Leadership & Talent Development Director

Leadership & Talent Development Director – Dublin – Hybrid

ICON plc is a world-leading healthcare intelligence and clinical research organization. We’re proud to foster an inclusive environment driving innovation and excellence, and we welcome you to join us on our mission to shape the future of clinical development

Job Title: Director, Leadership and Talent Development

At ICON, we are passionate about building a culture where exceptional people grow, thrive, and make a lasting impact. As part of our ICON University team, the Director of Leadership and Talent Development will play a critical role in shaping the future of our organisation by strengthening our leadership capability and ensuring a strong pipeline of talent for today and tomorrow.

The opportunity

In this role, you will lead ICON’s centre of excellence for leadership and talent development, reporting to the Vice President of Inclusion and Organisational Effectiveness. You will design and deliver strategies that accelerate the development of our senior leaders, with a particular focus on our Vice President population and high-performing Senior Directors. By driving succession planning and developing future-ready leaders, you will directly influence ICON’s ability to achieve its strategic goals.

What you will be doing

• Create and implement a leadership and talent development strategy that enables ICON’s business priorities and strengthens leadership at the most senior levels.
• Partner with HR Business Partners and leaders across the business to identify needs, design solutions, and ensure alignment between leadership development and organisational goals.
• Lead the design and facilitation of executive-level workshops and programmes that embed strategic priorities and build leadership excellence.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and thought leader on leadership, talent assessment, and executive development.
• Build and maintain strong external partnerships with best-in-class vendors to deliver innovative and impactful leadership programmes.
• Oversee succession planning, executive assessment, and talent review processes, ensuring robust pipelines for critical leadership roles.
• Provide executive coaching to high-potential talent, supporting their growth from Director through to EVP level.
• Bring thought leadership on talent solutions, using evidence-based approaches and innovative practices to continuously raise the bar for leadership development at ICON.

What you will bring

• At least 15 years of experience in organisational development, talent management, leadership development, or a senior HR business partnering role.
• A proven track record of leading large-scale talent and leadership initiatives in complex, global organisations.
• Strong consulting skills with the ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders at every level.
• Excellent communication skills with the confidence to deliver high-impact presentations and facilitate at the executive level.
• Advanced project management capability with experience managing multiple initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
• Deep knowledge of current leadership development approaches, tools, and technologies, including design thinking.
• A collaborative style, with the ability to build lasting relationships both internally and externally.

Education and qualifications

• Master’s degree (or equivalent experience) in Human Resources, Organisational Development, Learning and Development, Organisational Behaviour, Industrial/Organisational Psychology, or a related field.
• Formal qualifications in executive coaching are essential.
• Certified in a range of psychometric tools and assessments, including Level A and Level B, EQi, and personality instruments such as Insights Discovery, Hogan, and Korn Ferry.

Why join us

This is a high-impact role at the heart of ICON’s strategy. You will have the opportunity to shape how we grow and develop our most senior leaders, ensuring they have the skills and mindset to lead ICON into the future. If you are passionate about leadership, talent, and creating meaningful organisational impact, this is a unique opportunity to influence the success of a global company and the careers of exceptional leaders.

What ICON can offer you:

Our success depends on the quality of our people. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to build a diverse culture that rewards high performance and nurtures talent.

In addition to your competitive salary, ICON offers a range of additional benefits. Our benefits are designed to be competitive within each country and are focused on well-being and work life balance opportunities for you and your family.

Our benefits examples include:

• Various annual leave entitlements
• A range of health insurance offerings to suit you and your family’s needs.
• Competitive retirement planning offerings to maximize savings and plan with confidence for the years ahead.
• Global Employee Assistance Programme, TELUS Health, offering 24-hour access to a global network of over 80,000 independent specialised professionals who are there to support you and your family’s well-being.
• Life assurance
• Flexible country-specific optional benefits, including childcare vouchers, bike purchase schemes, discounted gym memberships, subsidised travel passes, health assessments, among others.

Visit our careers site to read more about the benefits ICON offers.

At ICON, inclusion & belonging are fundamental to our culture and values. We’re dedicated to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for all candidates. ICON is committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please let us know or submit a request here.

Interested in the role, but unsure if you meet all of the requirements? We would encourage you to apply regardless – there’s every chance you’re exactly what we’re looking for here at ICON whether it is for this or other roles.

Are you a current ICON Employee? Please click here to apply

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