Senior Director, Talent Management and Learning

At Sonos we want to create the ultimate listening experience for our customers and know that it starts by listening to each other. As part of the Sonos team, you’ll collaborate with people of all styles, skill sets, and backgrounds to realize our vision while fostering a community where everyone feels included and empowered to do the best work of their lives.

This role can be done from home

Building the world’s leading sound experience starts with the experience we provide for our people. That’s why we’ve been distributed from the start: initially between offices in Boston & Santa Barbara, and now with additional offices in Seattle and San Francisco. This role can be done from anywhere in the United States - any of our offices, or remotely from home. It’s about impact, not location.

Our people are our most important asset. Each day, we work to ensure that every  employee can deliver meaningful high impact work in an equitable and inclusive environment. To help realize this goal, Sonos is hiring a Senior Director, Talent and Change. 

What You’ll Do

Reporting to the Chief People Officer, the Senior Director of Talent Management and Learning will lead the development and execution of an integrated talent management and learning and development strategy, in support of Sonos’ overall business goals. As a key member of the People Leadership Team, this role will provide strategic leadership and direction to Sonos’ talent and learning functions, processes, and practices, creating and executing company-wide initiatives that maximize talent capability and leadership excellence and enable a globally distributed and inclusive environment in which everyone can do meaningful high impact work. As a part of driving these initiatives this  role will also demonstrate industry-leading change management practices, partnering closely with regional and functional stakeholders, the Total Rewards, People Business Partner, and Diversity Equity and Inclusion Teams, and the Office of the CEO to identify and define measurable talent and change strategies aligned with business outcomes. Along with driving enterprise-wide impact, this role is expected to be a model leader for the Talent Team,  leading the team through coaching, developing, and inclusive leadership.  

Talent Management

• Design a Talent Management Strategy that meets long-term business needs (i.e. bench strength, career progression and strategic roadmap), leveraging internal and external expertise, research, and industry knowledge, bringing elements of change management to ensure the success of corporate wide transformations. Socialize with key stakeholders to increase visibility, buy in, and engagement

• Lead the development and implementation of all strategic talent management activities (including performance management, succession planning, talent calibration, career pathing, high-potential development and talent review) that address current and future business needs, collaborating with People Business Partners to identify where there are critical talent management gaps today. Build content and programs into scalable solutions 

• Develop measures to determine program effectiveness (i.e.participation, internal mobility, engagement, and retention), and use results to continuously improve programs and processes.

• Be a strategic advisor to executive leadership regarding talent and organizational effectiveness with a strategic and big picture view into external trends and the implications on our people

• Lead the evaluation and evolution of the Performance Management process to unlock higher organizational performance and increase: clarity of expectations at each level and role, exceptional delivery of high-quality continuous feedback, and meaningful outcomes following performance and talent review conversations 

• Partner with Total Rewards and People Operations to ensure clear and consistent differentiation of talent in merit decisions and provide resources for managers to be able to communicate these decisions to employees

• Uplevel key employee lifecycle moments including New Employee Orientation, Promotion & Exit.

• Create solutions to accelerate opportunities for underserved talent populations; Collaborate with the Diversity Equity and Inclusion team to implement initiatives and programs that foster a diverse and inclusive workplace

• Lead efforts to develop and articulate career philosophy and enhance processes for internal mobility so that employees can grow, develop and have new opportunities to gain exposure, capabilities, and expertise

• Partner with senior leaders, People Partners, business teams and the Office of the CEO on a wide range of organizational transformation activities such values, competencies, and organizational effectiveness, developing human-centered initiatives and strategy, tools/resources and plans to increase team impact

Learning and Development

• Create a vision and plan for learning and development that supports the talent and overall corporate strategy and leads to capable and knowledgeable teams and leaders who are ready to deliver high impact work

• Lead the design, measurement, iteration, and deployment of core learning and development  programs (i.e., onboarding and professional development)

• Collaborate with key stakeholders across the business to identify leadership capabilities required for success, assess capability gaps and build, evolve, and scale leadership development and learning strategies that close those gaps

• Support the development, administration, and evaluation of employee competencies and successful integration into the talent management process

• Develop learning paths and solutions for specific populations in the organization including all job levels (Individual Contributors, People Managers, Senior Leaders & Executive Leaders), high potential, and underrepresented talent to grow individual capabilities, enhance impact, build engagement, and increase readiness

• Oversee adoption, effectiveness, and management of LMS for professional development. Leverage our LMS capabilities to broaden the accessibility and reach of our learning programs. 

