C&D Talent Advisory

Manager, Talent Advisory & Leadership Development

Build the talent development engine for a fast-growing private equity ecosystem while advising CEOs and senior leaders on the people challenges that shape company performance. This is a high-ownership role for someone who can both design rigorous leadership development programs and earn trust with executives who need practical guidance on organizational design, leadership effectiveness, onboarding, performance, and growth.

The Opportunity

Our client is a Washington, D.C.-based private equity firm that partners with outstanding executives to acquire and grow B2B, B2G, and healthcare software and services platforms. Talent is central to the firm's strategy: the team invests in exceptional leaders, develops them intentionally, and believes the strength of its people drives the strength of its outcomes across the firm and its portfolio companies.

As Manager, Talent Advisory & Leadership Development, you will join the talent team and report directly to the Head of Talent. The role has a dual mandate:

• Design, build, and deliver talent and leadership development programming for portfolio company CEOs, CXOs, leadership teams, and the firm's internal team.
• Serve as a hands-on talent advisor to portfolio company executives on people strategy, organizational design, leadership development, onboarding, and scalable talent solutions.

This is a builder role. You will not simply inherit an established L&D function or coordinate someone else's curriculum. You will shape the roadmap, translate executive development needs into programs and tools, measure impact, and create resources that compound across the ecosystem.

What You Will OwnTalent Development & Leadership Programming

• Own and evolve development curricula for portfolio company CEOs and CXOs, including executive onboarding, cohort-based programming, and ongoing skill-building initiatives.
• Design and deliver structured leadership development programming across portfolio company leadership teams as needs evolve.
• Build and manage the talent development calendar and roadmap, balancing planned programming with responsive, just-in-time support.
• Identify development needs across the ecosystem through assessment tools, feedback, aptitude/proficiency models, and close partnership with executives and leaders.
• Translate leadership and organizational challenges into practical programs, frameworks, playbooks, and resources.
• Coordinate and manage external coaches, facilitators, and development partners when they supplement internal programming.
• Build and maintain a knowledge base of best practices, development resources, and frameworks that can be reused across the portfolio.
• Track program effectiveness, gather feedback, and iterate continuously to improve quality and impact.
• Support internal firm-wide talent initiatives, including onboarding, performance and development processes, annual reviews, feedback cycles, and professional development for the growing internal team.

Talent Advisory for Portfolio Executives

• Build trusted relationships with portfolio company CEOs and senior leadership teams so executives seek you out as a thoughtful partner on people and leadership topics.
• Support CEO and executive onboarding at newly acquired portfolio companies, helping leaders ramp quickly with the right resources, frameworks, and connections.
• Advise leaders on people strategy, organizational design, leadership development, performance development, engagement, and scalable talent practices.
• Identify patterns and gaps across portfolio companies, then develop tools, programs, and resources that address shared challenges.
• Collaborate with investment and portfolio operations teams to align talent initiatives with each company's value creation plan.
• Bring fresh thinking and market intelligence on talent trends, synthesizing industry insights into actionable guidance for the firm and portfolio partners.

What Makes You a Strong Fit

• 5+ years of experience with meaningful exposure to talent development, leadership development, L&D, talent advisory, organizational effectiveness, organizational development, or a combination of these areas.
• Experience designing and delivering structured development programs or curricula end to end, not only facilitating or coordinating existing content.
• A track record of building trusted relationships with senior executives or senior stakeholders and acting as a thought partner on people, leadership, or organizational challenges.
• Comfort operating in a small, fast-moving, high-accountability team where initiative, ownership, adaptability, and follow-through matter.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present clearly to senior executives and write thoughtful development frameworks.
• Strong program design instincts: you understand how people develop, how to structure cohort experiences, and how to combine creativity with rigor.
• A systems mindset: you document, codify, and scale your work so the function becomes more repeatable and impactful over time.
• Collaborative working style across talent, investment, operations, and portfolio company teams.
• Bachelor's degree required.

Backgrounds That May Translate Well

This role may be especially compelling if you have worked in or around:

• Private equity portfolio operations or talent functions.
• Professional services or management consulting with a people, organization, leadership, or talent focus.
• Executive search, leadership advisory, or assessment work with exposure to senior executives.
• Organizational effectiveness, organizational development, leadership development, or talent management in a high-growth or high-accountability environment.
• PE-backed, lower middle market, or middle market companies, or environments where leaders need practical, business-oriented people guidance.

Nice-to-Haves

• Familiarity with the lower middle market or middle market private equity ecosystem.
• Understanding of what it means to lead or support a PE-backed company.
• Graduate degree or professional development certifications.
• Experience using assessment tools or models such as Criteria, Predictive Index, professional aptitude assessments, or proficiency frameworks.
• Experience supporting executive onboarding, leadership cohorts, feedback cycles, performance development, or internal talent processes.

Location, Work Model & Compensation

• Location: Washington, D.C.
• Work model: Hybrid. The team strongly prefers D.C.-based candidates or candidates willing to relocate, and is open to discussing hybrid arrangements for exceptional candidates with a demonstrated ability to build relationships and deliver programming in a distributed environment.
• Employment type: Full-time.
• Compensation: Expected to range between $125,000 and $200,000 USD OTE, commensurate with experience.
• Benefits: Comprehensive benefits package including health and life insurance and a 401(k) with matching contribution.

Why This Role Matters

You will help shape how leaders across a private equity ecosystem grow, lead, onboard, give feedback, build teams, and scale companies. The right person will enjoy moving between strategy and execution: one day building a development roadmap, another day advising a CEO on organizational structure, and another day turning recurring portfolio needs into practical tools that raise the talent bar across multiple companies.

If you are energized by leadership development, executive advisory work, and the chance to build a talent platform that directly supports company growth, this is a rare opportunity to own meaningful work from concept to execution.

Compensation

The expected total compensation range is USD 125,000-200,000 Yearly.

Apply now and get a response within 24 hours.

Employment Type: FULL_TIME