with participating leaders and their managers to confirm travel arrangements and ensure participants have completed any required pre-class work and understand what to expect before day one
• Review post-event invoices for accuracy against contracted rates and BEOs and submit them for processing through Finance and Accounting teams, ensuring accuracy and timely payment to our hotel and vendor partners
• Seek to understand the needs of participants, hotel partners, and property leaders, checking in proactively throughout each program to confirm expectations are being met, not just after the fact
• Analyze evaluation data to make recommendations on updates to training content and program structure
• Explore and apply AI-enabled tools to strengthen program logistics and evaluation analysis, bringing fresh efficiency to planning and reporting without losing the personal attention hotel partners and participants expect
• Monitor program-related spend against projected costs for meeting space, catering, travel, and materials, flagging variances to leadership in a timely manner

Program Facilitation

Serve as a confident, credible facilitator who brings White Lodging's culture and leadership expectations to life in the room. Before leading any program independently, the Talent Development Manager will spend a structured onboarding period learning the full content, design, and delivery model, understanding the intent behind this work and why it matters, both to the individual leader in the room and to White Lodging as a whole.

• Learn every piece of Flight School before facilitating independently to build a genuine, module-by-module understanding of the content, activities, and stories so that delivery reflects real command of the program rather than simply running a script
• Facilitate Flight School, our foundational three-day cultural and leadership immersion program for all newly hired or newly promoted managers across White Lodging's properties
• Deliver a consistent, high-energy participant experience that models our brand voice, genuine, educational, and inspiring while reinforcing White Lodging's history, values, and leadership expectations from day one
• Partner with the broader Talent Development team to keep facilitation content current with our evolving strategy, leadership competencies, and key priorities
• Gather and act on participant feedback to measure program effectiveness and continuously refine delivery based on results
• Bring innovative thinking to facilitation content, including AI-enabled tools for content design, keeping materials fresh and relevant as leadership development practices evolve

Career Journey Program Ownership

Act as the main point of contact for Career Journey, White Lodging's organization-wide career pathing and development program, ensuring it remains a living, well-used tool rather than a one-time exercise.

• Maintain and update Career Journey materials, career path maps, and supporting tools so they are current, accurate, and reflect real opportunities across our properties
• Promote the Career Journey program and its tools to leaders across our hotels, restaurants, and rooftop bars, helping them understand how to use it with their teams
• Coach associates and leaders on how to build relevant, meaningful individual development plans that reflect their strengths and clearly connect their goals to real next steps at White Lodging
• Recruit, lead, and support a network of Career Journey Champions who help reinforce the program, model its use, and champion career conversations and development plans at their own properties
• Coordinate with Communications, Marketing, and Corporate HR teams to ensure all program materials (including career pathing videos), communications, and facilitation guides stay aligned with current tools and messaging

Skills

• Confident, engaging facilitation skills, genuinely energized by presenting and engaging with people, comfortable adapting style and pace to a room of new managers
• Strong project and event management skills, ideally including direct experience with hotel meeting planning, BEOs, group travel coordination, and vendor invoice review
• Exceptional attention to detail — highly organized, deadline-driven, and able to juggle multiple in-market programs and hotel contacts at once
• A relationship builder who builds effective working relationships across all disciplines and properties, involving the right partners early and gaining genuine buy-in
• Strong interpersonal and coaching skills, with the confidence to coach individuals at every level on career planning and development conversations
• Stays current on adult learning and leadership development practices, bringing fresh thinking to how Talent Development programs and materials are designed and delivered
• Comfortable exploring AI-enabled tools and other emerging technology to support content design, program logistics, and continuous improvement in how we develop our leaders
• Working knowledge of core program delivery tools and the Microsoft Office Suite, including Learning Management Systems and HRIS, virtual meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams, and standard presentation software such as PowerPoint; experience with an e-learning authoring tool is a plus

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in learning and development, talent development, or training coordination
• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Human Resources, Talent Development, Adult Education, or a related field preferred
• ATD Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) or equivalent credential preferred
• Flexibility and willingness to travel regularly (up to 40%) to properties across our markets to deliver programs in-market

Work Environment

• Work is performed in a combination of corporate office, hotel, and property environments, with regular travel to markets across the White Lodging portfolio
• Travel up to 40% is required, including overnight stays and occasional weekend or evening travel tied to program schedules
• Facilitation requires standing, presenting, and remaining engaged with participants for extended periods across multi-day programs
• Occasional lifting and transport of program materials and supplies may be required

What You Can Look Forward To

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance benefits — starting day 1
• Life and disability insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off (PTO) with rollover
• Complimentary wellness tools
• Unlimited employee referral bonuses
• Leadership development & tuition reimbursement
• Discounts on hotel rooms, dining, and travel
• Growth opportunities across multiple hotel properties