• Ensure the deployment of inclusive, blended learning approaches (instructor-led, virtual, e-learning, etc.) to support various learning needs and reach a distributed workforce 

• Oversee evaluation & assessments to measure program efficacy and refine accordingly

• Develop sound and effective supplemental solutions in the areas of Executive Coaching, 360-Degree Feedback, Mentoring, and Sponsorship 

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or relevant work experience in lieu of degree

• 8+ years HR experience with 3+ years in a senior human resources leadership role overseeing Talent Management, Organizational Design/Effectiveness, and/or Learning and Development

• Track record of building high performing teams to achieve ambitious results

• Proven experience developing and driving successful talent and organizational effectiveness strategies and ensuring their implementation in a fast-paced, matrixed environment

• Excellent facilitation and presentation skills with all levels of the organization including with the executive level 

• Demonstrated knowledge, skills, awareness of and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; models inclusive leadership at all times by building diverse teams, building relationships with a variety of stakeholders, and working collaboratively with DEI leaders to an equity lens is woven into all talent solutions

• Demonstrated experience as a curriculum and content developer, with a skill in distilling complex subjects into simple, memorable, and compelling concepts

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills (written and verbal); ability to effectively interact with individuals at all levels of the organization; ability to communicate effectively and navigate organizational interdependencies and relationships

• Ability to operate at both the strategic and tactical level, balancing best practices and innovation with organizational strategy, readiness, and market conditions 

• Experience driving organizational change, project management, and/or executing against OKRs while managing expectations with multiple stakeholder groups

• Strong business acumen and strategic insight, as demonstrated by a clear ability to understand the broader strategy and market context of the business, identify its success drivers, and support them effectively through complementary talent strategies

• Ability to deliver results, work within ambiguity, and successfully manage unresolved situations, frequent changes, or unexpected events

• Subject matter expert or thought leader in talent development, learning and development or change management

• Strong analytical skills and ability to develop and track metrics; ability to use data or quality insights to solve problems, make decisions, or tell compelling stories

• Competence in financial acumen, budget management, and vendor management 

#LI-Remote

At Sonos we consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, which may lead  individual compensation to vary depending on job related qualifications, skills, and experience.  All full time employees are eligible for merit increases, discretionary bonuses, and equity.  Our job postings may span more than one career level and the base pay range may be modified in the future based on changing market conditions. The starting base pay for this role for all US candidates is between:

$219,000 and $243,900

Please note that compensation details listed in US job postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits.

We also offer a comprehensive benefits program with choice and flexibility in mind to help support the health, wealth, and overall well-being of our employees. Regular full time employees in the US are eligible for benefits on day one, including:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

• A 401(k) plan with company matching and immediate vesting

• An Open Time Off policy (OTO) so you have maximum opportunity to disconnect and recharge, with no tenure-based vacation accruals required

• 80 hours of sick time upon hire, refreshed annually

• Up to 12 paid holidays per calendar year

• 12 weeks of paid Bonding Leave following the birth or adoption of a new child, plus up to an additional 12 weeks of Medical Leave for birthing parents under our Short Term Disability policy

• Company-paid Disability, Life, and AD&D Insurance

• Voluntary benefits, including Voluntary Life, AD&D, Accident, and Pet Insurance 

• Mental health benefits to support your holistic well-being

• A generous employee discount program & paid streaming music services on the Sonos platform

For a holistic overview of our benefits, please visit sonosbenefits.com. 

Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

Your profile will be reviewed and you'll hear from us once we have an update. At Sonos we take the time to hire right and appreciate your patience.

Notice to U.S. Job Applicants: Sonos is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.

Follow the links to review the EEO is the Law poster and its supplement. Sonos is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.